What to Reply to a Negative Online Review
Responding to a negative review publicly requires a careful balance of professionalism and empathy, since future customers will read it too. This situation gives you professional, empathetic, and calm ways to respond thoughtfully.
Use these when
- When a customer leaves a negative public review about your business
- When you want to respond professionally for future customers to see
- When you're inviting further conversation privately to resolve it
Skip these if
- Don't argue publicly or dismiss the reviewer's experience
- Don't ignore negative reviews, since silence can look worse
- Avoid overly defensive or scripted-sounding responses
12 replies to choose from
Thank you for your feedback, we'd love the chance to make this right.
We appreciate you sharing this and take it seriously.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience, that's not what we want for our customers.
That sounds frustrating, and I understand your disappointment.
We'd like to learn more about what happened, please reach out directly.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, let's discuss further.
We really value your feedback and want to improve based on it.
Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.
We're addressing this issue and appreciate you flagging it.
We take this seriously and are working to make it right.
We're sorry, please contact us directly to resolve this.
Thank you for the feedback, we'll follow up privately.
Make it fit your exact message
Common questions
- Should I respond to every negative review?
- Yes, a thoughtful public response shows other customers you take feedback seriously.
- How do I respond without sounding defensive?
- Lead with empathy and an invitation to resolve the issue rather than justifying what happened.
- What if the review seems unfair or exaggerated?
- Still respond professionally and calmly, offering to discuss the details privately.
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