How to reply to a bad Google review

Wait before you type

Don't reply angry. Read the review, put the phone down, and come back in a few hours or the next morning. In the meantime, pull the job file. Find out what happened from your crew, your notes and your photos.

Who you're really writing to

Your reply is public. Future customers can read it to see how you act when something goes wrong. A calm, short answer that offers to fix the problem can say more about you than the complaint does.

A reply you can adapt

"Hi [first name], thank you for telling us. I'm sorry the job didn't go the way you expected. That's not how we want anyone to feel about our work. I'd like to look into this and make it right if we can. Please call me directly at [your number] or email [your email]. [Your name], owner."

Change the words so it sounds like you. Then follow through. If they call, listen first.

What a good reply does

Thanks the person and stays polite
Says sorry for the experience without arguing the details
Offers a direct way to reach you
Stays short, three or four sentences
Is signed by a real person

What to leave out

Private details: the customer's address or phone, what they paid, their insurance claim, or anything personal. Never post these, even to prove your side.
Blame, sarcasm or a line-by-line argument.
Threats of legal action in a public reply.
A copy-paste reply that's the same under every review.
An offer of money or a discount in exchange for changing or removing the review.

If the review is fair

Sometimes the customer is right. Fix the problem. Afterwards it's fine to say they're welcome to update the review if they feel it's fair. Leave it at that. Don't push, and don't tie the fix to the review.

When to flag a review

Google removes reviews that break its policies, not reviews a business simply disagrees with. Its policies don't allow things like spam and fake reviews, off-topic content, harassment or offensive language, personal information, and conflicts of interest, such as a review from a competitor.

To flag one, find the review in your Google Business Profile or on Google Maps, open the menu next to it and choose the option to report it. Pick the reason that fits. Google decides, it can take a while, and the review may stay up. Reply calmly in the meantime.

Never bury it with fake reviews

It's tempting to drown a bad review in good ones. Don't write reviews yourself, have family or crew post them, or buy them. Fake reviews break Google's rules, and the FTC's rule on fake reviews allows civil penalties. The honest fix is slower: keep asking real customers after each job. One bad review among many real ones looks like a normal business.

How to ask customers for Google reviews the right way

Ask at the right moment

The best time is right after the job is done and the customer is happy: at the final walkthrough, or when they say thanks.

Make it one tap

Get your review link from your Google Business Profile ("Ask for reviews" or "Share review form"). Text or email it, or print it as a QR code on a card you hand over.

What to say

Keep it simple: "Thanks for choosing us. If you have a minute, an honest review on Google helps a small business like ours a lot. Here's the link."

Never do these

Write reviews yourself, or have family or employees pose as customers.
Buy reviews, or pay a service that posts them.
Offer discounts, gifts or entries in exchange for reviews (Google doesn't allow incentives).
Only ask happy customers while steering unhappy ones away ("review gating").
Copy reviews from other sites onto your website without saying where they're from.

The FTC's rule on fake reviews allows large penalties per violation, and AI-written reviews count. It's not worth it.

Reply to every review

Thank people for good reviews. For bad ones, reply calmly, don't share private details, and offer to make it right offline.