What to do when you get a bad review
Oh boy! You’ve gotten a bad review. It happens, even to the best of us. And if you’re a blue personality like me, you’re totally crushed about it. As a shop owner, you have tried your very best and then you get blindsided by a negative review. It sucks. I totally get it, I’ve been there. But there’s good news: I’m going to teach you what you should do when you get a bad review.
(Skip to the bottom of this post for the video where I go more in depth of what to do when you get a bad review!)
The moment you get a bad review
You get a notification or email that you’ve just gotten a review. Then you go to check it out because you love reading your customer’s experiences. The reviews help you know what your strengths are so you can keep them strong. But there it is, a 1 star out of 5. You read the customer’s disappointment and you’re devastated. Your heart sinks to your toes.
It’s totally ok to have emotions about it. Here’s the first thing I want you to do:
Distance yourself emotionally
Otherwise, you may end up in more emotional turmoil if you let your emotions dictate the next steps.
What to do about it
Now that you’ve emotionally detached from the negative review, investigate. Read the review carefully. Why did the customer feel like they needed to post a bad review? Was delivery delayed? Was it the wrong product? Did they not know how to use it? Was it not what they expected? Was something broken? Get as much information before reaching out to the customer.
Reach out to the customer
Next, we’ll send the customer an email or message. Do this as soon as possible!! This lets your customer that you are attentive and care about their needs. Do not respond directly to their comment – most platforms will not let you edit your public response to a review. It’s permanent! So don’t respond on the review.. yet or at all (we’ll talk about this more later).
In your direct message to the customer, apologize for the issue that they’re having. Ask questions if necessary. Then, offer solutions to their problem.
I like to respond to negative comments something like this:
“Hi (customer name),
I noticed your review and wanted to reach out to you. We/I strive to provide the very best customer satisfaction and products. Can you tell me what issues you’ve been having with the product or experience? Ask a question like this if you got a negative review that doesn’t specifically state why they reviewed your shop or product poorly. If you do know the reason for the negative review, state that reason and if there is anything else you should know. I apologize for the product not arriving in good condition. We’d love to send out a replacement for the damaged product. Please let me know if this solution works for you. We’d love to correct the issue and earn a higher review. We look forward to hearing back from you.
– Teria
Kindness always wins
Respond with unemotional yet kind and polite about the matter. Kindness really is the best policy. Most people will write you back quickly. They may or may not accept your solution. I always try to provide a replacement vs a refund. I will offer the replacement first and not even mention a refund. If they still do not want the product, you can ask them to return it (if it’s in your interest to have it back) and then refund the order.
In my experience, most people will change the review on their own accord. However, after they’ve received a replacement or solution to the problem and they haven’t changed the review, then I will politely ask if they will. Again, most times people will change it. Especially if you’ve been kind and polite about the situation.
Sometimes, it is better to lose money on a transaction than to have the bad review. Bad reviews = less sales = less money.
Shops with good reviews (and lots of them!) attract customers who trust your shop!
Prevention
So how do we prevent the bad reviews from happening in the first place?
Without going too deep into it, here are a few basic tips:
- Sell a product that meets the customers needs
- be specific in the title of WHAT is is
- be specific in the description and pictures of WHAT it is and HOW it’s used
- Respond to messages in a timely manner (I like to respond within 24 hours)
- Package the product nicely and safely so that it arrives in good condition
- Ship the product in a timely manner – always ship when you say that you will!
- Send an insert with your product. Thank them for their purchase, provide contact information, instructions on the product use, social media handles, and ask for an honest review.
Also, check out my top 6 tips for starting an Etsy shop.
Public Response to a negative review
Only post a public response when a customer is unwilling to accept your solutions. Or if you never hear back from your attempts to reach out to the via email or messages first.
In your public respoinse to a bad review, leave emotions out of it. Respond kindly and informativelty. I like to provide as much information as possible because future buyers can see the response. Going with the previous example about a damaged product, I’d give a respoinse something like this:
“We sincerely apologize for the product not arriving as expected. While we do our best to package and ship in a way that the product will arrive in good shape, the situation remains. We have reached out to the customer to provide a replacement or refund”
Getting a bad or negative review sucks. In most situations, you can turn a 1 star review into a 5 star review with exceptional customer service. I’ve received thousands and thousands of reviews from being an online seller for the last 7 years. While the vast majority of my reviews are positive, 5 star reviews, sometimes a bad review leaks in. And of those bad reviews, I’m able to convert most of those into a positive, 5 star review. Those that aren’t converted into 5 star reviews will most definitely get a public response.
While it may be tempting to let the customer “have it”, it’s just simply not worth it. Kindness always wins. I hope this post has been helpful so you know what to do when you get a bad review.
