Three Things to Do When You Get a Bad Review - Wednesday Wisdom from Hurd & Honey
It happens...
At some point your shop will get a bad review. You'd probably agree that the bad reviews were rarely deserved, and often times felt like a personal attack.
If it happens again, here are three things you can do to find resolve and have peace.
1. Focus on the resolution
Upon discovering the review, read it, familiarize yourself with what's upsetting the customer and close the page. If the review is hard to accept, take some time to pause before drafting up an email. The last thing you want to do is react emotionally and say something defensive. Be generous with your resolution options. It is best to resolve the matter quickly and to move on instead of arguing about a resolution. Keep in mind, customers that leave bad reviews instead of contacting you first are often hard to please. It's not worth your time arguing. A full refund or replacement product may hurt your profit margin, but that's not as damaging as stress. Take the high road.
2. Invite the customer to modify their review
Many times customers are surprised by generous resolutions or any resolution whatsoever, and will offer to change their review. If they don't offer, there is nothing wrong with asking for an updated review.
Most consumers are not aware of what it's like to run a small business, and it can be helpful to remind them that they are supporting your small business and shopping handmade.
If the customer doesn't want to modify their review you should definitely post a public response. You can either respond to the specific customer or respond to those reading the reviews as an "audience". (Avoid sounding defensive or bitter in your response.)
3. Read your other reviews
It can be difficult to move on, especially if the review feels like a personal attack. Read all of your positive reviews and trust that your future customers will overlook the negative. Your hard word, your beautiful product, and your integrity will carry you through.