Received A Bad Google Review? Here’s What To Do

How to get rid of a bad Google review

Have you seen those ridiculous reviews on meme pages on Instagram? You know the ones, where a customer has left a one-star Google review because their order didn’t arrive by Christmas, even when they ordered it on Christmas morning.

These are the kinds of reviews we want to get rid of, but how do we go about removing reviews from Google?

Well, it’s not quite as straightforward as you’d expect. Google doesn’t have a simple “delete” button on reviews, because reviews are seen to be a helpful indicator of the customer’s experience of the business. Google wants to help everyone have good experiences online, so it would be rigging the system a bit to be able to delete bad reviews willy-nilly.

But there are two ways you can get rid of Google reviews:

1.     The person who posted the review can delete it, or
2.     Your business can flag the review as inappropriate

The first one is a bit trickier to tackle because the reviewer likely feels justified in their reasoning for leaving a bad review. It’s possible to bring them around, but I often find it’s easier to go with the second option.

Flagging the review as inappropriate alerts Google that the review is fake or doesn’t comply with Google’s review policies. Simply click the three vertical dots to the right of the review, select “Report Review” and follow the prompts.

When to flag a Google review

You want to flag a Google review when it goes against Google’s user T&Cs. Irrelevant comments, illegal content, offensive/explicit content, conflicts of interest and impersonation are the key breaches of these terms and conditions, so if your bad review falls under these categories, flag the review and request it to be removed.

There is a bit of a caveat with flagging Google reviews though. Unfortunately, the process is pretty slow going, which means that your business could have already suffered reputational damage by the time the review is taken down (and that’s only if it gets taken down).

You can absolutely flag the review, but you’re best to have a back up plan in place in case it takes a while, or in case Google decides not to remove the bad review. Unfortunately, it’s up to Google whether the review is removed. There’s no guarantee it’ll get taken down, so it’s best to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

What to do when you can’t delete a Google review

You’ve tried talking to the person who posted it about taking it down (it didn’t work). You’ve reported the review as inappropriate (it didn’t work). You’ve flagged it as going against Google’s terms and conditions (and you’re still waiting to hear back).

So, where does this leave you?

When you can’t delete a Google review, the best thing to do is respond to it.

I know, I hear you. This is the last thing you want to do. This person has had a (real or perceived) negative experience and wants to take it out on your business. They’re too far gone to be brought back on side, so why would you bother giving them the time of day? Why would you grace their negative review with a response?

Want to know the truth? Your response has very little to do with the person who left the negative review, and a lot to do with everyone who will read it.

If you leave it go unchecked, people are more likely to think the negative review is true, leading to a mistrust of your business.

But if you review in an empathetic, kind and explanatory way, your potential customers reading this review will be able to think more critically about the situation and not take the bad review as gospel.

How to respond to negative Google reviews

Acknowledge the issue

Even if you don’t think the customer is right, you need to acknowledge how they’re feeling. To them, this issue was important enough that they felt the need to voice it online, so it’s incredibly real and true for them.

Let’s say you’re a hairdresser and one of your customers left with what they consider a bad haircut (which, let’s be clear, is the worst feeling). We could say something along the lines of:

Hey [insert first name], thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Apologise for the issue

It’s simple, really. We want to take the high road and make sure they feel seen, heard and valued.

If we continue our bad haircut apology, we could add:

We’re so incredibly sorry you walked away disappointed with your haircut, that’s the last thing we want to happen to our clients!

Explain the issue, if necessary

I would argue that most of the time, an apology is more than enough to address the situation, but there are some circumstances where a further explanation goes a long way to dissolving the tension.

But remember, you’re not here to make excuses. Take responsibility for what happened, provide a clear explanation and back it up with an apology.

Offer to compensate the reviewer appropriately

I know a lot of businesses feel irked when they’re told to compensate a negative reviewer, but it goes a long way toward showing your remorse, accountability and willingness to right a wrong (even if you still don’t believe you’re in the wrong).

Back to our hairdresser example. We could tack on:

We’d love to offer you a complimentary haircut to help make you feel more like your gorgeous self again, but we understand you may not want to return. If that’s the case, we’re happy to offer a full refund for your appointment.

Invite the review to have a chat offline

It’s always good to end your response by encouraging further discussion in a private forum. Not only does it mean that any further negative commentary toward you is done in private, but it also shows how willing you are to come to a resolution.

Now, let’s look at the entire response of our fictional hairdresser and add this last final piece to the puzzle.

Hey [insert first name], thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re so incredibly sorry you walked away disappointed with your haircut, that’s the last thing we want to happen to our clients!

We’d love to offer you a complimentary haircut to help make you feel more like your gorgeous self again, but we understand you may not want to return. If that’s the case, we’re happy to offer a full refund for your appointment.

You’re welcome to get in touch with us on [insert email address here] to discuss this further and organise a solution that works best for you.

Pretty effective, right? I know I’d be happy to receive that response!