Repify
Respond calmly and quickly: thank the reviewer, acknowledge the specific problem without arguing, apologize for the experience where appropriate, explain briefly what you are doing about it and invite them to continue the conversation privately by phone or email. Keep it short, never share personal details, and if the review breaks Google's policies, report it as well as replying.
- Thank them and keep a respectful tone, even if the review feels unfair.
- Name the specific issue so readers see you understood it.
- Apologize for the experience without admitting fault for things you have not verified.
- Explain in one sentence what you have done or will do.
- Offer a direct contact, ideally a named person, to resolve it privately.
Example reply
Thank you for telling us about your visit, Laura. We are sorry the wait for your table was so long on Saturday and that nobody kept you informed; that is not the service we aim for. We have changed how we manage reservations on busy evenings. Please write to our manager, Mark, at the email on our profile so we can make it right.
What not to do
Do not argue in public, reveal booking or medical details, accuse the customer of lying, or post the same generic apology under every complaint. Never offer compensation in exchange for removing or changing the review. And do not reply while angry: draft the answer, wait a little, and reread it as if you were a potential customer deciding whether to trust you.
After you reply
Follow up privately if the customer gets in touch. If the problem is resolved, you can politely let them know they are welcome to update their review, without any pressure. Also look for patterns: if several one-star reviews mention the same issue, the most effective reply is fixing the underlying problem and saying so in future responses.