12 REPLIES TO NEGATIVE PRODUCT REVIEWS, BY COMPLAINT TYPE From the Gather blog: https://trygather.ai/blog/how-to-respond-to-negative-reviews How to use this file - Replace every [bracket]. Delete any sentence that isn't true for this order. - Write "we've changed / we've added / we've asked" only after you have. Past tense is a promise the next shopper can check on the page. - The PUBLIC reply goes under the review. The PRIVATE action is what you do by email, the same day. - Never post order numbers, addresses, phone numbers, tracking numbers or the customer's full name in a public reply. - Never offer a refund, discount or gift in exchange for editing or deleting the review. Resolve the problem because it's a problem. Once it's fixed, you may invite them to ADD an update. Don't ask them to change or remove what they wrote. - Never accuse the reviewer of lying, of being a competitor, or of misusing the product. - Sign with a real first name. "The Team" reads like a template because it is one. Not legal advice. Rules on reviews, refunds and returns differ by country and by platform. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. LATE DELIVERY (order still in transit) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC Hi [first name], you're right: this is past the [X–Y] business days we quoted. I've emailed you the latest tracking scan and what we'll do if it hasn't moved by [date]. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Send the latest tracking event, not just the link. - Name a cut-off date. If there's no new scan by then, replace or refund. Don't make them ask twice. FIX THE CAUSE - If the quoted range is regularly missed, change the delivery estimate on the product page and at checkout. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. ARRIVED LATE (delivered, but after the promised date) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [First name], it arrived [N] days after the date we gave you, and that's our mistake. We've changed the delivery estimate on this product so the next buyer gets a realistic date. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Apologize once. Refund the shipping charge if they paid for a speed they didn't get. FIX THE CAUSE - Change the estimate before you post this reply, not after. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. NEVER ARRIVED / LOST PARCEL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [First name], I've emailed you to arrange a replacement or a full refund, whichever you prefer, and we'll chase the carrier ourselves. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Offer the choice. Don't make them wait on a carrier claim; that claim is yours to chase. FIX THE CAUSE - Tag the carrier and route in your complaint log. Two losses on one route in 30 days is a pattern. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. DAMAGED IN TRANSIT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC That's not how it should arrive[, and thanks for the photo]. A replacement is on its way, and we don't need the damaged one back. – [Your name] PRIVATE - If the item is cheap to replace, skip the return. Asking a customer to ship back broken glass costs you more goodwill than the item is worth. FIX THE CAUSE - Ask the supplier how it's packed. If the same corner breaks twice, change the packaging. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. DEFECT / STOPPED WORKING ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [First name], a [product] that [fails the way you describe] after [time] is faulty. I've emailed you to arrange a replacement or refund, and our supplier is checking the batch it came from. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Replace or refund under your warranty or returns policy. Ask for a photo or short video only if you need it to claim from the supplier, and say that's why you're asking. FIX THE CAUSE - Two reviews naming the same fault within 30 days: pause ads on that product and contact the supplier. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. SIZING / FIT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [First name], this style runs [small/large] in the [chest/length/waist]. The size guide on this page now says so, and I've emailed you about an exchange. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Offer an exchange for the right size. Cover return shipping if the size chart was wrong. FIX THE CAUSE - Measure a sample yourself and publish garment measurements, not just S/M/L. - Add a one-line fit note above the size selector ("Runs small: size up if between sizes"). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. NOT AS DESCRIBED (color, material, finish, missing facts) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC In normal light the [color/finish] is [duller/less glossy] than our photos showed. We've added an unedited photo to the listing and corrected the description. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Refund or exchange. This one is the listing's fault, so don't charge for the return. FIX THE CAUSE - Replace supplier renders with your own daylight photo. Name the material exactly. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. SMALLER (OR BIGGER) THAN EXPECTED ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC It measures [W x H x D cm / in], and the listing should have made that obvious. The dimensions are now at the top of the description, with a photo next to a [common object] for scale. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Offer a return under your normal policy. FIX THE CAUSE - If buyers keep getting the size wrong, the listing is hiding it. Put the dimensions above the fold. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. CUSTOMER ORDERED THE WRONG VARIANT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC Sorry this didn't fit your [device/model], [first name]. This one is made for [model]. I've emailed you to swap it for the right one. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Exchange it. Don't correct the customer in public; state the fact and fix it. FIX THE CAUSE - If a second person picks the wrong variant within 30 days, the variant picker is unclear. Rename options ("iPhone 15", not "15"), add a compatibility line, or show a "Check your model" note. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. RETURNS OR REFUND POLICY COMPLAINT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [First name], $[X] return postage on a $[Y] item is a lot to ask. [I've covered it for this order / I've emailed you about this order]. We've also linked the returns policy from every product page so the cost is clear before checkout. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Decide on this order by itself. Making an exception once is cheap; defending a rule in public isn't. FIX THE CAUSE - If the policy surprises people, it isn't visible enough. Link it from the product page as well as the footer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. SLOW OR NO REPLY FROM SUPPORT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC [N] days is too long to wait for an answer, [first name]. I've answered your question by email myself, and I'll handle it until it's sorted. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Answer the original question in the same email. Don't send an apology without the answer. FIX THE CAUSE - Send a test message through your contact form and check it lands in an inbox someone reads. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. NO MATCHING ORDER / REVIEW LOOKS FAKE OR IS ABOUT ANOTHER PRODUCT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PUBLIC We couldn't find an order under this name. If you bought from us with a different name or email, please write to [address] and I'll look into it straight away. – [Your name] PRIVATE - Do NOT accuse the reviewer of lying or name a competitor. You can't prove it, and the FTC's review rule bars false accusations made knowingly or with reckless disregard for the truth. - Remove a review only on neutral grounds you apply to every review, whatever its rating (about a different product, abusive, contains personal data, reasonably believed fake). Write down why. Never remove it because it's negative. FIX THE CAUSE - Nothing on the product. Turn on the verified-buyer badge (or its equivalent) so shoppers can tell order-linked reviews from open submissions, and check whether your review app accepts reviews from people with no order.