How to respond to a negative review: 4 situations and example replies

A negative review hurts a beauty specialist more than most businesses — because it isn't judging a product, it's judging your work, your hands. The first instinct is to reply straight away and prove the client wrong. That's almost always a mistake.

Remember who you're actually writing for. Not that client — they've already made up their mind. You're writing for the next hundred people who will read both the review and your reply while deciding whether to book with you.

Before you reply

• Wait a few hours. A reply written while upset is almost always too long and too sharp.
• Check the facts. When the visit was, which service, who did it, whether any notes were recorded.
• Separate emotion from fact. "My nails broke after three days" is a fact. "Awful salon" is emotion. You reply to the fact.

Four principles for every reply

1. Thank them for the review — even an unpleasant one.
2. Acknowledge the feeling, even if you disagree with the verdict.
3. Don't over-explain or argue in public. Two to four lines.
4. Invite them to sort it out privately — by phone or message.

Situation 1: the criticism is fair

For example, gel polish peeled after a week.

Thank you for writing, and we're sorry — the polish should last longer, and this time it didn't. We'd like to fix it free of charge. Send us a message or give us a call and we'll find a time that suits you.

Don't make excuses. An admitted mistake plus an offered fix shows other readers the risk is low with you: even if something goes wrong, it'll be put right.

Situation 2: a misunderstanding

For example, the client expected a different colour, even though a sample was shown.

Thank you for the review. We're sorry the result wasn't what you expected — colour expectations matter a lot, and we always try to agree on them before we start. We'd be glad to talk about what we can adjust. Get in touch and we'll find a solution.

Don't blame the client ("you were shown a sample"). Mention your process gently — readers will get it without reproach.

Situation 3: the review may be fake

There's no such person in your client list, the details don't match, or a competitor wrote it.

Hello — unfortunately we couldn't find a visit under your name and the date you mention. If you did visit us, please write to us — we'd like to understand what happened.

A calm, factual reply with no accusations. At the same time, report the review to the platform as fake (in Google — "Report review"). Don't expect it to disappear immediately — but your reply has already done its job.

Situation 4: "too expensive"

Thanks for sharing. Our prices reflect the products we use and the time we give every client — we understand that doesn't suit everyone. If you like, we'll happily suggest services that could fit your budget.

Price isn't a mistake, so don't apologise for it. Explain briefly and leave the door open.

What never to do

• Don't reveal personal data — don't say which treatment the client had, what allergies they have or how often they were late. It breaches GDPR and trust.
• Don't argue back and forth in the comments. One reply, then continue privately.
• Don't ask friends to "balance it out" with good reviews — those are fake reviews.
• Don't threaten legal action or complaints in a public reply.

What to do afterwards

If the criticism is fair, write down what you'll change: technique, the consultation before a treatment, timing. One negative review you learned from is worth more than ten good ones.

Most importantly, more good reviews reduce the weight of a bad one. We covered how to get them regularly in our article on Google Business Profile.

On an edapi page you can hide reviews from completed visits yourself, and anyone can report a public review containing defamation, insults or personal data — edapi handles such reports under the EU Digital Services Act. An opinion about the service ("expensive", "didn't like it") is not a violation.

What to do tomorrow

1. Find the negative reviews you haven't replied to.
2. Write a reply to each using the four principles — and wait a few hours before posting.
3. Save the four templates — and adapt them to each specific situation every time.