How to reply to a bad review without making it worse

Bad reviews feel personal. They're not — they're a moment of public theatre, and the audience is every future customer reading your profile six months from now. Your job isn't to win the argument. It's to show that audience how you handle a problem.

The structure that works: acknowledge by name, name the specific issue (don't dodge it), take responsibility without grovelling, offer a concrete next step, sign off as a real person. Five lines. No more.

What to avoid: starting with 'We're sorry you feel that way' (it reads as dismissive), arguing the facts in public, or pasting the same reply you used last week. If you wouldn't say it across a counter, don't post it.

neverignore drafts to this structure by default, so the calm, specific reply is the easy one — and the heated one never makes it past your screen.