Service platforms such as Google, TripAdvisor, Facebook, and Yelp allow customers to share their experiences for all to see. Unfortunately, the negative ratings also come in, so you need to know how to respond to a 1-star review without comments.
You also could be wondering whether to ignore the bad rating or not. You need to treat it like any review and offer to try and improve the experience.
Generally, when you get a 1-star review with no comment, you respond by saying, “We’re sorry to see you had a poor experience. Please send us an email at help@example.com to see what we can do to help improve your experience.”
Sometimes, the review could even be a mistake or fake without accusations. And it is also hard to predict how a reviewer will respond when you ask them about the rating since they left no comments.
How to respond to a 1-star review without comments
Nearly 4 in 5 or 79% of consumers trust the reviews they read online as much as personal recommendations. This shows how important it is to respond to the 1-star review to help potential customers make guided decisions.
Follow the steps below to respond to a 1-star review that has no comments:
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Greet, personalize, and ask
You want to look at the reviewer’s negative review as great feedback to be able to make amends while creating a positive customer impact on potential readers at the same time.
Read also: an Airbnb host/guest may be able to review after 14 days
Another aspect to consider is to personalize the greeting by including the reviewer’s name, if available.
Begin your public response by thanking the reviewer. You could say:
Thank you so much [reviewer’s name] for taking the time to leave us your review.
Having noted the reviewer, don’t be afraid to mention that they did not mention what the issue could be. You could say:
Kindly specify the problem so that we can try to help you resolve it.
If the review or rating was accidental, the customer’s attention may be drawn to it to modify the review.
Pro tip
Never contact a reviewer to ask why they left you a 1 star review. They may return to add comments claiming that you contacted them to take it down.
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Restate positives
Before you acknowledge the customer’s concerns, restate the positives, just like a professional would when replying a 3-star review without comments. The positives of their added comment to the 1-star review could be any feature of the product or service that they have not complained about. Say something like:
We are glad you enjoyed [state the positives].
This tells prospective customers that the 1 star reviewer’s experience was not completely bad, or at least there were some positives. Some potential buyers may also understand that one bad feature can force a consumer to generalize their experience as negative.
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Acknowledge the concerns
The next step is to acknowledge the customer’s concerns, even if you think they are unfounded. Customers love to be heard. Make a simple statement like:
We understand you are not happy with the service you received.
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Say sorry
Whether the buyer is verified or not, you want to apologize. You could say:
Thank you for your feedback and for letting us know about this issue. We sincerely apologize for your bad experience.
Or
We are really sorry you feel that way.
You want to also empathize with the customer’s experience. It is not necessary to apologize for the action until you complete the investigations and have all the facts.
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Obtain more information and state your company’s values
You need data to work with. Perhaps, the customer’s newly added comment is not enough, so you want them to be explicit. Just say:
We would like to learn more about your specific situation and help resolve the problem.
Go ahead and state your company’s values by saying:
Your happiness is always our highest priority, and your feedback helps us to serve you better.
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Give explanations
If necessary, give explanations and try to create a positive spin. If the problem can be solved, give a brief explanation like:
Our service lines went off temporarily for an hour due to a technical glitch. We have restored the system, and once again apologize for any inconvenience.
If there are no explanations or the reason for the customer’s bad experience is unknown, you may have to cover it up by restating your company values while acknowledging the customer’s concerns. You can say:
We’re known for our exceptional attention to detail. However, we regret that we missed the mark on this occasion.
Or
Your purchase should have gone through. Otherwise, what you experienced is really quite unusual.
In addition to your response to your client’s 1-star review, you are also leveraging the opportunity to subtly promote your business.
If your business is responsible for fixing the problem, handle it by saying:
This rarely happens, and we sincerely apologize. Kindly send your contact details so we can issue you a full refund/credit.
If the mistake is from the customer, or they omitted instructions to use a product, guide them through it. You may share a link to the company’s online resource explaining in detail how the customer can fix the problem themselves.
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Fix the problem
You may want to move the conversation away from the public to avoid blowing it out. Simply say:
I’m really interested in your situation so I can prevent it from happening again. Please contact me at [email address or phone number].
Or
Kindly call us via [insert phone number] or send an email to [your email address]. We’d be expecting you.
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Keep your response brief but comprehensive
Customers are not interested in long explanations that will not fix their issues. Even future readers will skip your responses to that 1-star review if it is not concise.
Read also: Airbnb guests can fight a bad host review
While having a private conversation with the customer, continue with the simple and short responses.
Avoid too much explanation. Make sure to collect sufficient information to be able to take appropriate action. You don’t want the reviewer flaring up and adding more negative feedback.
The most important thing here is to solve the problem. If you figure out the user did not use the said product or service, report their review. After an investigation, the bad review can be taken down if it violates the review policy of the platform.
Tips to consider when responding to a 1-star review with no comments
- Draw the reviewer’s attention to the missing comments.
- Personalize your responses by using the customer’s name in all communication to show that they are important to your business.
- Keep your responses concise. Just move straight to the point. Keep it light, and where appropriate, humor can diffuse the situation.
- Solve the problem.
A 1-star review is inevitable, even though they are fake sometimes. Treat any bad rating like you would treat a positive one—follow it up and try to please the customer. And more importantly, get more good reviews to drown out the bad ones.
