What to Do When You Get a 1‑Star Google Review (Without Panicking)
A 1‑star review is annoying. Sometimes it’s deserved, sometimes it’s not
A 1‑star Google review can ruin your mood in about three seconds.
Even if you’ve got loads of good ones, your eyes go straight to the bad one. You start thinking: How many people are going to see this? Is it going to cost me work?
Take a breath. One 1‑star review isn’t the end of the world. In fact, how you handle it can make you look more legit than a page full of perfect 5‑stars.
First: don’t reply while you’re annoyed
If you reply too fast, you’ll either sound defensive or you’ll say something you wouldn’t say face-to-face.
Give it an hour. Go do something else. Then come back and read it again like you’re a customer, not the person being reviewed.
Work out what you’re actually dealing with
Before you type anything, figure out which bucket it falls into:
- A real customer who had a genuine problem
- Someone who misunderstood what you do/what they bought
- A drive‑by “1 star” with no details
- A review that doesn’t look real (wrong business, competitor, spam, etc.)
That matters because the right response to each one is different.
Do a quick check on your side
This bit is boring, but it stops you from guessing.
Look for anything that matches the name, date, job, booking, message, invoice - whatever applies to you.
Sometimes you’ll spot the issue straight away:
- you were late
- they were waiting on a call back
- there was a mix‑up on price
- they expected something you don’t offer
And sometimes you’ll find… nothing. Which is also useful to know.
Reply publicly (but keep it short)
The public reply isn’t really for the person who left the review.
It’s for the next person who’s scrolling your reviews, thinking,
“Are these guys decent?”
So the goal is simple: sound calm, sound fair, and show you’re willing to sort problems out.
Here are a few replies you can steal and tweak.
If it looks like a genuine complaint
“Hi [Name] - I’m really sorry to hear this. That’s not the experience we want anyone to have. If you can drop me a message on [contact method] with a bit more detail (date/job/what happened), I’ll look into it and do my best to put it right.”
If it’s a 1‑star with no detail
“Hi [Name] - sorry to see you’ve left a 1‑star review. We’d genuinely like to understand what went wrong. If you can contact us on [contact method] with a few details, I’ll personally look into it.”
If you can’t find any record of them
“Hi [Name] - thanks for leaving this. We can’t seem to find any record of working with you, but we’d like to check properly. If you contact us on [contact method] with the date and details, we’ll investigate.”
One thing I’d avoid: calling them out publicly, even if you’re convinced it’s fake. It nearly always makes the business look worse than the review.
Take it offline and fix the real issue
If it’s a real customer and you’ve messed something up, the best move is usually a quick call.
Not a long back-and-forth over email. Not a public argument in the replies. Just a normal conversation.
If you can fix it, fix it. If you can’t, explain it clearly and own your part.
Will they change the review?
Sometimes. Sometimes not. But other people reading it will see you acted like an adult about it.
If it’s fake, report it - but don’t rely on Google to save you
If it’s clearly not a real customer, report it through your Google Business Profile.
Be specific when you report it. Don’t just click “spam” and hope for the best. If you’ve got no booking, no invoice, no enquiry, say that.
And just to set expectations: Google can be slow, and they don’t remove everything, even when it feels obvious.
So yes, report it - but don’t sit around waiting for it to disappear.
The best defence: get more real reviews coming in
This is the bit most businesses don’t want to hear, because it’s not exciting - but it’s what works.
If you’re only asking for reviews now and then, every bad review feels like a massive one.
If you’ve got a steady flow of new feedback, a random 1‑star becomes a small bump.
A simple setup that works for most service businesses:
- Ask every happy customer (not just the ones who seem “extra happy”)
- Ask quickly - same day if possible
- Make it easy - one link, no messing about
Use it as a quick reality check
Even unfair reviews can point out something you can tighten up.
If you keep seeing the same theme (slow replies, unclear pricing, missed expectations), it’s not “bad luck”. It’s a process you can fix.
Bottom line
A 1‑star review is annoying. Sometimes it’s deserved, sometimes it’s not.
Either way, the play is the same:
stay calm, reply like a professional, move it offline, and keep your review flow ticking over.
I hope the above article was of interest and you found it useful.
If you need our help, then please arrange a call with me.
Author: Andrew Hurrell
