Why Businesses SHOULDN’T Respond to Bad Reviews

Oh yes I did! I said it…don’t respond.

Every business owner we meet with thinks they should respond in-line, point by point, of why this review is false. Here is why you shouldn’t:

  1. It could start a back and forth publicly with a person that is already not stable and feels ‘outing’ your company socially is the only way to be heard.
  2. Review sites are designed for bad reviews and are only attracting the sympathetic ear of other reviewers (aka complainers) that will have the back of the unstable reviewer and certainly NOT the back of the business owner
  3. By responding it lets other reviewers know that the business owner is actively trying to get good reviews and trying to mitigate bad reviews. This automatically makes users NOT TRUST YOUR GOOD REVIEWS.
  4. Acknowledging the negative only leads to more negative. Mother Teresa would always accept an invite to a pro-peace rally but would decline antiwar rallies…(think about it)


  1. Cultivate good reviews from happy clients
  2. If needed have your reviewers fight on your behalf in their review
  3. If the person leaves defamatory reviews SUE THEM! Make a deal with a local attorney to cost affordably sue the reviewer. They are liable for their own words online and see what happens when you serve them with legal paperwork. Its within the business owners legal rights to hold someone responsible for the negative actions that result from their defamatory words.