Practice
Negative review
A negative review is any published review whose rating or content is likely to deter a prospective customer, typically one to three stars.
Negative reviews are read disproportionately: many buyers open the lowest-rated reviews first specifically to see how the business responds. That makes the reply, not the review, the thing being evaluated.
A small proportion of negatives also increases credibility. Profiles with no criticism at all are widely distrusted.
In practice
Reply to every one. Answer the specific complaint, state what changed, and move the detail off-platform without sounding evasive.
Common questions
- Should I ever ignore a negative review?
- Only when the reviewer is abusive and the reply would escalate publicly. Even then, a short neutral acknowledgement usually reads better than silence.