How to respond to a negative Google review (contractor examples)

What to get right

• Read the job notes first. Reply once you know what happened, not in the heat of the moment.
• Under 80 words. Thank them, own what’s yours, invite them to call you directly. Long replies look defensive.
• No private details. Never post what they paid, where they live or anything from the job record.
• Fix it offline. The real work happens on the phone. If you make it right, some customers update the review on their own.

The prompt

This is the Respond to a bad online review workflow, word for word. Copy it, fill in the [brackets], and paste it into the AI tool your company uses.

Help me respond to a negative review.
Review text: [paste]
What actually happened: [timeline, facts from the job notes]
What we got wrong (if anything): [be honest]
What we can offer: [call from owner, revisit, refund if appropriate]

Write a public reply under 80 words: thank them, own what's ours, no excuses, no private details, invite them to call me directly. Then a short private message/call script.

Fill it in with the prompt builder → Open the full workflow Owner / GM · saves 15 min per review

How to use it

1. 1Paste the review and the facts from the job notes.
2. 2Be honest about what you got wrong, if anything.
3. 3Fill in what you can offer: a call from you, a return visit, a refund if it’s warranted.
4. 4Run the prompt, post the public reply, then make the call.
5. 5If it was a repeat-visit problem, add it to the recall review.