How to Handle a Bad Review as a Tradesperson

A bad review feels personal. You worked hard, you tried your best, and now someone's put it in writing for the whole internet to see. But here's the thing — how you respond to a bad review matters more than the review itself. Done right, a bad review can actually build trust. Here's exactly how to handle it.

First — don't panic

Every trade business gets a bad review eventually. It's not a matter of if, it's when. Even the best plumber, electrician or builder in the country has someone who wasn't happy. Future customers know this — and they're not expecting a perfect score.

What they are paying attention to is whether you respond, and how. A calm, professional response to a bad review tells them far more about you than the review itself.

The real audience isn't the unhappy customer. When you respond to a bad review, you're writing for every future customer who reads it. They're assessing how you handle conflict — which is exactly what they'd want to know before hiring you.

The 5 rules of responding to a bad review

1. Respond within 24 hours

An unanswered bad review is worse than the review itself. It signals that you either don't care or didn't notice. Check your review platforms regularly and respond quickly — ideally the same day.

2. Stay calm and professional — no matter what

This is the hardest one when a review feels unfair or outright false. But a defensive, angry response is a red flag to every future customer who reads it. Take a breath, write your response, then wait an hour before posting it. Read it back and ask: "Would I hire someone who wrote this?"

Never do this: Call the customer a liar in your response. Argue over specific details publicly. Make it personal. Use sarcasm. Even if you're 100% in the right, an aggressive response will cost you more business than the original review.

3. Acknowledge without admitting fault

There's a big difference between acknowledging someone's experience and admitting liability. "I'm sorry to hear you felt this way" is not the same as "I'm sorry we got it wrong." You can be empathetic without accepting a version of events you disagree with.

4. Take it offline

Your response should always include an invitation to resolve the issue directly. Give your phone number or email and ask them to reach out. This shows future customers you take complaints seriously, and it gets the conversation out of the public eye where it can be resolved properly.

5. Keep it short

Two to four sentences is usually enough. A long, detailed rebuttal looks defensive and gives the impression you're trying to win an argument. Short and professional reads as confident.

What a good response looks like

Here's an example of a bad review and a well-handled response:

The review

★★☆☆☆

"Turned up an hour late with no warning. The job took twice as long as quoted and cost more than expected. Wouldn't use again."

Owner's response "Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. I'm sorry your experience didn't meet expectations — I understand how frustrating delays and unexpected costs can be. I'd genuinely like to talk this through with you. Please feel free to call me on 07XXX XXXXXX and I'll do my best to put things right."

Notice what this response does: it thanks them, acknowledges their frustration without admitting the specifics are accurate, and offers a direct line to resolve it. It doesn't argue, doesn't get defensive, and doesn't make excuses.

What future customers see: A professional who handles criticism gracefully, takes complaints seriously, and is willing to make things right. That's actually reassuring — it tells them what will happen if something goes wrong on their job.

What if the review is completely false?

It happens. Sometimes a review is from someone you've never even worked with, or it contains factual inaccuracies. Here's what to do:

Respond calmly and factually. Something like: "I've checked our records and I don't have a record of working at this address. If there's been a mix-up, please get in touch directly on [number] so we can look into this."
Flag it for removal. On Google, you can report a review as fake. It's not guaranteed to be removed, but it's worth doing. On Checkatrade, contact their support team directly.
Don't obsess over it. One clearly fake review surrounded by 30 genuine 5-star reviews looks exactly like what it is — someone with an axe to grind.

What if the customer has a legitimate complaint?

Sometimes the review is fair. The job wasn't great, or something went wrong. In that case:

Acknowledge it honestly. Customers respect accountability more than excuses.
Offer to fix it. If there's a genuine problem, going back to put it right is almost always worth it — both ethically and for your reputation.
Learn from it. If the same complaint comes up twice, it's telling you something about your process.

Sometimes a customer who left a bad review will update it after you've resolved the issue. It's not guaranteed, but it happens — and a 2-star review that becomes a 4-star with a note saying "they came back and sorted it" is actually powerful social proof.

The best long-term defence against bad reviews

The most resilient reputation isn't a perfect score — it's a high volume of genuine positive reviews that drown out the occasional negative one. One 2-star review among 50 five-star reviews barely dents your average. That same review among 4 reviews is a disaster.

Build the habit of asking every happy customer for a review. It's the single most effective thing you can do for your online reputation — and it's entirely within your control.

We've written a full guide on this: How to Get More 5-Star Reviews as a Tradesperson →

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The bottom line

Bad reviews happen to everyone. The ones who handle them best don't try to fight them — they respond professionally, offer to resolve things offline, and focus on building enough positive reviews that one bad one doesn't matter. That's the strategy. Stick to it and your reputation will be fine.