Yesterday we discussed How to Get Someone to Change a Bad FAKE Review, but what if the review is REAL???  Today I’m going to tell ya exactly what to do:

Fact: It’s impossible to make everyone happy. I explain it to my employees like this:

“A farmer could come in right now with a dozen of the best Red Delicious Apples hes ever grown and he still wouldn’t get 5-stars”. Why? Because someone who works here just doesn’t like Apples, so even the best-of-the-best apples wont make them happy. Then, someone else will think it’s “too sweet”, but the other staff will all rate it as PERFECT. So even though its all the exact same apple, it doesn’t change peoples taste buds or personal preferences."  See what I mean?

So if you got a bad review, try not to get seriously angry or disappointed in yourself. You DO NOT suck. You might have made a mistake or the buyer is just batsh*t crazy (yes, we have a blog post about these insane people). But the damage is already done; they already smashed you with that 1-star. So here’s what to do now to try to improve the situation:

ROUTE 1: Did the buyer ever contact you to express their unhappiness? If they have NOT, then it is indeed possible to still make them happy. Reach out to the buyer via phone or email (TIP: For the love of God; if you are calling them, PLEASE consider time zone differences!   9am in Michigan is only 5am on the west coast… the last thing you want to do is make them hate you more!). Personally I find emails less intrusive and always a better option for gathering evidence, but this is just my opinion. When you contact the buyer, start off with “I noticed you left a bad review on Facebook (or whatever), and I am so sorry to hear about this issue”. Then, ask the buyer what you can do to get them to change their opinion (which also means “change the review). You may be really surprised to find out that what they want is mega simple! You might be able to finish the conversation by saying “I will do _____ today. If this makes it right, please update your review because good reviews really help our small business!”  The majority of normal people are really easy to work with. 

ROUTE 2: If the buyer HAS already contacted you; re-review WTF they wanted you to do. If they wanted to keep the item AND get a replacement shipped; which is more important to you? The cost of shipping out another item for “free” or the permanent scar of the bad review? Depending on how crazy the buyers request is, it may be financially better to take a small loss than to have that blackmark on your profile forever. Hell, we have had idiots open their orders using a machete knife (from the BOTTOM) and slice right through the purses. Do we want to accept a 1-star that claims “all of the purses were cut in half!” or do we just want to give the buyer a $100 store credit, “take the L” and move on with life? In my opinion, losing $100 is worth is less painful than being nailed with a crap feedback over something we didn’t even do wrong.

ROUTE 3: On eBay you can actually submit a “Feedback Revision Request” . This is a way that a seller can ask a buyer, through eBay, to please reconsider the feedback they left for you. This actually DOES work!!  

ROUTE 4: Just reply and hope for the best. You can say something like:

“I am so sorry to hear your merchandise arrived damaged! Every parcel that leaves our hand is fully insured. Simply contact us and provide some photos of the damage and we will immediately file an insurance claim for you and make you a happy customer :) Give us the chance to earn your repeat business!”

MOST people would indeed contact you after reading your reply. Just be sure to ask them to consider revising the review when you finally do make them happy.

ROUTE 5: Buyer is utterly confused. If your bad feedback is:

• For an item you never sold (buyer is mistaking you for a different seller)
• The buyer really did purchase the wrong item by accident and doesn’t realize it
• The Mail Carrier broke it
• The carrier left it in the rain and buyer didn't bother to look outside for their parcel for 3 days
• The carrier took 2 weeks to deliver
• Or other issues that have nothing to do with YOU

Contact the buyer directly and ask how you can get them to change their feedback. If the thing the buyer is unhappy about has nothing to do with your company (such as a missed delivery or the parcel being set in the snow) you can politely explain that this is the carriers fault. You may be surprised at how many buyers do NOT REALIZE that you are NOT the carrier. We have buyers ask us all the time to “Please do not leave by the mailbox” or “Please deliver after 4pm”... how on earth are we supposed to do that when our wholesale company doesn’t hand-deliver anything? Be sure to explain to the buyer that the entity they are actually angry at is the “Miami Dade USPS” or “Fed Ex Romulus, Michigan”. If possible, provide the contact information for this entity so the buyer sees where they can complain instead. Once the buyer realizes that you are NOT the carrier, they just might rush to correct the bad feedback. TIP: ALWAYS BE POLITE!! Yelling at the buyer will NEVER get you any assistance. 

ROUTE 6:  If the review is NOT an actual review; if it contains totally FALSE information, you should instead read our post about FAKE REVIEWS because defamation is against the law and the directions are completely different.

IN CLOSING, as I have said before, a bad review isn't the end of the world.  Unfortunately, on sites like Google, Yelp, Amazon and Facebook, anyone can leave a review, even if they have never been a patron of your company.  Our company has gotten several 1-or-2-star ratings by people who have never purchased from us and never even contacted us... yes, they have literally had 0 interaction with our company yet wanted to give us a 2-star.  Why?  I have never been able to figure this answer out but I wish I understood the reasoning.  If you keep on keeping on; hustle and grind every day, you will get enough good reviews over time that it will bury the bad review.  

If you suspect the review left for you to be totally fake, make sure you read How to Get a FAKE Review Removed or Changed