Review templates: replies, requests and checklists

Add nothing about the person. Each reply speaks about your process, not about them, and offers a private route.

Delivery or timing (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. Waiting longer than you were told is a real problem and we do not want it to be anyone's experience. If you have an order with us, our team can look into where it sat and what caused the delay. The fastest route is to contact us directly with the order reference. We have been through our dispatch times for this period and are fixing what we found. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

Delivery or timing (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. Waiting longer than you were told is a real problem and we do not want it to be anyone's experience. If you have an order with us, our team can look into where it sat and what caused the delay. The fastest route is to contact us directly with the order reference. We have been through our dispatch times for this period and are fixing what we found. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

Billing or subscription (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for raising this. A charge that is not expected is worth sorting out properly, and we would like the chance to. If you have an account with us, our team can check the billing history on it and explain or correct anything that looks wrong. Our billing terms and cancellation steps are published, and we would rather fix a specific case than argue about it in public. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

Billing or subscription (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for raising this. A charge that is not expected is worth sorting out properly, and we would like the chance to. If you have an account with us, our team can check the billing history on it and explain or correct anything that looks wrong. Our billing terms and cancellation steps are published, and we would rather fix a specific case than argue about it in public. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

The product itself (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Feedback like it is how we find out what is not working. If you have ordered from us, our team can look at the specifics and talk through the options. We would rather hear the detail directly than leave it at a star rating. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

The product itself (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Feedback like it is how we find out what is not working. If you have ordered from us, our team can look at the specifics and talk through the options. We would rather hear the detail directly than leave it at a star rating. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

Support (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. Waiting on a reply is the part of this that is hardest to forgive, and you are right to say so. If you have an open message with us, our team can find it and make sure someone answers it properly. We have looked at our response times for this period and have changed how these are picked up. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

Support (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. Waiting on a reply is the part of this that is hardest to forgive, and you are right to say so. If you have an open message with us, our team can find it and make sure someone answers it properly. We have looked at our response times for this period and have changed how these are picked up. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

It is about another business (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the review. We think this may describe a different company, because the details do not match anything we recognise. If you did deal with us, please contact us with any reference you have and we will look into it properly. If it was another business, we would be grateful if you moved the review to their page. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

It is about another business (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the review. We think this may describe a different company, because the details do not match anything we recognise. If you did deal with us, please contact us with any reference you have and we will look into it properly. If it was another business, we would be grateful if you moved the review to their page. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

You have reported it (Google)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. We have asked the platform to look at this review, because parts of it appear to fall outside its published rules. That is the platform's decision to make, not ours, and the review stays up unless it decides otherwise. If there is a real problem behind it, we would still like to hear it directly and fix it. You can reach us through the contact page on our website.

You have reported it (Trustpilot)

We are sorry this went wrong. Thank you for the feedback. We have asked the platform to look at this review, because parts of it appear to fall outside its published rules. That is the platform's decision to make, not ours, and the review stays up unless it decides otherwise. If there is a real problem behind it, we would still like to hear it directly and fix it. You can reach us through the contact details on our Trustpilot profile.

Email, plain tone

Subject: Your review of [Your brand]

Hi, We ask every [Your brand] customer for a review, good or bad. It takes about a minute: Google: [Your Google review link] Trustpilot: [Your Trustpilot review link] Your review helps other people decide, and it helps us fix what needs fixing. [Your name] [Your brand]

SMS, plain tone

[Your brand]: we ask every customer for a review, good or bad. It takes a minute: [Your Google review link]

Email, warm tone

Subject: How did it go with [Your brand]?

Hi, Thank you for choosing [Your brand]. We would love to hear how it went, whatever you thought. We ask every customer the same thing, and honest reviews help other people choose well. It takes about a minute: Google: [Your Google review link] Trustpilot: [Your Trustpilot review link] Thank you for your time. [Your name] [Your brand]

SMS, warm tone

Thanks for choosing [Your brand]! We ask every customer for an honest review. It takes a minute: [Your Google review link]

1. Capture the review before you do anything

• Full-page screenshot with today's date visible
• The review's link (URL) saved
• Date posted, star rating and label noted (Verified, Invited, Redirected or Unprompted)
• Reviewer's public profile noted: name shown, location, number of reviews, other companies reviewed
• Date of experience noted, if shown

2. Choose one flagging reason

• Harmful or illegal: hate speech, terrorism, threats or violence, obscenity, or defamation
• Personal information: another person's name, phone number, email, photo or video
• Advertising or promotional: another business, a promo code, a link, a call to action, spam
• Not based on a genuine experience: the reviewer was not eligible to write the review
• About a different business: another company, or another of your own domains

3. Write down the evidence

• The exact words that break the rule, copied out
• The supporting fact, in one sentence (for example: we have never sold this product)
• Personal information: checked that it is not already public on your website or Trustpilot profile
• Personal information: confirmed it belongs to someone other than the reviewer
• Defamation: proof that a statement of fact is false, and the financial harm it caused
• Genuine experience: the reason the reviewer was not eligible (employee, competitor, paid, someone else's experience, old experience)
• Genuine experience: confirmed you did not invite this customer to review you
• Genuine experience: confirmed the review is less than 12 months old

4. Do the required first step

• Genuine experience: Request information sent to the reviewer. Date sent, and outcome after 3 days
• Personal information or different business: edit request sent to the reviewer. Date sent, and outcome after 3 days
• Harmful or illegal, and advertising: no first step required

5. Fairness and pace checks

• Positive reviews searched for the same breach, and added to the plan
• This review has not been flagged before for the same reason
• No more than a few flags are going out this week
• The review breaks a rule. It is not being flagged because it is negative

6. Health brands: keep these out of the file

• No charts, prescriptions, lab results or intake answers
• No screenshots of a patient account
• No order details that name a medication
• Facts are stated without records attached (for example: no account matches this name or email)

7. After Trustpilot decides

• Taken offline: dead link checked and saved with the screenshot as proof
• Kept online: decision recorded. One appeal allowed, within 6 months, only with new facts
• Not flagged again for the same reason
• A different rule also applies: flag it separately once this case is closed

• Write down the rating and the review count on each platform, so next month has a baseline.
• Read every new 1-star and 2-star review in full.
• Check the status of every report or flag you filed, and note the decisions.
• Reply to any review that still needs one, using a safe template.
• Look for a spike: more low reviews in a week than you usually get in a month.
• Confirm review requests went to every customer the same way, and that nobody was left out.
• Confirm nobody on the team offered anything in exchange for a review.
• Check your profile details: name, address, hours, website and contact route.
• Ask ChatGPT or Google "Is [your brand] legit?" and note which reviews the answer quotes.
• Pick one fix for next month from what the reviews say, and write it down.

Why this matters

A public reply that confirms someone is a patient, or mentions their treatment, can disclose protected health information. It does not matter that the patient shared it first.

In 2023 the HHS Office for Civil Rights settled with a provider for $30,000 after it disclosed patient information in replies to negative online reviews. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "OCR agreement with a provider that disclosed patient information in response to negative online reviews", https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/agreements/manasa/index.html

Never, in a public reply

• Confirm or deny that the writer is a patient, a customer or has an account.
• Mention a treatment, a prescription, a condition, an appointment or an order.
• Name a staff member, or repeat anything the review says about one.
• Argue about what happened, or correct the writer's account of it.
• Offer anything in exchange for changing or removing the review.

Always

• Thank them for the feedback, in general terms.
• Talk about your process, not about them: "If you have an account with us, our team can look into it."
• Offer a private route: the contact page or the support email, never a personal number.
• Use an approved template, and have a second person read any reply you change.

Hand it up the line when

• The review contains a threat: tell your manager at once. Safety comes before any reply.
• It names or describes a staff member: tell your manager the same day, and tell the person named.
• It accuses the business of a crime or says it will take legal action: do not reply. Pass it to the owner, who decides whether counsel sees it.
• A journalist, regulator or lawyer gets in touch about a review: do not reply. Pass it to the owner.
• You think it breaks a platform rule: note which one and pass it to whoever files reports. Do not report from a personal account.