Review response templates

A library of replies you can copy, edit and send in under a minute. Use the public review templates on the platform where the review was posted, and the email templates when a customer who left private feedback contacts you.

Before you send anything

Every template below contains placeholders in square brackets. Replace all of them, and add at least one sentence that could not appear in anybody else's reply. A template that goes out untouched is worse than no reply, because readers recognize it immediately.

Four rules that hold for every response:

• Use the customer's name when the platform shows it.
• Repeat one concrete detail from their review in their own words.
• Keep it to three or four sentences.
• Sign with a real first name and role.

The reasoning behind these rules, and the response time targets, are in Respond to unhappy customers.

Public review replies

Post these on Google, Trustpilot, Facebook or wherever the review lives. Trustaroo does not publish replies for you, and it does not display public review text, so you work directly in the platform's own dashboard.

5 stars

Hi [first name],

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It is great to hear that
[specific detail they mentioned] worked out so well for you.

I will pass this on to the team - they will be glad to hear it.

See you next time,
[your first name], [role] at [business name]

A shorter version, for when you have twenty of these to answer:

Thank you, [first name]. Glad [specific detail] hit the mark. See you soon.
[your first name], [business name]

4 stars

Four stars usually means one thing fell short. Ask what it was without sounding disappointed by the rating.

Hi [first name],

Thank you for the review and for the kind words about [what they liked].

If there is one thing we could have done better, I would genuinely like to hear
it - you can reach me at [contact email].

Thanks again,
[your first name], [role] at [business name]

3 stars

A three-star review is the most useful one you will get. Treat it as an invitation.

Hi [first name],

Thank you for the honest review. You are right that [problem they described]
was not what it should be, and I am sorry it landed that way.

We are [specific action you are taking]. If you would like to talk it through,
email me at [contact email] and I will make time.

[your first name], [role] at [business name]

1 or 2 stars

Answer within a day. Acknowledge, apologize once, act, and move the details out of public view.

Hi [first name],

Thank you for telling us. Waiting [specific detail, for example: forty minutes
for your table] is not the experience we want anyone to have, and I am sorry.

I have spoken to the team about [cause] and we have changed [specific change].
I would like to put it right for you - please email me directly at
[contact email] or call [phone number].

[your first name], [role] at [business name]

When the complaint is about money, health or safety, keep the public reply even shorter and take everything else offline:

Hi [first name],

Thank you for raising this. I do not want to discuss the details of your
[booking / order / treatment] in public, so please contact me directly at
[contact email] and I will look into it personally today.

[your first name], [role] at [business name]

An unfair review or a suspected fake

Reply once, factually, and then stop. Your audience is the next reader, not the reviewer.

Hi [first name],

Thank you for the feedback. We have checked our records for [date] and cannot
find a visit or order that matches this description, so it is possible the
review was left for a different business.

If we did get something wrong, I would like to know - please email
[contact email] and we will look into it straight away.

[your first name], [role] at [business name]

Then report it through the platform's own reporting process. Only the platform can remove a review, and only if it breaks their rules.

Never trade a fix for a deleted review

Do not offer a refund, discount or gift in exchange for removing or changing a review. Review platforms treat that as manipulation, and it can cost you far more than one bad rating. See The review filter and platform policies.

Private feedback follow-up emails

The feedback form in Trustaroo collects a comment and nothing else, so a comment on its own gives you no way to write back. Use these templates when you do know who the customer is: they emailed or called you after seeing your contact details on the feedback page, or the timing and location match a booking or order you can identify.

First reply after a customer contacts you

Subject: About your visit to [business name]

Hi [first name],

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about [problem]. You should not have
had that experience and I am sorry.

I have looked into what happened: [one or two sentences of explanation, no
excuses].

I would like to make it right. [Concrete offer, for example: your next
appointment is on us, or I have refunded the delivery charge.] Would that work
for you?

[your first name]
[role], [business name]
[phone number]

When you have fixed the cause

Subject: We changed something after your feedback

Hi [first name],

A while ago you told us that [problem]. I wanted to let you know what we did
about it: [specific change, with a date].

Thank you for the nudge - it is the kind of feedback that actually changes
things. If you are ever in again, ask for me.

[your first name]
[role], [business name]

When the customer is still unhappy

Subject: Following up on your feedback

Hi [first name],

I am sorry my last message did not resolve this. I would rather talk it through
than keep emailing - are you free for a short call on [two options]?

Either way, here is where things stand: [status]. My direct number is
[phone number].

[your first name]
[role], [business name]

Placeholders worth keeping consistent

Placeholder	Replace with
[first name]	The customer's name as it appears on the review, or nothing at all if you do not have it.
[specific detail]	Something only this customer wrote: a dish, a room number, a delivery date.
[specific change]	A change you actually made, with enough detail to be believable.
[contact email]	The address you show on your feedback page, so both channels match.
[your first name], [role]	A real person, not a department.

Keep [contact email] and [phone number] identical to the details on your feedback page. See Show contact details on the feedback page.

Build your own library

Save the three or four templates you use most in a shared note, one per rating level, and rewrite them every few months. If you use email automation to ask for reviews, keep the tone of these replies close to the tone of those emails. See Industry email templates.

Related guides

• Respond to unhappy customersResponse times, tone and closing the loop.
• Read private feedback from customersWhere the comments you are answering come from.
• Show contact details on the feedback pageGive customers a way to email or call you.
• Industry email templatesReady-made wording for review request emails.