The Hopla! team
You can't erase a negative review. You can reply to it, and that reply will be read by everyone who is torn between you and the shop next door. Written with a cool head, it reassures. Written in the heat of the moment, it often does more damage than the review itself.
Why reply, even when it stings
BrightLocal's annual local consumer review survey (February 2026, 1,002 consumers surveyed in the United States) gives some useful benchmarks, even though it wasn't carried out in Belgium:
- 80% of respondents are likely to choose a business that replies to all of its reviews.
- Generic replies put off 50%.
- 19% expect a reply the same day, 81% within the week.
In the previous edition of the same survey (January 2025, also in the United States), only 7% of consumers said they didn't expect a reply to a review. Silence gets noticed. Google says the same in its help for business owners: reply quickly, kindly, briefly, and without a sales pitch.
The four-step method
1. Wait until you're no longer angry
Read the review, then put your phone down: a reply on Google is public and it stays there. Let the evening pass, check the facts (the receipt, the appointment book) and ask whoever was on the counter what they saw. But don't let it drag on: two days is fine, a week at most.
2. Say thank you
Even an unfair review tells you how the customer felt when they walked out. Start with their first name and a simple thank you for taking the time to write. No “Dear customer”.
3. Acknowledge what deserves it
If the customer is right, say so in one sentence: “You're right, the wait was too long.” One explanation at most, never three paragraphs of self-justification. If you've changed something since, say what: that's what speaks to the next reader. If the customer has got it wrong, stick to facts that can be checked, without contradicting them line by line.
4. Take it offline
The discussion doesn't happen under the review. Give a phone number, or invite the person to pop back in and ask for you by your first name. Sign with your first name too: a reply signed “Karim” doesn't read like one signed “The Management”.
What you should never write
The traps
A personal detail about the customer: the treatment they had, the amount they paid, the time of their appointment. What's said at the counter doesn't get published.
Sarcasm: “Shame, all our other customers today loved it!” The reader only remembers the tone.
“You're lying”: even when the review is false, stick to facts anyone can check (“we're closed on Mondays”).
Blaming someone on your team: “Our apprentice was new.” In public, you protect your team.
An offer in exchange for a changed rating: offering a discount or a free product so that the customer changes their negative review is against Google's rules. You can invite someone back, but never in exchange for their review.
Advertising: “Come and try our new lunch menu!” under a one-star review. Google asks for replies without a sales pitch.
When to report a review to Google
You can't delete a review yourself. You can report it, and then Google decides, based on its Maps user-generated content policy. That policy covers, among other things:
- Fake reviews: a review that doesn't describe a real experience at your business (a day when you're closed, a service you don't offer, a different address).
- Conflicts of interest: a review left by a competitor or a former employee.
- Off-topic content: a review about something other than your business.
- Insults and hate speech.
A disappointed customer, even one acting in bad faith, isn't breaking that policy: a harsh review describing a real visit stays online. And reporting guarantees nothing: Google looks into it and the review may stay. So reply publicly in every case, calmly, and keep a screenshot of the review with its date.
As for the law: in Belgium, posting fake reviews or having them posted has been banned in all circumstances since 28 May 2022 (Article VI.100 of the Code of Economic Law). If you suspect a competitor, report the review and talk to a lawyer, not in the comments.
Five reply templates to adapt
Fill in the brackets, change the words so they sound like you, and keep the structure: thanks, what's fair, what happens next.
Template 1: slow service, chip shop in Charleroi
Mehdi's review: “Forty minutes for a cone of chips on a Friday night. The chips were good, but it took far too long.”
“Thanks Mehdi, and glad you enjoyed the chips. Forty minutes for a cone of chips, you're right, that's far too long, even on a Friday night. [What you've changed, for example: on Fridays, a second person now comes in to help on the fryer.] Come and say hello next time, I'll serve you myself. Christophe”
Template 2: a cut gone wrong, hair salon in Wavre
Camille's review: “I'd shown them a photo, I wanted light layers. I walked out with my hair far too short. Disappointed.”
“Hello Camille, thank you for telling us, and we're sorry: when you show a photo, you expect to see it in the mirror. [One sentence without justifying yourself, for example: we should have checked the length with you before cutting.] Give us a call on [number]: we'd like to see you again for a touch-up, on the house. Sarah”
The touch-up is free whatever Camille does with her review, no strings attached.
Template 3: price seen as too high, bakery in Namur
Pierre's review: “Good bread, but the price of the sourdough is a joke. This isn't Brussels.”
“Thanks Pierre, and thank you for the compliment. Price matters, and you're right to bring it up. Our sourdough is shaped by hand and baked here every morning [adapt this to what's true for you], and that's what goes into the price. For a simpler loaf, ask for our [farmhouse loaf] at the counter. Julie”
Template 4: someone who never came in, florist in Tournai
Isabelle's review: “Bouquet delivered three hours late for my mother's birthday, and the flowers were wilted. Disgraceful.”
“Hello Isabelle, we're sorry about your mum's birthday, it's a day that matters. We looked for your order to understand what happened, and we can't find it: we don't do deliveries. It may have been a different shop. If the order was placed with us, please call us on [number], we'd like to understand. Anne”
Then report the review: it doesn't describe an experience at your shop.
Template 5: abusive review, café in Liège
The review: a line of insults aimed at the owner, without a word about the visit.
“Hello, we read every review, this one included. If something went wrong during your visit, please call us on [number]: we'll gladly listen. Marc”
Report the review as abusive. Two sentences, and you don't go back to it: the reader sees a calm shopkeeper facing someone who isn't. If there are threats, keep a screenshot and go to the police.
Your routine this week
To do this week
- Open your reviews on Google Maps, sort them by lowest rating and spot the ones without a reply.
- Reply to the three most recent using the four-step method, rereading your reply the next morning.
- Report the ones that break the rules, and reply to them anyway.
- Note the complaint that comes up most often: that's your project for the month.
The best counterweight to a negative review is still a steady flow of honest reviews, asked of all your customers without picking and choosing: the method is in our article on getting more Google reviews. To go further, the 2027 survival guide for local shops is free (in French).
