A bad review feels like the end of the world the first time it happens. It isn't -- but how you respond to it publicly matters almost as much as the review itself.
An unanswered negative review reads as confirmation to anyone else reading it later. A thoughtful public response, even to a review you disagree with, shows every future prospect how you handle a problem -- which matters more to most readers than the original complaint itself.
Acknowledge the specific issue raised, briefly state what you're doing about it, and invite further conversation offline. A long, defensive reply reads worse than a short, calm one, regardless of who was actually right.
Even a completely unfair review loses you more by being publicly contested than by being met with a brief, professional response. Prospective clients are reading your reaction far more than the original complaint -- a defensive or combative reply confirms exactly the impression a bad review already created.
Your public reply should move the conversation to a phone call, email, or DM, not resolve the entire dispute in the review thread. "Please call our office so we can make this right" does more work than a full public explanation ever will.
Most review platforms have a dispute process for reviews that violate their content policies (reviews from non-customers, reviews containing false factual claims) -- it's worth using for a genuinely bogus review, but don't expect it to work on a review that's simply negative and accurate from the reviewer's perspective.
A single negative review against a healthy base of legitimate five-star reviews barely moves your overall rating and reads to most people as normal, expected variance -- not a reason to panic or over-respond.
Respond calmly and specifically, move the real resolution offline, and trust that a strong base of genuine positive reviews does more for you than winning an argument in the comments of one bad one.
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