How to reply to a review claiming you caused damage or injury

A review that says “they broke my table” or “I got hurt” needs more care than a grumble about being late. The public reply should stay short and neutral, show you’re concerned, and neither admit fault nor argue the facts. Then take it offline, where the detail can be dealt with properly.

Before you reply

Wait a moment before you type. The urge to defend yourself is strong when someone says you flooded a kitchen or burnt a scalp.

• Gather your records. Photos from the job, job sheets, notes, messages: anything that shows what was done and when. None of it goes in the public reply, but you want it in front of you before you say a word to anyone.
• Consider speaking to your insurer. As general advice, if you have business insurance, it’s worth speaking to your insurer before you reply or discuss fault with the customer. This page gives no legal advice and draws no legal conclusions.
• Don’t leave it for weeks. Google’s tips say to reply in a timely manner. A calm reply tomorrow still beats an angry one in ten minutes.

What to say

Keep it clear, polite, short and simple. That’s Google’s own reply guidance, and it fits this situation well.

• Show concern. If someone says they were hurt, “we’re sorry to hear you were hurt” is fine. Being sorry about what happened to someone is different from saying you caused it.
• Don’t settle the cause in public. Google’s tips say to admit mistakes but not to take responsibility for things outside your control. Here you don’t yet know which it is, so acknowledge and show concern, without conceding or denying.
• Say what you can do. Visiting to have a look, or calling them back, is a concrete next step.
• Move it offline. Ask them to contact you by phone, by email or in person.
• Sign it. Replies appear as the business, so a first name or initials makes it read like a real person wrote it.

Your reply is public. The reviewer is notified and can still change their review. Google checks replies against its content policies before posting, usually within 10 minutes, sometimes up to 30 days.

What not to say

• Nothing that sounds like a verdict. “We accept full responsibility” and “we’ll pay for it” commit you before you’ve looked at a thing. “You did it yourself” and “that’s not possible” go the other way, and read as arguing with someone who’s already upset. If you’re sure the review gets the facts wrong, how to reply when the customer is wrong is worth a read, but for damage and injury claims the safest tone is neutral.
• No addresses, names or health details. Never share the reviewer’s private information, and say nothing about an injury’s cause or treatment. Sympathy is fine; theories aren’t.
• No deals, refunds or offers in the thread. Google says to keep deals and promotions out of replies, and anything owed is for a private conversation. If they’ve asked for money in the review, see how to reply to a review asking for a refund.
• No personal attacks. And don’t report the review just because you disagree with it: Google doesn’t get involved in conflict between businesses and customers.

Example replies

Removals firm, scratched dining table

Fictional example. The review (1 star): “They scratched my dining table during the move.” The facts: Mark, the owner, has already phoned the customer and is looking into it.

Thank you for letting us know, and we’re sorry to hear about your table. We’ve spoken to you by phone and are looking into it now, and we’ll be in touch again directly. Mark

Plumber, leak after a job

Fictional example. The review (1 star): “Kitchen leaking the day after they fitted the new tap.” The facts: there’s been no contact yet; Gareth, the owner, wants to visit and look.

Thank you for flagging this, and we’re sorry to hear you’ve had a leak. We’d like to come and see it for ourselves. Please call or email us so we can arrange a time that suits you. Gareth

Salon, scalp irritation after a colour

Fictional example. The review (1 star): “My scalp was sore and irritated for days after my colour.” The facts: nothing beyond the review; Aisha is the manager.

We’re sorry to hear you were uncomfortable after your visit. We’d like to talk this through with you properly. Please get in touch by phone or email and ask for Aisha, and we’ll take it from there. Aisha

None of the three says whose fault it was, and none of them needs to. For more on tone, see how to respond to negative Google reviews and how to reply to Google reviews. To draft your own, use the review reply writer and add only facts you’ve confirmed.

Questions people ask

Does saying sorry in my reply mean admitting it was our fault?

This page can't give legal advice, but you can show concern without saying what caused the problem. "We're sorry to hear you were hurt" responds to how they feel; "we caused this" is a statement about fault. Keep the public reply to the first kind, and settle what happened privately. If you have business insurance, speak to your insurer before discussing fault.

Should I tell my insurer before I reply?

If you have business insurance, it's sensible to speak to them before you reply or discuss fault with the customer. Every policy is different, so ask them rather than guessing. In the meantime, gather your job sheets, photos, notes and messages so you have the facts in front of you.

Can I explain in the reply that it wasn't our fault?

Not in public. Google's tips say to explain what you can and can't do and not to take responsibility for things outside your control, but a review thread isn't the place to settle what caused damage or an injury. Arguing reads badly to other readers. Show concern and invite them to contact you by phone or email.

Will Google remove a review that says we damaged something?

Usually not, if it describes a real experience. Google says not to report a review just because you disagree with it and doesn't get involved in conflict between businesses and customers. Reply calmly instead. The reviewer is notified when you reply and can still change their review once things are sorted out privately.