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Writer's pictureCWPD Marketing Team

Car Wash Reputation Management: Responding to Negative Online Reviews


In our final installment of this car wash reputation management series, we’re going to take a closer look at how to deal with responding to negative online reviews. My car didn’t get clean enough. The washes are too expensive. The vacuums turn off too fast. My paint job got scratched. There is no end to the list of things that a person may claim in a negative online review. You can’t control what people write about your car wash, but you do get to determine how you respond. This is why we are sharing this series of car wash reputation management tips, beginning with how to deal with negative online reviews.

While you may be tempted to rise to the defense of your establishment immediately, no one ever comes out looking good arguing on an anonymous review platform. Here are some better ways to answer a negative reviewer.

Acknowledge the Person’s Feelings

You would be surprised how far the phrase, “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your experience,” goes. Everyone who reads that sees that you acknowledged the feelings of the reviewer in a compassionate way. At the same time, you didn’t admit guilt of any sort. You are just sorry that they were upset enough to write a poor review.

Address Something Specific in the Review

Let’s select one of the negative comments we opened our article with. Maybe someone says your car wash is too expensive. After acknowledging the person’s disappointment, you can say something like, “we try to offer a wide range of wash types to meet all budgets.” It’s a simple way to say that it isn’t your fault the person bought the $12 wash instead of the $3 wash without being confrontational.

Move Away from an Online Format

The best thing you can do is move the conversation off of the Internet. Provide a customer service number or email address and offer to discuss the situation further. Now the person has no reason to type another online response, and if they do, they just end up making themselves look bad instead of your brand.

Always Keep Your Response Brief

If you have more than four sentences, it’s time to edit. Remember, all you are doing is acknowledging the person’s feelings, addressing a specific point to contrast your company policy, and then encouraging them to contact customer service directly to work things out. It doesn’t take a book to do that.

The Car Wash Reputation Management Experts

Contact Car Wash Pro Designers today to learn more about car wash reputation management. We have decades of experience in designing, building, and managing car washes.

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