Unfair threat to bad review

[elle150]

I am a Dog groomer! I work single handed, I have no staff. I offer a one to one, groom. I book my appointments over the phone, timing an appointment is guesswork, a normal smalldog raised in a house takes x amount of time, I book the dog in for x and about 15 mins more to allow for changeover of next dog in.
I always ask what’s the condition of the dog, if its a new customer, ie is the dog knotty or matted because I can then book another time maybe an extra hour, to enable me to perform to my best both professionally and keep my customers happy, no waiting etc.
A customer turned up today with a dog that had been living outside on a lorry par, it had been sleeping in oil and dirt the poor little dog was in a bad state. I said to the customer, sorry but I asked the condition and you said it was ok, Your dog will take 5 shampoos and an extra hour which runs into my next appointment by an hour, which will have a nick on effect, please can I book another more suitable appointment to accommodate for the extra time . I explained the blade would blunt too if the dog wasn’t squeaky clean and dry.
She turned nasty, called me racist, which I am not, and said she would give me a bad review and started to threaten me. With destroying my business, I’ve had for 16 yrs. I feel so bullied. If Ihad cancelled my next 2 appointments to accommodate her my next customers would have been just as disgruntled. I am awaiting the nasty review, its upsetting, I feel like coming off google altogether.
How can google help me .? This is my only income! My livelihood ?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hi @elle150 if they leave a review that violates Google's review terms of service you can have Google remove it by flagging it in your GMB dashboard. Try not to worry too much.

If they leave a review circle back and let us know and we can take a look for you.

 

[Yan Gilbert]

If a review is left, regardless of it getting removed or not, reply with the same info you have just given us in your post. If you respond in a professional way, most people will give the business owner the benefit of the doubt, especially if you have other positive reviews.

 

[Tim Colling]

Calling @Amy Toman - I thought you'd be interested in seeing this thread.

 

[Rich Owings]

The best defense is a good offense. Ask all your customers for reviews. That way you'll get many more positive reviews.

 

[Cherie Dickey]

It's really tough getting a negative review emotionally. You put your soul into your business, and it's very difficult when customers let the world know that they are unhappy - especially when they put you in an impossible situation, and they shouldn't be unhappy in the first place.

But - people are people, and it takes all kinds. You can't please everyone, and truthfully, nobody expects you to. Not even potential new clients. If this person uses foul language or anything like that, the chances of having the review removed are pretty good.

If the review cannot be removed, then the best thing is to respond professionally. Then bury that review with positive reviews (over time) - like bad credit! It's actually pretty normal to see a negative review on a good business. It makes the review profile more trustworthy to folks who are wary of businesses who buy good reviews (or try to). The important thing is how you respond, and that the review is mixed in with other positive reviews.

Hang in there and let us know when/if the review is posted

 

[tedchan]

Honestly, I think a thoughtful response that politely discusses some of the circumstances mitigates most of the negative, along side having a strong positive review base from your happy customers. People definitely jump to the negative reviews but they take responses into account.

 

[Amy Toman]

@elle150, I've worked with many pet care businesses, and I know it's hard getting a bad review. There are ways to dilute the value of one, including getting many positive reviews to make the bad one sink to the bottom (good reviews are great any time, but especially if you expect a negative one is incoming). If you ended up getting a negative review, I would first do as directed above, and make sure you first respond politely. There's a good guideline here on how to do so. I'd also look at Joy Hawkins' article on the type of negative reviews that Google has removed to see if yours might fit one of those outlines. And in general, try not to let the one review bring you down too much. Everyone gets them, and you'll survive, despite how poorly it may make you feel. Good luck!

 

[Tim Colling]

@elle150 Is there any update on this situation? Did they leave you a negative review?