Handle negative reviews on Yelp, Facebook and the BBB
Wait until you're calm, then reply once, publicly and briefly: thank them, acknowledge the problem, and offer a direct way to sort it out. Yelp also lets you message reviewers privately, and BBB wants complaints answered within 10 to 15 days. No platform lets you delete a review. Never threaten a reviewer or offer anything to change one.
The short version
- Wait a few hours. Reply when it no longer feels personal.
- Reply once, in public: thank, acknowledge, offer to sort it out directly.
- Use each platform’s tools: Yelp’s private message, BBB’s formal response, Facebook’s report option for real rule-breakers.
- You can’t delete reviews anywhere. Report only what breaks the site’s rules.
- Never threaten, argue, share private details, or offer something to change the review.
How do I reply on each platform?
For Google, use our dedicated guide to replying to reviews, including bad ones. The other major platforms work like this.
| Platform | Public reply | Private contact | Delete? | Report? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yelp | Yes, public comment | Yes, direct message | No | Yes, if it breaks rules |
| Yes, reply to the review | Not covered in its help pages | No | Yes, written reviews only | |
| BBB review | Yes, a business response | No | No | Respond with your side |
| BBB complaint | Yes, formal response | Through BBB’s process | No | Response due in 10 to 15 days |
| Trustpilot | Yes, replies encouraged | A request for more information, through Trustpilot | No | Not just for disagreeing |
Yelp
Yelp’s guide to responding to reviews says you can post a public comment, which everyone sees and which Yelp recommends whenever possible, or send a direct message only the reviewer sees. Your business profile photo must be approved before you can respond.
A private message first can work well: it gives the customer a chance to be heard without an audience. If you message, be just as calm and careful as in public. Yelp says it “doesn’t take sides in factual disputes,” per its page on false or defamatory reviews.
Reply to the recommendation from your Page, not your personal profile. Facebook’s reporting guide lets you report a written review that breaks its rules, but not a rating with no text. More in our guide to Facebook recommendations.
Better Business Bureau
For a review, BBB’s review page says businesses get a chance to respond, and that if you disagree you should submit a response explaining your position.
For a complaint, BBB’s complaints page asks for a response within “10-15 calendar days,” and says not responding may hurt your BBB rating. Answer the substance: what happened, what you’ve offered, and what you’ll do now. See reviews on industry sites and the BBB.
Trustpilot
Trustpilot’s guidelines for businesses encourage polite, professional replies, and say disagreeing with a review isn’t a valid reason to flag it. There’s no open direct message, but Trustpilot’s guidelines for reviewers say a business can ask a reviewer for more information about their experience through the reviewer’s Trustpilot account. Answering is up to the reviewer, and anything they send is shared with you. Use it to understand the problem, not to press for a change.
What should I write?
Three or four sentences:
- Thank them for taking the time.
- Acknowledge the specific problem. Show you read it.
- Own what’s fair. If you got something wrong, say so.
- Offer a direct route: your name and a phone number or email.
For example: “Thanks for telling us about this, Sarah. You’re right that we should have called when the part was delayed, and I’m sorry we didn’t. I’d like to make it right. Please call me at [number]. [Name], owner.” That’s sample wording; use your own voice. The free review reply writer can draft a first version.
Why reply at all?
Most people who read your reply aren’t the reviewer. They’re future customers judging how you handle problems. A calm, fair reply to a bad review can reassure them more than another five-star review would. Silence suggests nobody’s listening.
What must I never do?
- Threaten legal action to get a review removed. The FTC rule’s review suppression section bans baseless legal threats and intimidation aimed at removing a review.
- Offer something in return for changing or removing a review. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides FAQ warns against asking customers to change or delete negative reviews, and Google and Yelp both ban incentives to remove reviews.
- Share private details such as what they paid, their address or their health.
- Accuse them of lying in public, unless you can show it’s fake, and then report it instead.
- Paste the same apology on every review.
What are the common mistakes and edge cases?
- Replying in the heat of the moment. A few hours won’t hurt.
- Replying from a personal account. Use the business account on each site.
- Fixing the problem privately but leaving the public reply unfinished. If it’s resolved, a short follow-up note helps future readers. Don’t pressure the customer to edit.
- A review about a different business. Say so politely, and report it as not about your business.
- A review that names an employee. Don’t name them back. Speak for the business.
What if this didn’t work?
- The reviewer replied angrily. Don’t continue in public. Offer the phone number once more, or message privately where you can.
- The customer was satisfied but the review stays. That’s their choice. Your reply shows readers what happened.
- You think the review is fake. See spotting and reporting fake reviews.
- Someone is threatening reviews unless you pay. Don’t pay. Our help article on bad Google reviews covers Google’s extortion report process.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
Replying is free everywhere. A good reply takes five to ten minutes. A BBB complaint takes longer, because you have to sort the problem out, within BBB’s 10 to 15 day window.
How does E-3 handle this?
Our leads and follow-up service includes review replies. People at E-3 help you write calm replies in your voice. If you’d like a second opinion on a tough review, send us the link.
Related questions
Sources
- How do I respond to reviews of my business? (Yelp for Business Support)
- Will Yelp remove a false or defamatory review? (Yelp for Business Support)
- Report a Recommendation or review about a business Page on Facebook (Facebook Help Center)
- How BBB Complaints Are Handled (Better Business Bureau)
- How BBB Customer Reviews are Handled (Better Business Bureau)
- Guidelines for businesses (Trustpilot, September 2026)
- Guidelines for reviewers (Trustpilot)
- 16 CFR 465.7, Review suppression (Legal Information Institute)
- FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking (FTC Business Guidance)
Next step
- Next: Spot and report fake reviews on each platformThe next guide in Reviews.
- Free website checkPublic checks on your own site, then an action plan of what to fix first.
Still stuck? Ask E-3 for an answer from our help guides.
Rather we handled reviews for you?
It’s part of what we do every week for small businesses, as part of leads and highlevel. Start with a free check of your site and profile, or call and ask.