How to Handle a Negative DealerRater Review
How to Handle a Negative Review
So, your dealership just received a bad review on DealerRater, and you need to know what to do next. We're here to help. Negative reviews are an unfortunate fact of life for all businesses, but managed properly, the potential damage of a negative review can be mitigated, and bad reviews can even serve to promote the positive sides of your business. Please see the steps below for how to handle a negative review, and also take a look at the E-Book below in this article for detailed information and best practices about how to handle negative reviews.
Step 1: Send a Private Response.
- Private responses are sent directly to the reviewer, and allow you to request more information about the
experience or the identity of the reviewer, and to work with the reviewer to attempt to resolve the
situation. Many reviewers submit negative reviews because they feel
helpless or ignored, and your response may be all it takes to turn the
situation around.
- Public Responses show up directly below the review on your Dealer Review Page. They allow your dealership to post your side of the story, and show anyone reading the review the efforts you have made to resolve the situation. Make sure to "take the high road" and keep the general public in mind when sending your response - A good public response can have a tremendous impact, and can actually serve as a positive for your dealership.
- If you believe that you have received a negative review that violates DealerRater's Terms of Use or Community Guidelines and should be removed, you can report the review to our Content Team so that they can look into the situation.
- How to respond to a review, including public and private responses
- How to report a DealerRater review
- Frequently Asked Questions about reviews
The Impact of Negative Reviews
If you're wondering why we recommend the steps above, or are looking for more information about managing negative reviews, please take a look at our E-Book:
If you have any questions, please contact our Support Team, and we'll be happy to help.