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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 if 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.

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.

Step 2: If you are unable to resolve the situation, send a Public

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.

Step 3: If you believe the review violates DealerRater's Terms of

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.