No business will ever escape unscathed by a negative review – they’re part and parcel when interacting with the public.
Even though they can rock your own confidence and make you worry about your future as a business, every single business owner will have to respond to one at some point.
Most of the time, negative reviews are simple. A client has been unhappy with some portion of your service and now they want the world to know about their terrible experience.
Whether or not they actually had a terrible experience is another matter.
But occasionally, a more serious allegation can be put your way. The client may accuse you of being a scammer, or of stealing their money and not delivering on your service.
In either case, you’re being accused of fraud. How seriously should you take the accusation? Our expert guide can help you decide.
Have they taken any further steps?
A negative review isn’t necessarily harmful, even if you don’t like the look of it on your Google Business Profile. However, if the client has also noted that they want to take you to court, it’s best to get as ready as possible.
On the one hand, a legal threat like this could be the person simply venting. They’re already frustrated, and they may believe threatening legal action will get a more favourable response from you.
If they also reach out privately to submit an official complaint, their words hold more weight.
Could you need to investigate further?
If you run a team and delegate client-facing tasks to multiple people, there’s a chance someone else has made a mistake in their client approach.
It happens, but you may need to dig a little deeper into the allegation. Finding out as much information as possible will only get you better equipped to deal with false fraud allegations.
Check for any records of interactions with this one client, and have a chat with the employee(s) who dealt with them.
Get as many things down in writing as you can, including the dates and times of the interactions and any evidence that you attempted to resolve the issue in a satisfactory way.
You can keep things informal here, as only genuine signs of fraud will require you to follow your misconduct processes.
Responding to an unhappy client: stay professional at all times
Whether or not the allegation feels serious, it’s always best to respond to an unhappy client.
This can mitigate any damage that’s already been done, to both your reputation as a business and the client’s perception of your service.
But as the business owner, you may also become frustrated yourself. Someone is accusing you of wrongdoing, and now the business you’ve put a lot of hard work into could pay the price.
No matter how emotional the situation could become, always try to stay professional.
Be polite and courteous when replying to the client’s communications. Apologise for the bad experience they had, offer a refund or replacement (if relevant), and thank them for reaching out.
If they still want to pursue the allegation
While customer service is the answer 99% of the time, it isn’t a cure-all solution. When responding to an unhappy client, things can also escalate.
Even if you did your best to come to a compromise, they may still want to take things further.
If this is the case, the following tips can help to keep the process straightforward.
Has the client left a public review? See if you can flag it
Flagging a false or inappropriate review can help to lessen the damage caused by a false allegation. However, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get the review removed.
It depends on the platform. Each one has a different review policy, and it’s best to read these through in full. They’ll detail the specific grounds you have to get a review removed, if there are any.
Of course, review policies have undergone a lot of rewriting in recent years.
Historically they’ve been open to abuse, with certain companies using them to get any negative review removed, no matter the contents.
They’re now much stricter, and often are applied on a case by case basis. This is important to keep in mind, as you can’t just delete a review if you don’t like it. You’ll need to prove it’s infringed on the policy in some way.
Cut contact or redirect it to your solicitor
Dealing with false allegations can quickly become a chaotic matter. If the client is reaching out again and again, their communications could border on harassment.
At this point, it’s best to cut contact entirely.
The stress of the situation can make it harder to focus on running your business. It also makes it more likely that you may react rashly, and that may not help the defense case you could need to put together.
Make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that you’ve done everything you can to try and resolve the issue.
Let the client know you’re now closing the matter on your end. Be sure to state that any further attempts at contact will not be responded to.
If you don’t have one already, this is also the point to reach out to fraud solicitors who can handle the hassle for you.
Get in touch with a fraud expert
With a fraud expert on your side, dealing with false allegations made by unhappy clients is far less complicated.
No matter how many different allegations a client wants to bring against you, an expert fraud solicitor can give you the breakdown you need.
They’ll put it in simple terms that are easier to work with. It’s a real weight off your mind to know what’s likely to be considered in court (and what isn’t), and if there’s even a case to begin with.
You can also ask about your own legal grounds for presenting a defamation case, if you feel there’s a need for one.
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