Client help: bad reviews

[Mwozniak]

Hey everyone, curious if there's any suggestions out there as to what to do about this.

Lately our salon has been getting many reviews about how pricey we are and on top of that, reviews about how bad their hair turned out. My problem is that they don't come to us first and ask about what we can do; they go straight to leaving bad reviews or posting on a Facebook group we have for our town.

How do you guys deal with negative reviews? I understand you can't please everyone and you can't completely avoid negative reviews however I'm not sure how to encourage people to let us help them before resorting to bashing us online...

We have done the post colour consultations yet no one seems to use that as a way to let us know. We have a policy in place as well ( two week guarantee- they can come in and get it fixed anytime within two weeks of their appointment for free )

We have also tried the " leave a review!" Incentive and things like that - trying to encourage more positivity.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[AcidPerm]

Are these reviews all from genuine colour clients or could they be connected to a rival business? I agree that it seems a bit fishy that they're not coming back and asking for a correction, especially given your (very generous) 2 week guarantee.

 

[Mwozniak]

Are these reviews all from genuine colour clients or could they be connected to a rival business? I agree that it seems a bit fishy that they're not coming back and asking for a correction, especially given your (very generous) 2 week guarantee.

I never thought about that. We do have a rival business that seems to go out of their way to bash us but I don't know how far they would go. Most clients just hear about us online and check us out but I'm not sure. I'm wondering if maybe we need to reinforce the two week guarantee. I know some people have said they feel awkward or nervous to come in when something goes wrong however we try really hard not to make anyone feel that way. Our biggest compliment is that we all feel like family so I'm just curious as to why they wouldn't feel like they could come back and ask to get a fix.

 

[user 111574]

Can you match the names of the complainers to clients that have actually had services from you?

If you are sure the person has not been to you then post a reply kindly stating this.
They may then stop

 

[KrisKross]

Are you sure they are actual clients of yours?

Bad reviews don't always put people off. If you've given a measured and considered reply, reiterating your 2 week guarantee and saying something like "I'm sorry that you didn't contact us or come into the salon about this before writing a review. Please do get in touch so that we can discuss your concerns and hopefully come to some resolution" then that shows that you're more than reasonable.