We've all been there when a business or service goes wrong and felt the temptation to let it all out on a review site. While some of us may hold back a bit when it comes to leaving a review, there are plenty who let a business have it.
Right or wrong, it's up to the business how they choose to deal with it. While most might encourage a customer to get in touch to discuss what happened, there are a few who give as good as they got online.
Here are some of the best responses to bad reviews from Nottingham businesses
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1 - Sat Bains
Sat Bains is a two Michelin star restaurant on Lenton Lane. While there are 1,491 reviews that describe the restaurant as 'fantastic', there are one or two bad reviews.
One person wrote: "Me and my partner booked a table for what we expected to be a great experience and wonderful food, but far from this we received very rude staff when we asked the waitress were our drinks order was, and as for the food definitely doesn’t live up to the hype very expensive and not very impressed at all, will not be returning."
The Front office manager responded: "Thanks for your comments, but it does seem very suspicious that you have given all 5 of your reviews a 1 out of 5 in a 2-day period."
2 - Masala Junction
The restaurant on Maid Marian way offered the perfect example of a response to a review. The measured and polite response was firm but compared the diner's experience with another customer who was sitting nearby.
The diner wrote: "The initial ambiance suggested that a positive experience was in store for a family celebration. The restaurant was busy for a Tuesday at around 7 p.m and whilst the owner, (who spoke to us after our meal) was charming and welcoming, unfortunately, his staff were not. One of the staff had to be shown, at the table, how to take a cork out of a wine bottle."
The review went on to describe the menu as 'acceptable but unremarkable' and that the party was told they couldn't take their leftovers home. The restaurant offered a response to the review, remembering the guest on the night.
They wrote: "I remember our conversation well, we spent a good few minutes chatting and enquiring about your experience. It was a very pleasant conversation and at the time, you seemed pleased with the way the evening had gone. It’s very disappointing that you felt you couldn’t, for whatever reason, mention any of your concerns at the time as we would have gone out of our way again to address them."
They finished with: "Incidentally, we had another review on the same event from another customer who sat not far from you. Please read their review of the same event on the same night from a different angle. Is it not interesting how two individuals can have such a contrasting take on the same situation?"
3 - Lobster Pot Beeston
When a customer complained about the dish they had been served at the popular Beeston location, the manager responded in kind.
They wrote: "Small portions. Expensive for what you are getting. Owner is not amenable to customer feedback. We were given bread and butter before the meal. We were surprised at this but realised that was to hide the fact the portions are so small. Drinks overpriced. Come back Yod all is forgiven!"
The manager replied: "When the dish arrived at your table, all you said to me was ''what dish is this?'' so I told you, it was the Pan-fried Salmon, I asked you if it was the correct dish you ordered as it seemed as though you were not expecting it. But then you said ''yes it is, is this all we're getting, how much is it?'' I told you it was £10 which you gave a snooty look, so I assumed you weren't happy with it so I said I'll take it back and you can order something else as a replacement."
They added: "Where was your feedback that I'm supposed to be amendable to? Most restaurants give complimentary bread and butter, prawn crackers, and poppadoms, not to fill people up before their meals. Just as a nice gesture. Name dropping a previous tenant of this premises is irrelevant. "
4 - BOHN's best burger
BOHN's has a strong rating on Tripadvisor and is generally considered to have the best burgers in town. But one review written by a customer who didn't even attend the restaurant had an impressive response:
They wrote: "Unfortunately, due to a power cut, I was unable to attend and rang 30 mins before my 17:30 booking to apologise and cancel. The person that I spoke to on the phone was totally ruthless, instead of offering another time or sympathising with the situation he simply informed me I would be charged for the late cancellation. Given that 17:30 is a generally quiet time, I really didn’t expect this kind of backlash.."
The management team wrote back: "I would like to share an extract of a recent report issued by the lifestyle magazine Food & Drink regarding booking no shows and late cancellations; “One in seven restaurant bookings have failed to turn up since venues reopened after lockdown – costing pubs and restaurants £17.6bn a year.”
"Having spoken with the staff member he informed us that when you telephoned to cancel your booking the first question was “will I lose my deposit” and you also informed him that if you did you would write a bad review. Obviously true to your word."
