Pffft! a freebie or plain pettiness – This might be your typical answer to our title, but it should interest you to know it is incorrect.
Now and then, you get to meet a client who seems insatiable or who you just can’t work smoothly with. All your experience in dealing with your customers might fail you and at the end of the day when you have done what you can, the negative review still drops.
So what on earth could such clients want when they leave these damaging and unfriendly negative reviews?
We have done the research and brought you answers.
They want revenge
“Aha!” You say, but there’s more to it.
When some customers feel truly wronged, unsatisfied, or bullied the best way they can think of to get even is to hurt you and your business back. They try to use their power of reviews against you and sometimes they are simply being petty. Other times, they have malicious intent. Regardless of the reason for their vengeful thoughts, you must find a way to salvage the situation. The good news is such clients are usually small in number.
They want a solution
Sometimes customers try to get your attention when they have a bad experience. Many of them do not want to walk away with that bad experience and an even bigger problem than they had before. Hence, they might leave a negative review as a last resort to spur you into action.
They’d like to save other clients from a similar experience
Think about it; if you had a terrible experience with a product or service, you wouldn’t want your friends or loved ones experiencing the same thing. Since customers are people like you, it’s only natural a small percentage of them feel the same way. Studies show that 73% of customers who leave a bad review do so to save others.
They want you to do better
It’s always easy to spot such a negative review. Most times, it’s not even all bad. Many clients can leave a negative review to help you identify your weaknesses and do better. This way when they or other clients come to your business, you can avoid the same problems.
They want to vent
Talking about what makes us unhappy is a good way to let out the frustration and pain. Unfortunately, a customer letting out their frustration in the form of a negative review is not in the least ideal for your business.
It’s important to note that majority of clients do not live a bad review lightly. Many of them are business owners or workers themselves and know the implications or consequences of their actions on your business. They are often very conscious of what they are doing as they write and post those harmful words.
Nevertheless, don’t get carried away with these rare occurrences or let them disrupt your business.
Knowing why a client leaves a negative feedback can help you make better choices and carve responses that benefit you or soften the damage.
