Agent to Agent: Handling Bad Reviews

Dear Tammy: I just got my first ‘bad’ review! What do I do? I don’t agree with the review but I don’t want it to hurt my business. Help!

Tammy: Yes, it’s out of control the way reviews work nowadays. Luckily, things are changing! For too long, people have been leaving reviews when they weren’t satisfied with a purchase or a service for one reason or another. And all those reviewed could do was respond with their side, but by then most damage tends to already be done. Unfortunately, you just can’t please everybody, no matter how hard you try.

But the tables are beginning to turn! There’s a new trend starting that allows those being reviewed to review the reviewer. This is a game changer.

Here’s a couple examples of bad reviews we received that are just nuts! One of my client’s made travel arrangements for his daughter’s wedding. There were no complaints at all from the couple or anyone in the wedding party. In fact, he said everything was amazing! But, they wrote a review over 6 months later where he added that he didn’t like working with a particular agent (he said she did not respond in a timely fashion) and it really ruined the good parts of the review.

Another time I had a client write a bad review because he didn’t get his documents in time. We tell all of our clients that they will get their documents 2 to 3 weeks prior to departure. He got his on the 13th day, which was in the time frame but he wanted them sooner. Even though it was his fault because he waited until the last minute, he still blamed us and wrote a bad review.

Here’s another example: Three months after getting married, a couple told a local television station that their photographer wouldn’t give them their wedding pictures. They claimed they already paid thousands of dollars to the photographer who wouldn’t release the pictures until they paid another $150. Because the photographer was criticized by so many people that she had to go out of business, she sued the couple.

The truth was the couple only needed to fill out a quick form and pay the $150 to get the pictures, which they knew was required from the start. The courts ultimately determined what the couple did was malicious defamation, and awarded the photographer one million dollars in damages!

Although there are many people who think leaving bad reviews is a way to vent their frustrations, if they vent "wrong" there could be serious consequences!

Keeping track of all your reviews can help you be a successful travel agent, just like keeping track of your marketing and advertising is an essential part of your success. And realizing that dealing with different types of personalities is an art may help you avoid future bad reviews.