My client left a bad review after I chased them. What can I do?
The short answer
Reply once. Say what you delivered and when, report the review under the site's own rules, and go to law only if it states something false that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm1. A website that hosts a review it didn't write loses its legal shield if it ignores a proper notice of complaint4 about a poster you can't identify: it must pass the notice to the poster within 48 hours5, and take the review down if they don't answer in time.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £3,200 invoice, 83 days late
Say you invoiced another business £3,200, due on Friday 17 July 2026. You sent a firm reminder on Friday 31 July, a one-star review appeared on Saturday 1 August, and your letter before action, sent on day 30, went unanswered. On Thursday 8 October 2026 the invoice is 83 days late. It went late between 1 July and 31 December 2026, so the rate is 8% over the Bank Rate9 of 3.75%10: 11.75% a year.
Then it grows by £1.03 a day until they pay. The review changes none of this. A claim for £3,355.50 costs a £205 court fee11, and it is the next step.
The road ahead
Six steps. All free.
Step 1: Screenshot it, then wait an hour
Take a dated screenshot that shows the web address. Do not reply yet. Sort what it says into three: a fact you can show is wrong, an opinion, or something that breaks the site's own rules.
Step 2: Post one reply, in facts
Use the reply below: three or four sentences, no amounts, no accusation. It is written for the next client who reads the page, not for the reviewer.
Step 3: Report it under the site's rules
Use the site's report button and name the rule the review breaks. Those rules are not law and differ from site to site. A site acts on its rules or on a proper notice, not because a review feels unfair, so say nothing more in public while you wait.
Step 4: Test it against the law
A statement is not defamatory unless it has caused or is likely to cause serious harm1 to reputation, and for a company that trades for profit that means serious financial loss. Truth2 and honest opinion3 are defences.
A claim must be brought within one year6 of the date the cause of action arose, which for a review is usually when it went up. A solicitor who does defamation work can tell you whether yours is worth starting.
Step 5: Can't tell who posted it? Send a notice
This route is for a poster you cannot identify. The notice gives your name, the statement, why it is defamatory, where it is posted and an email address. It adds the meaning you say it carries, what is factually wrong or unsupported opinion, and whether your name may go to the poster5, and confirms you can't identify them.
The site must pass it to the poster within 48 hours, and weekends and bank holidays do not count. The poster has five days from the day the site writes to them; if they don't answer, the site must take the review down within 48 hours of that. If you know it is your client, this route does not fit.
Step 6: Keep the debt moving
The review changes nothing on the invoice. Interest and the fixed sum run on. If the firm reminder has had no answer, the next step is a letter before action.
A letter you can copy
One public reply to the review
Post it once, a few hours after you first see the review, when you have read it twice and sorted what it says.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Post it once, as a reply under the review, and do not answer again. Keep a dated screenshot of the review and of your reply, with the web address. Leave out amounts, invoice numbers and the word unpaid, unless the review raised it first.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- It is opinion on facts that are mostly true. A harsh view that says what it is based on is usually honest opinion3, a defence. Reply once and move on.
- It sits beside a run of good reviews. Showing serious harm1 is usually hard then, and for a company it means serious financial loss. Look at your last ten reviews before you pay anyone.
- The client has a point. If part of the review is fair, fix that part first, then reply. A reply that admits nothing reads worse than one that says what you did.
- You are tempted to drop the invoice if the review comes down. That is a settlement. Make it in writing and on purpose, not as a quiet swap. See what to know about settling for less.
- The cost outweighs what it protects. A defamation claim over one review is a job for a solicitor who does defamation work, and usually costs more than the review does harm. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own defamation law, and this page does not cover them.
The Wolf's note
A review is read by strangers, and the debt is owed by one client. Answer the strangers once, in facts, then spend the next hour on the debt. That is the part with a sum and a date.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
Should I accept less in "full and final settlement"?
Only on your terms. In a small claim, turning down an offer is not, of itself, unreasonable behaviour, but treat any deal you agree as binding.
7 min read · Letter included
What proof do I need to show I did the work and they owe me?
Proof is five kinds of paper: the deal, the work, their acceptance, your invoice and your chasing.
7 min read · Letter included
If they still won't pay
How do I take a company to court for an unpaid invoice?
Send a letter before action, then claim online.
7 min read · Letter included
Don't want to do this yourself?
The Wolf does every step for you. He works out the sums, writes the letters and keeps track of every date. Nothing goes without your yes.