How to apologize for bad customer experiences and win them back

Written by: Sapphire Li, BA

Communications specialist, 8+ years writing and copywriting for companies

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Table of contents

Template: apologize for bad customer experiences
Great example: heartfelt apology from JetBlue
Original and rewritten: reply to a customer about a refund because the prices were incorrect
What tone should we use to reply to customer complaints?
What should we do if someone leaves a negative review with incorrect or exaggerated details?
How honest should we be in our reply to a negative customer experience?

Subject: We're really sorry, you'll receive a reply by Friday, March 30 or sooner

Hey {First name},
We're really sorry about the delay, we know how worrying it can be to wait.¹
Verve went viral recently and we received over 50k new inquiries in a week.²
We're really thankful for the growth and we should have had a plan in place, that's on me.³
Right now, we're working around the clock to onboard and train new customer support specialists.⁴
You'll receive a reply by Friday, March 30 or sooner.⁵
Thank you,
[Name]
CEO, Verve

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1. Apologize sincerely and show you understand how it affected your customers. Avoid corporate phrases like "we sincerely apologize", just say "we're sorry" or "we're really sorry". This is much more natural and sincere, how you'd speak to someone in person.
2. Honestly and briefly explain what happened. Depending on your situation, have your legal team review this for any details you cannot publicly mention.
3. Acknowledge the mistake you made and own up to it. Yes this can be scary, but downplaying what happened is unlikely to get you out of this, and carries a big risk of sparking even more backlash you're trying to dodge responsibility. Depending on how serious the mistake was and how many people were affected, it's important to have the message come from a leader from your company. It shows you're taking it seriously and speaking to your customers on a personal level, not as a faceless company.
4. Explain the steps you're taking to resolve the issue.
5. If the solution and/or timeline for customers vary, it's helpful to use your messaging platform to personalize the specific solution and/or timeline for each group of customers.
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Example of a great, heartfelt apology from JetBlue

This is a message David Neeleman, then CEO of JetBlue, shared after the company had an operational breakdown in 2007 after an ice storm hit the eastern US, leading to around 1,000 canceled flights.

Here's what his apology did right:

· It clearly acknowledged how customers were affected, Mr. Neeleman didn't downplay it.
· It explained how the situation happened.
· Mr. Neeleman apologized sincerely and profusely.
· It outlined JetBlue's plan to correct their mistakes.
· It sounded very human, not like a corporate statement. "We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry."

Good example An apology from David Neeleman

Dear JetBlue Customers,

We are sorry and embarrassed. But most of all, we are deeply sorry.

Last week was the worst operational week in JetBlue's seven year history. Many of youwere either stranded, delayed or had flights cancelled following the severe winter ice stormin the Northeast. The storm disrupted the movement of aircraft, and, more importantly,disrupted the movement of JetBlue's pilot and inflight crewmembers who were dependingon those planes to get them to the airports where they were scheduled to serve you. Withthe busy President's Day weekend upon us, rebooking opportunities were scarce and holdtimes at 1-800-JETBLUE were unusually long or not even available, further hindering ourrecovery efforts.

Words cannot express how truly sorry we are for the anxiety, frustration and inconvenience that you, your family, friends and colleagues experienced. This is especially saddening because JetBlue was founded on the promise of bringing humanity back to air travel, and making the experience of flying happier and easier for everyone who chooses to fly with us. We know we failed to deliver on this promise last week.

We are committed to you, our valued customers, and are taking immediate corrective stepsto regain your confidence in us. We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place toprovide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crew members and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties. Mostimportantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights – our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward – includingdetails of compensation. We invite you to learn more at jetblue.com/promise.

You deserved better - a lot better - from us last week and we let you down. Nothing is more important than regaining your trust and all of us here hope you will give us the opportunity to once again welcome you onboard and provide you the positive JetBlue Experience you have come to expect from us.

Sincerely,
David Neeleman
Founder and CEO

Original and rewritten: reply to a customer about a refund because the prices were incorrect

It helps to simplify corporate lines such as "apologise for any inconvenience caused"or "reserves the right to cancel any order, at any time without any explanation". They typically come across as cliched or cold. "I'm sure if you have some basic knowledge regarding Chanel items, you will know that the value is far more than what you ordered them for." It's ok to have a snarky thought, we're human, but there's no need or benefit to saying them out loud.

Original email Re: customer inquiry

Company <[email protected]>
to Customer

Good Morning {Name},

Thank you for your email. I have just taken a look at your three separate orders and i can see that they have been cancelled and refunded. On Friday 19th April to Sunday 21st April we encountered a system error which affected over 1000 listings on our website causing the prices to be listed at £10.00 rather than the actual price of each item.

The items affected where predominantly Chanel items, however some other brand items where also affected. I'm sure if you have some basic knowledge regarding Chanel items, you will know that the value is far more than what you ordered them for. Because of this system error. All orders placed within this period have been cancelled and will not be fulfilled.

Please note that Timeless Vintage Limited reserves the right to cancel any order, at any time without any explanation should the item for sale be incorrect and we are not liable for fulfilling orders at the incorrect price.

I can understand this may be frustrating for you, as you would have liked to receive the items at the price you paid, however this will not be the case and you will not be receiving the items. 1 appreciate your cooperation in regards to this matter and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

If you have any further questions in the meantime, you can send me an email.

Rewritten email Subject: Re: customer inquiry

Hey {First name},
Thanks for reaching out. I took a look at your 3 orders and we have canceled and refunded them. Refunds typically show up within 3 business days.¹
From April 19-21, there was a technical issue that caused many products to be incorrectly listed at £10.00.²
We're really sorry about this, I know it's disappointing to not receive the products you were expecting.³
We do want to make our customers happy, just we're not a big company and it would be really hard for us financially to honor pricing errors. I hope you can understand.⁴ Just in case, you can see our order policy here, that explains more the legal side of our right to cancel orders if needed.⁵
I hope we'll be able to earn you back as a customer.⁶
Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to answer.⁷

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1. Confirm what you did. For refunds, since it can be worrying, mention how long they typically take to show up.
2. Briefly explain what happened in a neutral, factual way.
3. If your company made a mistake or there was a technical issue, apologize for it and acknowledge how your customer may feel or have been affected.
4. In this case of canceling orders over a pricing error, explain honestly why your company can't honor the incorrect price. Help your customers see your side so they understand.
5. Refer to your policy that supports your right to take this action. No need to quote its legal language, your customer can read it if they're interested. This quick mention is just to reinforce what you can or cannot do.
6. The phrasing "earn back" shows you're willing to work to keep them as a customer.

7. Show you're ready to help if they have other questions.

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What tone should we use to reply to customer complaints?

We recommend avoiding corporate phrases such as:

· We apologize for the inconvenience
· We remain at your disposal
· We apologize sincerely

You can opt for a conversational tone such as:

· We're sorry this happened
· We're here for you
· We're really sorry about this

They sound friendlier and more natural so people feel they're interacting with another human being, not a faceless company feeding them corporate lines.

What should we do if someone leaves a negative review with incorrect or exaggerated details?

Depending on what they said, you can:

· Acknowledge their negative feelings if they expressed any. Validating people's feelings goes a long way to show them they're being heard. This doesn't mean you agree with their account of what happened.
· Describe what happened in a neutral, friendly tone.
· Depending on whether their situation was resolved or not, encourage them to reach out to support for more help.

How honest should we be in our reply to a negative customer experience?

We recommend:

· Being honest about the reasons behind what happened, without sharing any legally sensitive information.
· Taking responsibility if your company made any mistakes.
· Explaining the steps you will take to resolve the issue or prevent it from happening again.

Yes it can be scary to share bad news or admit your company made a mistake. But besides following a high ethical standard, customers have access to a lot of information these days and stories spread fast on social media. Any excuses or half-truths will usually be exposed and your company could end up looking worse than if you just owned up to it in the first place and took control of the narrative.

Last updated: May 19, 2024