Can you ask a customer to change or remove a bad review after you fix the problem?

Ascent Vision · Published October 25, 2026

Carefully, yes. Once the problem is fixed, a business can tell the customer and say the review is theirs to update. The FTC says its review rule does not prohibit simply asking satisfied customers to update reviews, but Google bans incentives for revising or removing a negative review, and the FTC says offering one could be unfair. Only the customer can edit or delete it. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

Fix first, then tell them, and let them decide

Once the problem is put right, it is reasonable to tell the customer what was done and that the review is theirs to update if they feel it no longer fits. As general advice, say it once, by the same route they used to reach you, and say it whatever they said about the fix, so the request is about the facts and not about a better rating. If they decline or do not reply, leave it there.

Where the FTC and Google draw the line

The FTC's questions-and-answers page on its consumer reviews rule says the rule does not prohibit "simply asking satisfied customers to update their reviews". It says the rule does not bar offering incentives to take down negative reviews, but that doing so "could be an unfair practice in violation of the FTC Act". It also describes its staff guidance as not definitive or comprehensive, with no safe harbor from liability.

Google's content policy, which governs reviews on Google, is stricter: it bans any incentive for a "revision or removal of a negative review", as the related answer on giving customers a discount for a review covers. It also says merchants should not selectively solicit positive reviews from customers. As general advice, that means telling the customer the problem is fixed, not asking for a particular star rating. This is a plain summary, not legal advice.

How a customer edits or deletes a review

Only the customer can change it. Google's Maps help says you cannot directly delete someone else's review. To edit or delete their own on a computer, a customer opens Google Maps, chooses Menu, then Your contributions, then Reviews, selects More next to the review and picks Edit review or Delete review. Google adds that an edited review shows the date of the last edit as its post date.

What to say, and when to stop

A short message is enough: say what was done, say you value the feedback, and say the review is theirs to update if they feel it is right. Keep any refund, discount or future job out of that message.

If someone threatens a bad review unless you pay, that is a different situation; the related answer on what to do about review extortion covers it. If the review stays, a calm public reply is the next step, as the related answer on responding to a negative Google review describes.

Sources

SEO for service businesses

Get found on Google by the people already looking for what you sell, in the places you serve, and see which searches turned into inquiries.

See the service Work with us