---
name: one-star-review-sanity-check
description: Before you post a defensive reply to a 1-star Google review, run it past Claude to find the one line that would make it worse and a more graceful version.
when_to_use: When you've drafted a reply to a bad review and your finger is already over Post.
saves: not measured in minutes, measured in customers you don't lose
brand: Scrappy Start
brand_url: https://scrappystart.ai
license: CC0
version: 1
---

# One-star review sanity check

You wrote a polite reply to a one-star Google review. It's polite, but it's also defensive. Most owners have one or two lines in there that make things worse. This skill catches them before you hit post.

## The setup

1. Open Claude. Start a new conversation.
2. Have the original review and your draft reply on a clipboard.
3. Run the prompt below before you post anything public.

## The prompt

```
Below is a 1-star Google review I got, and the reply I drafted.
Before I post it, I want a sanity check.

Tell me:
1. The one line in my reply that could make things WORSE (defensive,
   passive-aggressive, sounds like an excuse)
2. A version of that line that's more graceful
3. Whether my reply opens with empathy or jumps to defense (it should
   open with empathy)
4. If the customer reads this, do they feel heard? Yes / No, plus why.

Original review:
[paste]

My draft reply:
[paste]
```

## What you'll get back

A short, blunt diagnosis. For a typical defensive draft:

> The worst line: "We always make sure to communicate clearly with every
> customer about our policies." Reads as "you must have not been listening."
> Most common defensive line in 1-star replies.
>
> A more graceful version: "I'm sorry the return policy wasn't clear when
> you came in. That's a gap on our side."
>
> Empathy or defense? 70% defense. The empathy is in sentence four. It
> should be in sentence one.
>
> Customer feel heard? Probably no. The complaint was feeling rushed at
> checkout. Your reply talks about return policy. Acknowledge the rush
> and they feel heard.

## Use it on every public reply

The skill costs about ninety seconds. The wrong reply costs you the next ten people who read it. Run it on responses to negative DMs, complaint emails, and any Google or Yelp reply before you click post.

## Where this came from

Workflow 5 in the free [5-workflows PDF](https://scrappystart.ai/5-workflows).

Jamie at Scrappy Start