3 simple reasons why Bad Reviews can cost Pool Contractors 42% of clients
Hugo Cruz - Facebook Marketer, Video Producer, Ghostwriter
2/25/20254 min read
Hey There!
"It's just a dissatisfied person." "It's competition trying to badmouth us." "We have more than 100 five-star reviews."
It’s easy to dismiss a bad review, especially when you have an overwhelming number of positive ones. But the truth is, ONE bad review can cost you around 42% of potential clients (click here to check the stats) if you don’t handle it the right way. Here’s why:
1. Clients Watch Your Social Media
Before making a purchase, clients do their research—and in the pool construction industry, research is ALWAYS done. Pools are expensive, and poor-quality work leads to massive losses, so homeowners want to be absolutely sure they’re hiring the right contractor.
🔹 Buyers Check Your Reputation: Social media and Google Reviews are the first places they look. A single negative review (especially if recent) can plant doubts in their mind.
🔹 Reviews Are Public Forever: Unlike word-of-mouth complaints, bad online reviews never disappear unless addressed properly.
✅ How to Flip This to Your Advantage:
Highlight your best reviews on social media—pin them, repost them, and even make “client success stories” posts.
Keep your social media pages active, professional, and visually appealing so that a single bad review doesn’t define your image.
Share real-time project updates and happy client testimonials to drown out the occasional bad review.
2. Clients Decide Based on the Contents of the Review, Not Just the Rating
A one-star review that simply says "bad" is completely different from a detailed, three-paragraph review with names, photos, and an emotional story. People don’t just look at the rating—they read the details. And if it looks serious, they might choose another contractor.
❌ Bad Image for Your Business: A well-written negative review with evidence can scare potential clients away. But you can turn it into an opportunity:
✅ How to Respond & Fix the Issue:
Publicly acknowledge the mistake. Say, “We understand the experience was horrible, and we would feel the same if it happened to us. We take full responsibility and will contact you immediately to resolve this.” This allows people browsing social media to look at the professional response and know you are going to take care of them like that as well.
Fix the problem professionally. Offer a high-value, low-cost solution like free maintenance for a few months, a skimmer installation, or a discount on future services.
Ask them to update the review instead of deleting it. If they originally wrote, "PresentiAds Pool Builders ruined my backyard!" encourage them to change it to "PresentiAds made a mistake, but they went above and beyond to fix it."
A bad review that turns into a redemption story actually builds trust. Clients don’t expect perfection—they expect accountability and professionalism.
3. Your Own Processes and Systems Matter
A single bad review might be a one-time mistake. But constant one-star reviews? That’s a sign of deeper issues.
🔹 1-star reviews often mean:
Poor communication
Missed deadlines
Unfinished or low-quality work
✅ How to Prevent Future Bad Reviews:
Call past clients who left bad reviews and ask for detailed feedback.
Apologize and make it right. A personal touch (a phone call, an apology, not just an email) goes a long way.
Fix internal problems—if multiple clients complain about delays, improve your project management. If they mention rude staff, improve customer service training. If they mention poor craftmanship, make sure you are using good materials and your staff is properly trained to handle the job.
📌 Clients will appreciate that you took responsibility, and they might even refer you to others:
"The work was bad at first, but the owner personally stepped in, fixed everything, and didn’t charge us extra. They even gave us free pool maintenance for a month!"
Pro contractor bonus Tip: Address Even Fake Reviews
Not all bad reviews are real—some come from dishonest competitors or even random trolls. But ignoring them is a mistake.
✅ How to Handle Fake Reviews:
Respond publicly: "We’d love to resolve this issue! However, we can’t find your name or project in our records. Please contact us at (833) XXX-XXXX so we can help."
Potential clients will see your professional response and trust that you handle problems transparently, remember, a bad review is always an opportunity to grow.