In this article:
Can a check-in be deleted or removed from my page?
Responding to Negative Reviews
Responding to Inaccurate Check-ins
How Should I Respond to a Positive Review?
Responding to check-ins as either your brewery or your Verified Venue account is a great way to learn from and strengthen relationships with your most vocal customers. Comments are public, so they’re an opportunity to showcase professionalism and care.
Golden Rules for Commenting
Before diving into specific scenarios, keep these core principles in mind. They apply whether you’re responding to a negative review, an inaccurate check-in, or a glowing compliment:
- Comments are always public. Anything you say reflects directly on your business.
- Be professional and respectful. Even when reviews feel unfair or inaccurate, stay polite and avoid harsh or accusatory language.
- Keep it concise. A short, thoughtful reply is more effective than a defensive or overly detailed one.
- Show empathy. Reviewers are real people with feelings, and your acknowledgement of their perspective can foster goodwill.
- Pause before posting. Consider how your response may be perceived by others, including potential customers.
By following these rules, you’ll avoid most pitfalls and keep interactions constructive. Keep in mind, though, that not everyone is going to like every beer. Untappd was created to help users keep track of the beers that THEY enjoy, regardless of whether your beer is a perfect example of the style, etc. However, there is still value in the feedback gained from these customers.
Can a check-in be deleted or removed from my page?
We only remove comments that clearly violate our Community Guidelines. These include, but are not restricted to: nudity, offensive drunkenness, obscenities, racist statements, and photos or check-ins that we deem to be spam.
Responding to Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can be discouraging, especially after you’ve invested time, effort, and care into your beers. For small business owners and independent brewers, the feedback may even feel personal. While that’s natural, remember that we generally will not take action on:
- Low beer ratings with no comment
- Low beer ratings with comments that do not justify the rating
- Low beer ratings when the user does not like the beer style
- Commentary that seems rude, vulgar, or condescending, but does not clearly violate our Community Guidelines
What should I say?
Often the simplest approach works best: thank the customer for their patronage and feedback. By posting a courteous, professional comment, you show that you care about your customers’ experiences. If you can highlight a specific improvement you’ve made as a result of the feedback, include that; it goes a long way toward building trust. Many breweries have found that this kind of reply can shift a negative encounter into a constructive one.
If your response is perceived as rude or insincere, it may lead to further annoyance and escalation. Remember that a dissatisfied customer can easily share your reply on social media, amplifying the impact. A poorly handled response can damage your reputation and even lead to boycotts.
Am I obligated to respond to my negative reviews?
No, not at all. Sometimes it’s best not to comment, especially if the reviewer seems volatile. Still, take time to reflect on the feedback; you may find legitimate concerns worth addressing.
What if I think a negative review isn’t accurate or true?
If you believe a review is misleading, explain your perspective politely and directly. Avoid going on the attack, as potential customers may see your response. A measured, thoughtful reply protects your reputation better than silence or defensiveness.
Responding to Inaccurate Check-ins
Sometimes things go wrong and a check in on the app may be incorrect. Here are some guidelines to help navigate some of the different scenarios.
- User checked into the wrong beer/beer belongs to another brewery
- If a user has checked into the wrong beer we may be able to take steps if the error can be reasonably confirmed by:
- The user’s check-in photo
- Comments/other details of the check-in
- What you can do:
- Politely comment on the check-in.
- Report the check-in.
- Open Untappd on the web and collect the URLs of suspected incorrect check-ins.
- Email them to us at support@untappd.com, along with a link to the beer you suspect is the correct one to be checked in.
- If we are able to determine an error has taken place, we will move the check-in to the correct beer.
- Example response: “Hi there! We appreciate your check-in, but we think this might have been logged under the wrong brewery. Just wanted to flag it for you to double-check. Thanks for your support!”
- If a user has checked into the wrong beer we may be able to take steps if the error can be reasonably confirmed by:
- Beer is not available at the venue it was checked into
- If a beer is checked in at a venue that does not or did not have that item available, this is a user error.
- We are unable to move check-ins between venues. If you feel a user has checked a beer into your venue in error, please communicate this to the user by commenting on the check in.
- Example response: “Thanks for checking in! Just to let you know, this beer wasn’t available at [your venue/brewery name]. Wanted to point it out so you can edit your check-in if needed.”
- If a beer is checked in at a venue that does not or did not have that item available, this is a user error.
- Beer is out of production or no longer commercially available
- If a user checks in a beer that is out of production or no longer commercially available, there may be extenuating circumstances. They may have saved items purchased to go, or are correcting an oversight by retroactively checking in something they previously enjoyed.
- If you do not believe that either of these is the case, please communicate this to the user by commenting on the check in.
- If you are a brewery, you can take action via your brewery account by ensuring the item is marked as “Out of Production” as well as taking the additional step of hiding it from your active beer list.
- Example response: “Hi, glad to see you enjoyed this one! Just a heads up that this beer is retired and no longer in production. Always fun when an old favorite pops back up, though!”
- If a user checks in a beer that is out of production or no longer commercially available, there may be extenuating circumstances. They may have saved items purchased to go, or are correcting an oversight by retroactively checking in something they previously enjoyed.
You should never be harsh or accusatory in a response; for instance, “This beer has never been served here. You need to fix your check-in,” or, “You checked into the wrong beer. Stop posting inaccurate information on our page.” Many times when a business responds respectfully and politely to a negative review, it can encourage the reviewer to see the people behind the business rather than just the product or service. In some cases, this leads reviewers to share more detail about their experience, and even update their check-in to reflect the exchange more positively.
How Should I Respond to a Positive Review?
Positive reviews may feel easy, but thoughtful replies matter here too. Avoid using comments to promote mailing lists or ask for personal information as this can feel intrusive.
Instead, focus on authenticity. A short, personalized acknowledgment is better than a copy-pasted message. Even a brief note, or simply clicking the Toast button, shows appreciation and builds stronger connections with your customers.