An Unhappy Customer Just DM'd You — What to Say First
When to send this
The moment it arrives, as fast as you can. A complaint in a DM that isn't handled promptly usually goes public next — and it costs ten times as much to deal with there.
The reply (copy it)
Unhappy customer — first reply
I'm really sorry — that's not the experience you should have had.
Can you send me [the order number / what happened]? I'm looking at it now and I'll come back to you today with a fix.
The most common mistake
Explaining in the first reply. Even when you're entirely in the right, explaining reads as defending. The first message does three things only: acknowledge the feeling, say you're on it, ask for specifics. Save the explanation for the second message, once the heat has dropped.
When the situation is different
If they're very worked up, don't trade messages. Say "can I call you? I'd rather explain properly." Tone gets misread in text, and something solvable in one call can drag on for three days and escalate over DM.
After you send it
Report back once it's fixed. Most businesses go silent after resolving something — and that "here's what we changed" message is often the exact step that turns a complainer into a regular.
Replies for other situations
This is one of 12 common customer message situations. The full set (with a picker) is here:
See all 12 customer message replies →
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