# Prompt: writing the reply to a public complaint

> Three versions of the same reply, so you can choose with a cool head instead of writing with a hot one.

- Type: prompt
- Category: customers
- Labels: andie, crisis, support, prompts
- Author: Redação Swonkie, Equipa editorial
- Published: 2026-08-18
- Canonical: https://swonkie.com/en/hub/replying-to-a-public-complaint/

## Prompt

```
I will paste a negative public comment about the brand. Before writing anything, classify it: a
fair criticism, a misunderstanding, or provocation with no request in it.

Then write three possible replies:
1. Short, public, acknowledging and offering a concrete path
2. Short, public, correcting a wrong fact without sarcasm
3. No reply at all, with the reason why not replying is better

Rules: never "we're sorry you feel that way". No explanation longer than two sentences. Never
promise anything I have not confirmed is possible.

At the end, say which of the three you recommend and why.
```

---
The mistake that turns one comment into twenty is replying fast and in the same tone. This prompt
exists to put a gap between reading and writing, and to put silence on equal footing with the other
options.

The banned phrase is not an accident: **"we're sorry you feel that way"** moves the problem onto the
person complaining, and is read that way by everyone passing by.

## How to use it

Paste the comment and the facts you actually know. Without facts, reply 2 comes out invented, which
is the worst possible outcome.

## Before publishing the reply

Read it out loud. If it sounds defensive, it is not ready.