How to reply to an angry customer email, with templates

Reply to the problem, not the tone. One line that names what they're upset about, then the facts you checked and what you will do by when; no grovelling, no arguing, and no matching their capitals.

Below are five replies for the angry emails a small store actually gets, the lines that make things worse, and the signals that mean the email should go to someone else. Words in double braces, like {{order_number}}, are blanks: fill each one from the order, never from memory.

Before you write: three checks

An angry email pushes you to answer fast. Take two minutes first.

1. Find the real complaint. Under the shouting there is usually one concrete thing: a late parcel, a refund that hasn't arrived, a reply that never came. Write it down in one sentence. That sentence is what your reply answers.
2. Check the order. Status, tracking, refunds, earlier emails. If an earlier reply got a fact wrong, that may be what they're really angry about.
3. Check whether it has already escalated. Has the customer opened a chargeback, posted a review, or mentioned a lawyer? Each changes what you can say (see the table at the end).

Template 1: they're angry, and they're right

The worst thing to do here is defend yourself. Agree, fix it, and say when.

Hi {{first_name}},

You're right to be frustrated. Your order {{order_number}} {{what_went_wrong}}, and you shouldn't have had to chase us for it.

Here's what I've done: {{fix_done_or_arranged}}. {{when_they_will_see_it}}

I'll check on it myself on {{follow_up_date}} and write to you then.

{{your_name}}

One apology is enough. "You're right" does more work than three sorries.

Template 2: they're angry, and your policy says no

They want something your store doesn't offer: a refund after the return window, free express shipping, a discount on a past order. Hold the line kindly and offer what you can.

Hi {{first_name}},

I understand why you're annoyed, and I've looked at this properly rather than send you a stock answer.

{{the_answer_in_one_sentence}}. Our {{policy_name}} says {{policy_wording}}, and I can't make an exception to it.

What I can do is {{what_you_can_offer}}. If you'd like that, just reply and I'll set it up.

{{your_name}}

Quote the policy from your store's published page, not from memory. If the customer is in the EU or UK, check first that the law doesn't give them the right you're about to refuse: see the EU right of withdrawal and UK refund rules for online orders.

Template 3: they threaten a bad review

Treat the problem exactly as you would for anyone else, and leave the review out of your reply.

Hi {{first_name}},

I'm sorry about {{the_problem}} with order {{order_number}}. Let me sort it out.

{{fix_offered}}. {{when_it_happens}}

{{your_name}}

What you must not do, if you sell in the US: the FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR 465.7) makes it a violation to use "an unfounded or groundless legal threat, a physical threat, intimidation, or a public false accusation" in response to a review (the accusation part covers ones made knowing they're false, or with reckless disregard for whether they are), in an attempt to stop the review being written or to get it removed. The FTC's own Q&A on the rule says that contacting customers who post negative reviews to resolve their issues is not prohibited, but that offering incentives to take down negative reviews "could be an unfair practice in violation of the FTC Act". So keep the review out of the deal, in both directions: no threats, and no fix that depends on what they post. Fix the problem; the review is up to them. Replying to a review once it's up is covered in negative review response templates.

Template 4: they threaten a chargeback, or have filed one

If they haven't filed yet, the fastest way to avoid a chargeback is usually to fix the problem. If they have, the rules change. Shopify's help pages say:

• Once a chargeback has started, you can't refund that order's payment through Shopify; the bank has already taken the funds.
• If it's only an inquiry, no money has been taken yet. If you think the inquiry is justified, you can issue a full refund, and after a full refund the cardholder can't open a chargeback. A partial refund still leaves a full chargeback possible.
• If the customer agrees the dispute isn't needed, they must contact their bank to cancel it, and you should get a withdrawal letter from them and submit it as evidence. Shopify says to submit evidence even when the customer says they've cancelled.

Hi {{first_name}},

I can see you've raised a dispute with your bank about order {{order_number}}. I'm sorry it came to that; I'd like to put it right.

{{what_you_can_offer}}. Because the dispute is already open, I can't refund through our store until your bank closes it. If you're happy with this, please ask your bank to cancel the dispute and send us the withdrawal letter they give you.

{{your_name}}

This template is for a chargeback, not an inquiry. Check the dispute in your Shopify admin before sending it: which of the two it is, and its deadline. Shopify says the deadline to submit evidence is typically 7 to 21 days after the chargeback is filed. More on this in the chargeback email to a customer.

Template 5: the email is abusive

Angry is "this is the third time I've asked". Abusive is insults, slurs or threats against a person. You don't have to answer abuse, but one calm email keeps the actual issue open.

Hi {{first_name}},

I want to help with order {{order_number}}, and I will: {{one_line_status}}.

I won't reply to messages that insult our team, so please keep it to the order and I'll keep working on it.

{{your_name}}

Then hand the thread to the owner. If a message contains a threat of violence, it's not a support email any more.

What never to write

Don't write	Why
"Calm down" or "There's no need to be rude"	It argues about their tone instead of fixing their problem.
"As I said in my last email..."	Even when true, it reads as "you didn't read". Restate the answer instead.
"Unfortunately there's nothing we can do"	There is almost always something: a date, a status, an alternative. Say what you can do.
A date or amount you haven't checked	If it slips, the next email will be angrier than this one.
Blame on a colleague, the courier or "the system"	The customer bought from your store; the fix is yours.
"We'll refund you if you remove your review"	See Template 3: the FTC says paying to take down negative reviews could violate the FTC Act.
A legal threat of your own	Under 16 CFR 465.7, an unfounded legal threat aimed at a review is prohibited. If you think you have a real legal issue, that's for the owner and a lawyer, not a support reply.
Sarcasm, or anything you wouldn't want screenshotted	Support emails can be forwarded and posted.

When to escalate

Escalate when the email needs a decision the person answering can't make, or when it carries a risk.

Signal	What to do
A chargeback or inquiry is open	Owner checks the dispute and its deadline in the Shopify admin before anyone promises a refund.
The customer mentions a lawyer, court or a regulator	Stop arguing the point by email; the owner decides the reply.
The fix needs an exception to policy	Ask whoever can approve it, then reply. Don't promise it first.
The message is abusive or threatening	Send Template 5 once, then hand over.
It's the third email on the same problem	Someone more senior should own the thread until it's closed.
The complaint is about a product being unsafe	Owner deals with it the same day.

Before you pass it on, write down what you've checked and promised where the next person will see it, such as a comment on the order's Timeline in Shopify.

When AI drafts the reply to an angry customer

An angry email is where a drafting tool is tempted to promise too much: a refund to make the anger stop, or a delivery date that sounds reassuring. Corresso drafts each reply from documents your store approved, and rules written in code hold any draft that promises a refund or replacement without citing a document allowed to offer one, and any draft with an order number, tracking number or date the AI wrote itself. The rules run again on the final text after a person edits it. Nothing goes out until a person reads the draft and presses Send. How Corresso drafts replies.