HOW BEAUTY ESTABLISHMENTS COULD RESPOND TO FALSE COMMENTS, BAD REVIEWS AND ONLINE ATTACKS

Written by Dineo Sedibeng

Social media has transformed the way hairdressing, cosmetology, beauty and skincare establishments communicate with clients. A beautiful set of nails, a flawless colour transformation or a happy client can quickly attract new clients through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Google reviews. At the same time, one negative post can spread just as quickly.

For establishment owners and managers, the situation can be particularly difficult when the person posting the comment is not even a client.

Imagine waking up to a one-star review from someone who has never visited your establishment. Or discovering that an employee’s friend, family member or former partner has posted accusations online. Perhaps a third party claims that your establishment uses poor products, mistreats employees, damages clients’ hair or provides poor service, despite having no direct experience of the establishment.

The natural reaction is often: “That is a lie! Let me tell everyone the truth!”

Before responding, pause.

In the hairdressing, cosmetology, beauty and skincare industry, your online response is rarely read only by the person who made the complaint. It is read by your existing clients, potential clients and members of the public who are quietly deciding whether they can trust your establishment. A calm, professional response can protect your reputation. An emotional argument can sometimes create more damage than the original post.

Not Every Negative Comment Is the Same The first step is to identify what type of comment you are dealing with.

A genuine client complaint may involve dissatisfaction with a service. The client may honestly believe that the treatment was not worth the price, that their appointment took too long or that their hair, nails or treatment did not meet their expectations.

This is different from a person who has never been a client but posts:

“This establishment is terrible. They use cheap products and damage everyone’s hair.”

It is also different from a coordinated attack in which several people connected to one unhappy person suddenly post one-star reviews without ever receiving services from the establishment.

Do not automatically treat every negative review as a false statement. A client is entitled to have an opinion and to share their experience. The fact that an establishment disagrees with the client does not automatically mean that the review is unlawful or defamatory.

However, where a person publishes damaging allegations as facts, falsely claims to have been a client, repeatedly harasses the establishment or encourages others to attack it online, the matter may be more serious.

South African courts recognise that publications on social media can cause reputational harm. Whether a statement is defamatory or otherwise unlawful depends on the specific facts and context, including the meaning that an ordinary reasonable reader would attribute to the publication. South African courts may grant remedies for unlawful social-media publications in appropriate circumstances.

The Golden Rule: Never Fight in the Comments Section When you feel that your establishment has been unfairly attacked, the temptation is to respond emotionally:

“You are lying!”

“You have never even been to our establishment!”

“Stop spreading rubbish!”

“Everyone knows what you are doing!”

“We will expose you!”

This type of response may feel satisfying for a few minutes, but it can easily backfire.

Remember: your response is part of your brand.

A professional response should not be written to “win” the argument. It should be written for the hundreds or thousands of people who may see the exchange.

Take a moment. Check the facts. Discuss the matter with the relevant staff member. Review your booking records, treatment forms, invoices, messages and CCTV, where lawfully applicable. Then respond calmly.

For example:

“Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We take feedback seriously. However, we are unable to locate a record of a service or appointment under your name. We would welcome the opportunity to investigate the matter, so please contact us privately with the date of the alleged service and your contact details.”

This response does three important things:

• It demonstrates professionalism.

• It avoids publicly calling the person a liar.

• It politely indicates that the establishment has no record of the alleged experience.

If the person refuses to engage privately and continues making allegations, do not get drawn into an endless public argument.

If the Comment Comes From a Third Party This is a common challenge for establishments.

A person may be angry because their friend had a disagreement with a stylist. A former employee may encourage friends to leave negative reviews. A family member of a client may become involved in a dispute. In some cases, people use social media as a weapon in a personal or employment conflict.

If the person posting appears not to have been a client, a suitable response may be:

“Thank you for your comment. We are committed to addressing genuine concerns from our clients. As we are unable to identify a record of a service or appointment under your name, we cannot discuss or investigate the matter publicly. Please contact management directly if you have specific information relating to an actual service received.”

Keep the response short.

You do not need to publish your side of every disagreement. You also should not reveal private information about an employee, former employee or client in order to defend the establishment.

For example, avoid saying:

“This is an employee’s boyfriend and he is lying because she was dismissed for misconduct.”

Even if you believe this explains the situation, publicly sharing employment information can create additional risks. Your best approach is to remain focused on the establishment and the facts relevant to the review.

Do Not Accidentally Breach Your Client’s Privacy Establishment owners often have detailed evidence that they want to publish to prove that a client is wrong. This might include WhatsApp conversations, consultation forms, before-and-after photographs, booking information or messages.

Be careful.

Do not assume that, because a client complained publicly, you can publish their personal information in response. Consultation forms, WhatsApp conversations, before-and-after photographs, booking information and messages may contain personal information.

An establishment should consider privacy, confidentiality and data-protection obligations before publicly sharing client information. The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 regulates the processing of personal information and should be considered when establishments deal with client information. Processing personal information can include collecting, recording, sharing, distributing or making information available to others.

A safer approach is to say:

“For privacy reasons, we cannot discuss individual client details publicly. We would be happy to address this matter directly with you.”

Sometimes the strongest response is knowing what not to publish.

Know the Difference Between an Opinion and a False Allegation A statement such as:

“I did not like my haircut.”

is generally an expression of opinion or personal experience.

A statement such as:

“This establishment steals money from clients.”

is a serious factual allegation.

The second statement can cause much greater reputational damage.

The key is not simply whether the comment is negative. The question is what an ordinary reasonable reader would understand the statement to mean in its context, whether it is presented as opinion or fact, whether it has a proper factual basis and whether it is likely to harm the reputation of the person or establishment concerned.

Under South African law, defamation and related remedies depend on the specific facts and context. South African defamation law seeks to balance the protection of reputation with freedom of expression. Recognised defenses may include truth published for the public benefit and fair comment, where the requirements of those defenses are met.

In other words, do not threaten legal action every time someone says something negative about your establishment. First establish what was actually said, whether it is opinion or a factual allegation, who published it, how widely it was shared and what evidence is available.

Document Everything Before Responding Before reporting a review, hiding a comment on your own page or responding publicly, keep evidence.

Take screenshots showing:

• The full post or review.

• The username or profile.

• The date and time.

• Any replies or comments.

• The rating given.

• Whether the person has identified themselves as a client.

• Any messages showing a possible connection to an employee, former employee or client dispute.

• Establishment records that may assist in identifying an appointment, service or interaction connected to the person posting.

Do not rely only on your memory. Social-media posts can be edited or deleted.

Create a simple incident record containing:

• Date.

• Platform.

• Person posting.

• Summary of allegation.

• Evidence available.

• Whether available records identify the person as a client.

• Action taken.

• Person responsible for responding.

This is particularly important if the situation becomes repetitive or more serious.

Report Fake Reviews and Policy Violations Most major platforms have mechanisms for reporting reviews, impersonation, harassment or other content that violates their rules. If a review appears to have been posted by someone who did not receive a service from the establishment, report it through the platform rather than trying to resolve everything publicly.

However, avoid assuming that the platform will immediately remove the content simply because the establishment says it is false. Platforms generally apply their own policies and procedures.

Your role is to provide accurate information and evidence.

Do not encourage staff, friends or family members to retaliate by posting fake positive reviews or attacking the reviewer. This can create a larger reputational problem and may make the establishment appear dishonest.

One fake review should not be answered with five fake five-star reviews.

Instead, encourage genuine satisfied clients to share honest feedback over time. An establishment with a strong history of authentic reviews is generally better positioned to withstand an occasional unfair comment.

When Should an Establishment Consider Escalating the Matter? Not every online dispute needs an attorney. However, escalation should be considered when there is:

• Repeated harassment or threats.

• Serious allegations of criminal conduct.

• False claims that the establishment is unsafe or operating unlawfully.

• A coordinated campaign encouraging people to attack the establishment.

• Repeated fake reviews from apparent non-clients.

• Impersonation of the establishment.

• Publication of confidential or personal information.

• Significant financial or reputational damage.

The Protection from Harassment Act 17 of 2011 provides for protection-order remedies in appropriate circumstances. The Act may be relevant where unwanted conduct, including conduct through electronic communications, amounts to harassment. Not every negative review or online disagreement will amount to harassment.

South African courts have demonstrated that, in appropriate circumstances, relief may be granted in relation to unlawful social-media publications. In Mbalula v Mda [2025] ZAGPPHC 878, the High Court ordered the removal of specified social-media statements. Each matter turns on its own facts.

Establishments should obtain appropriate legal advice before threatening court action or making legal accusations of their own.

The Consumer Protection Act Also Matters The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 prohibits suppliers from engaging in false, misleading or deceptive representations. For beauty establishments, this makes accurate marketing and careful expectation management especially important.

Make sure your establishment’s social-media marketing is accurate. Do not overpromise results. Be clear about pricing, deposits, cancellation policies, treatment limitations and expected outcomes.

For example, if a client requests a dramatic colour transformation but the consultation shows that the desired result cannot safely be achieved in one appointment, record the discussion. Managing expectations before the treatment can prevent a social-media complaint afterwards.

Good records are not just administration. They are reputation protection.

Create a Social-Media Response Policy Every establishment should decide in advance who is authorised to respond to online complaints.

Staff should not individually respond to reviews from their personal accounts. A receptionist should not argue with a client at midnight. A therapist should not defend themselves in the comments section while emotionally upset.

Your policy should include:

• Who monitors reviews.

• Who is authorised to respond.

• Expected response times.

• When matters must be escalated to management.

• When a complaint should move to a private conversation.

• How evidence must be saved.

• When a matter should be referred for legal or professional advice.

A simple rule can prevent significant damage:

Respond with facts. Respond with respect. Do not respond in anger.

AI Can Assist, but Management Must Remain Responsible AI-powered customer-engagement tools can help establishments organise messages, identify urgent complaints and create more consistent responses across different platforms.

However, AI should not automatically send responses to serious allegations.

A responsible person should review complaints involving allegations of discrimination, injury, harassment, criminal conduct, threats, refunds, staff disputes or possible legal action.

AI can help you draft a response, but it should not replace your judgment.

Conclusion In the hairdressing, cosmetology, beauty and skincare industry, your reputation is one of your most valuable assets. Social media gives clients a powerful voice, but it also gives your establishment an opportunity to demonstrate professionalism in public.

You cannot control everything people say about you.

You can control your response.

When faced with an unfair comment, do not panic. Do not insult. Do not expose private information. Do not type while angry.

Instead:

• Pause.

• Verify the facts.

• Save the evidence.

• Respond professionally.

• Move genuine complaints offline.

• Report policy violations.

• Escalate serious matters when necessary.

Sometimes the person posting wants an argument.

Do not give them one.

Let your professionalism speak louder than the comment.

A calm response does not mean that you are admitting guilt. It means that you understand that your reputation is too valuable to place in the hands of an online argument.