Complaint response messages

A complaint reply message to a customer is sent by the owner or a trained staff member within minutes of a complaint landing on WhatsApp: the food was late, cold, wrong, badly packed, overcharged, or the rider was rude. Every restaurant, cloud kitchen and tiffin service gets these, and the ones that keep customers are the ones that reply fast and specifically. The one thing that makes a complaint reply work is naming the exact problem in the first line, saying what you will do about it and by when, and leaving out the argument. "Sorry for the inconvenience" with no action is read as "we do not care".

Reply within 5 minutes during open hours, even if the first reply only says you are checking. Use the order ID and the customer's name. Offer one clear fix (replacement, refund or credit) with a time, and do it before asking for anything else. Keep each message under 300 characters; a long explanation reads as a defence. Never ask for a photo before apologising, and never argue in the chat; if the complaint is unfair, say what you can do and stop there. These are replies to the customer, so no opt-out line is needed. For staff training on tone, see handling order complaints on WhatsApp.

Hi [Name], this is [Staff Name] from [Restaurant]. I am sorry about the problem with order [Order ID]. I am checking with the kitchen and the rider right now and will come back to you within 10 minutes with what we are doing to fix it.

नमस्ते [Name], मैं [Restaurant] से [Staff Name] बोल रहा हूँ। Order [Order ID] में हुई परेशानी के लिए माफ़ी चाहता हूँ। मैं अभी kitchen और rider से पता कर रहा हूँ और 10 मिनट के अंदर बताता हूँ कि हम इसे कैसे ठीक कर रहे हैं।

Hi [Name], you are right, order [Order ID] was promised by [Time] and reached you at [Time]. That is on us. We have refunded the delivery charge of [Amount] to your original payment method; it should show within 2 working days. Thank you for telling us instead of just not ordering again.

नमस्ते [Name], आप सही हैं, order [Order ID] [Time] तक पहुँचना था और [Time] पर पहुँचा। ये हमारी गलती है। हमने delivery charge [Amount] आपके payment method में refund कर दिया है; 2 working days में दिख जाएगा। चुपचाप order बंद करने की जगह हमें बताने के लिए शुक्रिया।

Hi [Name], sorry that the [Item] in order [Order ID] arrived cold. That should not happen in a 30-minute delivery and we are checking the packing on that batch. We would like to send a fresh [Item] now, at no charge, in about 25 minutes. Reply YES for that, or REFUND if you would rather have [Amount] back.

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] में [Item] ठंडा पहुँचा, इसके लिए माफ़ी। 30 मिनट की delivery में ऐसा नहीं होना चाहिए, हम उस batch की packing check कर रहे हैं। हम अभी बिना किसी charge के fresh [Item] भेजना चाहते हैं, करीब 25 मिनट में। उसके लिए YES लिखें, या [Amount] वापस चाहिए तो REFUND लिखें।

Hi [Name], thank you for telling us the [Item] in order [Order ID] did not taste right. I have passed it to the chef with your exact words. We have added a credit of [Amount] to your number, which applies automatically on your next order. If you can tell us what was off, too salty, undercooked, anything, it helps us fix it tonight.

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] में [Item] का स्वाद ठीक नहीं लगा, ये बताने के लिए शुक्रिया। मैंने आपकी बात वैसे की वैसे chef तक पहुँचा दी है। आपके number पर [Amount] का credit जोड़ दिया है, जो अगले order पर अपने आप लग जाएगा। अगर बता सकें कि क्या गड़बड़ थी, ज़्यादा नमक, कच्चा, कुछ भी, तो हम आज रात ही ठीक कर लेंगे।

Hi [Name], I checked order [Order ID]. You were charged [Amount] and the correct amount was [Amount]; the difference of [Amount] came from [Reason]. We have refunded [Amount] to your payment method and it will show within 2 working days. Sorry for the mix-up. Here is the corrected bill: [Link].

नमस्ते [Name], मैंने order [Order ID] check किया। आपसे [Amount] लिया गया जबकि सही रकम [Amount] थी; [Amount] का फर्क [Reason] की वजह से आया। हमने [Amount] आपके payment method में refund कर दिया है, 2 working days में दिख जाएगा। गड़बड़ी के लिए माफ़ी। सही bill यहाँ है: [Link]।

Hi [Name], I am sorry about how the rider behaved on order [Order ID]. That is not how anyone from [Restaurant] should speak to a customer. I have spoken to him and he will not be assigned to your address again. Please accept [Amount] off your next order from us. Thank you for letting me know directly.

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] पर rider के बर्ताव के लिए माफ़ी चाहता हूँ। [Restaurant] से कोई भी customer से ऐसे बात नहीं कर सकता। मैंने उससे बात कर ली है और अब वो आपके address पर नहीं भेजा जाएगा। अगले order पर हमारी तरफ से [Amount] की छूट स्वीकार करें। सीधे मुझे बताने के लिए शुक्रिया।

Hi [Name], I am very sorry about what you found in order [Order ID]. I have refunded the full amount of [Amount] right away, and the kitchen has stopped that batch while we check every step. I would like to call you in the next 15 minutes to understand exactly what happened. Is this number fine to call?

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] में जो मिला उसके लिए मैं बहुत शर्मिंदा हूँ। मैंने पूरी रकम [Amount] तुरंत refund कर दी है, और जब तक हम हर step check नहीं कर लेते, kitchen ने वो batch रोक दिया है। मैं अगले 15 मिनट में आपको call करके ठीक से समझना चाहता हूँ कि क्या हुआ। क्या इसी number पर call कर सकता हूँ?

Hi [Name], the refund of [Amount] for order [Order ID] has been processed from our side, reference [Reference]. It usually shows in 2 to 5 working days depending on your bank. If it is not there by [Date], reply here with a screenshot of your statement and we will chase it. Sorry again for the trouble.

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] का [Amount] का refund हमारी तरफ से process हो गया है, reference [Reference]। Bank के हिसाब से आमतौर पर 2 से 5 working days में आ जाता है। अगर [Date] तक न आए, तो statement का screenshot यहीं भेजें, हम पता करेंगे। परेशानी के लिए एक बार फिर माफ़ी।

Hi [Name], a fresh [Item] for order [Order ID] has left the kitchen and will reach you by [Time], no charge. The rider will not ask for the earlier item back. We have also noted this on your profile so the kitchen double-checks your next order. Thank you for your patience.

नमस्ते [Name], order [Order ID] के लिए fresh [Item] kitchen से निकल चुका है और [Time] तक पहुँच जाएगा, कोई charge नहीं। Rider पहले वाली item वापस नहीं माँगेगा। हमने आपकी profile पर ये note भी कर लिया है ताकि kitchen आपका अगला order दोबारा check करे। आपके धैर्य के लिए शुक्रिया।

Hi [Name], [Staff Name] from [Restaurant] again. I wanted to check that yesterday's issue with order [Order ID] was sorted and the [refund or replacement] reached you. If anything is still pending, reply here and I will handle it myself. No need to reply if all is well.

नमस्ते [Name], [Restaurant] से फिर से [Staff Name]। बस ये पक्का करना था कि कल order [Order ID] वाली दिक्कत सुलझ गई और [refund or replacement] आप तक पहुँच गया। अगर कुछ अभी भी बाकी है, तो यहीं reply करें, मैं खुद देखूँगा। सब ठीक है तो reply की ज़रूरत नहीं।

Hi [Name], I checked order [Order ID] and the items match what was selected at checkout: [Item], [Variant]. So I cannot refund this one as an error on our side. What I can do is [Amount] off your next order, and I have noted your preference for [Variant] so it is suggested next time. I hope that is fair.

नमस्ते [Name], मैंने order [Order ID] check किया और items वही हैं जो checkout पर चुने गए थे: [Item], [Variant]। इसलिए इसे हमारी गलती मानकर refund नहीं कर पाऊँगा। जो कर सकता हूँ वो ये कि अगले order पर [Amount] की छूट, और मैंने आपकी [Variant] की पसंद note कर ली है ताकि अगली बार वही suggest हो। उम्मीद है ये ठीक लगेगा।

Tips for sending these on WhatsApp

• Speed first, wording second. A plain "I am checking, back in 10 minutes" sent in two minutes does more than a perfect reply sent in thirty.
• One fix, offered clearly, with a time. Replacement in 25 minutes or refund in 2 days; let the customer pick with a single word.
• Sign with a name. "This is Ravi from the kitchen" turns a complaint against a business into a conversation with a person.
• Write the refund policy once and follow it every time, so staff do not negotiate. Refund policy templates for food orders gives a starting point.
• Log the cause of each complaint against the order in your dashboard. After a month, the list tells you whether it is packing, a dish, a rider or a time slot. Reducing order errors covers what to do with that list. For wrong and missing items specifically, see the wrong order apology messages.

Frequently asked questions

How do I reply to a customer complaint on WhatsApp?

Acknowledge within five minutes using the customer's name and order ID, name the exact problem, apologise once, and state the fix and the time it will take. Offer replacement or refund as a one-word choice. Do not ask for proof before you apologise, do not explain how busy the kitchen was, and follow up the next day to confirm the fix landed.

Should I refund or replace when a customer complains?

Offer both and let the customer choose. Replacement works when the customer is still hungry and you can deliver within 30 minutes; refund works when it is late, far, or the trust is gone for the night. For small issues such as a missing condiment, a credit on the next order is enough. Whatever you pick, confirm it in writing with the amount and the timeline.

What if the complaint is not our fault?

Say what you checked, state the facts in one line without blaming the customer, and still offer something small such as a credit on the next order. The goal is to keep the customer, not to win the chat. If a customer repeatedly claims missing items on paid orders, note it on their profile and ask for a photo at the door on the next delivery.