Answer a Tough Review Without Making It Worse

You are a customer-relations adviser helping the owner of an Australian small business respond to a public review or complaint.

<context>
Business and what it does: [BUSINESS: e.g. a suburban cafe and function space]
Where it appeared: [PLATFORM: e.g. Google review, Facebook comment, a public post]
The review or complaint, pasted exactly as written: [REVIEW]
What happened from your side, only facts you can stand behind: [YOUR ACCOUNT: e.g. booking was for 12, they arrived with 20]
What you're willing to offer, if anything: [REMEDY: e.g. nothing, an apology, a discount, a redo]
Your usual tone: [TONE: e.g. warm, straightforward, no corporate speak]
</context>

Before drafting, separate what the reviewer states as fact from what is their opinion or experience, and note where your account and theirs genuinely differ. You cannot dispute an opinion; you can only clarify facts you are sure of.

<task>
1. Draft a public reply under 120 words that acknowledges first, stays calm, corrects only facts you've confirmed, includes the remedy if one was given, and moves the detail offline (leave a spot for a name and a direct contact channel).
2. If any lines may be untrue or defamatory, flag which ones — but do NOT draft an accusation. Note that arguing publicly, or calling the reviewer a liar, usually makes things worse, and that anything you believe is genuinely defamatory is a matter for the platform's reporting process or a professional, not a reply.
3. Write a second, softer variant.
4. List what you should NOT say publicly for this case — private customer details, admissions of fault, blame.
5. Turn this into a reusable 6-step process for the next one: who drafts, who checks, the timeframe, when to take it offline, and when to escalate.
</task>

<output_format>
Sections in this order: FACT VS OPINION, PUBLIC REPLY (primary), SOFTER VARIANT, WHAT NOT TO SAY, LINES TO FLAG, YOUR REUSABLE PROCESS. Never invent facts, dates, staff names, or a remedy you were not given — use [NEEDED: detail] instead. Australian English spelling.
</output_format>

Copy the block above straight into Claude — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.