My neighbor recently experienced a problem with their car. To fix this issue, they turned to a local mechanic. The details are hazy, but apparently this mechanic rendered poor service. How do I know? My neighbor decided to broadcast their bad experience via a sandwich board placed smack dab in their front yard, which sits on a main drag, exposed for all the local populous to see.
It’s been out there for well over a month.
I’m compelled to call this particular mechanic, who shall remain nameless, to see 1. Do they know about the sign? 2. What they think of the sign? 3. Has it affected business? 4. Do they plan to do anything about it?
After all, if it was my business being disparaged (with or without just cause), I would respond.
Whether the negative publicity is on a front yard or on a Web site, there are a number of businesses that would whole-heartedly disagree with my approach. Instead, they think it’s best to let bad reviews peter out, ignoring their existence, hoping they’ll just go away.
Think back to any problem you have encountered: a bees’ nest; an un-paid bill; laundry. How did you alleviate the problem? Probably not by ignoring it because bees’ nests don’t magically fly away, bill collectors won’t just stop asking for payment, and, unless you’re Mary Poppins, the laundry will stay dirty if left to its own devices.
The crux of the issue rests with the fact that when people feel they have been mistreated, duped, schemed, or tricked, they are far more likely to go on the defense; “I’ll show them!” is their battle-cry, and now, the Internet is their virtual megaphone. Those who receive excellent service, conversely, are less likely to spread the word; “Why praise someone for doing their job?” is the likely mentality. They’re out there, however, with thoughtful and compelling reasons why certain companies are fantastic organizations.
If a negative review is brewing inside, desperately seeking an audience, personal blog entries and additions to customer review sections are not the only viable recourses. Case in point: Complaints.com, a handy little site dedicated to consumers who have found less than stellar service; as their homepage says, “Have a valid complaint against a company, product or service? Post a complaint now and get Satisfaction!” Users may register, post their reviews, and track any resulting resolutions.
Of course, no one is immune from negative reviews. The following complaint is against, go figure, Complaints.com.
This site use to be great, easy to use, but since the format has been changed nothing works..I am unable to respond to comments or complaints..everytime I go to respond the box wont let me..half the time I can’t even access my profile and or none of the links work..I waste more time typing my comments only to have them completely ignored when I go to read what I have just spent 30 mins or less typing guess what..it’s not there!! At times I do get to read the complaints, but forget about making comments!!
Posted March 16, 2009 09:41:42
If there is any doubt as to how to best handle a bad review, look at what David Freedman of Complaints.com did with his response (posted less than five hours later).
Hi [USER],
I sincerely apologize for the issue. It seems that comments are in fact posting but they are delayed in getting posted. I would like to thank you very much for bring this to our attention. We are working on resolving this now. We only recently upgraded our website to serve our members better and this, unfortunately comes with new issues. Nothing is as smooth as you imagine.
Anyway, as you would appreciate, it is never our intention to frustrate our members so we will correct this as soon as possible. I will contact you via email to find out more about other issues you have found as we endeavor to produce a 1st class product helping members resolve their complaints.
Thank you for being patient as we iron out these issues.
Best regards and enjoy the rest of the day.
David Freedman
Managing Director Complaints.com
http://www.complaints.com/Content/page/id/8
Why was this good? Freedman addressed the issue, validated the complaint, and, while he didn’t fix everything, he laid out a plan as to how the issue would be eventually rectified. The person who posted the complaint never responded to David Freedman.
It was his response to the angry customer that made the angry customer go away.
The bottom line: Answer your audience. It’s common decency and proper customer service protocol to do so. Since word-of-mouth advertising is the most motivating, with the greatest potential to help a company, they conversely carry the greatest potential to hurt a company. This post does not seek to determine the validity of consumer complaints. Some are extreme, unbelievable, unreasonable, and unfounded, while others are absolutely legitimate. Most people have sense enough to determine which is which. You cannot stop people from talking smack about your business, but you can respond.
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/jweise/2579757712/in/photostream
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