I’ll take my criticism raw, with a side of lawsuit please.
Apartment Therapy, one of my favorite blogs, posted something today that would prove scary for any blog/small business:
After over three years of reviewing stores and soliciting your comments
with great happiness all around, we’ve been hit with a rash of lawsuits
from stores that can’t deal with being publicly reviewed by us.
Now, I could sit here an wax poetic about the problems with our legal system and ask why we live in a society where companies are free to bully the little guy in hopes of scaring them with lawyer fees. But I won’t. We all know that in a post "I got paid for spilling hot McDonalds coffee on myself" world, lawsuits are just a way of life. What I absolutely can’t understand though, is how companies could see this as anything other than an opportunity.
Your company has just been publicly berated for…something…a lack of service, treating a customer poorly, whatever. Now, obviously your first inclination is to go after the person speaking out against them. Spend a grand or two, search out their real names, and slap them with cease and desist letters that probably cost $100/word from your corporate attorneys.
OR
You call up these customers who are complaining - after all, you’ve just spent the time and possibly money to figure out their real names and addresses - and ask them for their help. "Hey, we noticed that you had a bad experience. Will you spend a little while on the phone helping us understand what we can do better?" Or better yet, send someone to meet them at the store and go through their experience with them step by step.
Think about it…. You’ll save money on lawyer fees. You’ll learn how to better your store in the eyes of your customer. That customer will probably go back to all the people they complained to and tell them about their new and improved experience. More people will shop at your new and improved store. Velvet curtains will open. Champagne will rain from the heavens. Your brand will be lauded from here to eternity.
In fact, this is from the same post on AT:
One moving company
not only apologized to a reader for a bad move, they let everyone know
what the reasons for it were and promised that they would be working
harder in the future. This turned things right around and - with their
comment and hard work - subsequent comments were incredibly positive.
This isn’t rocket science. This is simple brand management. If you were a customer who had a bad experience - and yes, it happens to the best of companies - how would you like to be treated? Lawsuit? No, I didn’t think so.
Technorati Tags: beyond madison avenue, apartment therapy, branding, brand management, lawsuits
Filed under: Uncategorized
There is a third option. You could do both.
Hey, these people definitely need a law suit. Think it’s a hoax but some people are buying it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ailocf7Ia3Y
Jack.
Some people in those companies seem to be acting with their pride and not with their mind. Or maybe they think they can get away with a lawsuit. I greatly admire the moving company that you gave as an example. Not only did they admit their mistakes, they actually tried to correct themselves and contacted the client. I would rather keep supporting this company than a company who throws a lawsuit at those who are unsatisfied with their service.
Great comments. Companies always suggest that they welcome customer feedback, but as soon as it is negative, they don’t know how to handle it. I had a great experience recently with a company called the Maid Brigade. They didn’t do a great job on my house, I let them know about it and they instantly took care of it. They did not try to defend themselves or say that I was wrong. They apologized and sent me a $150 gift certificate. Now I’m not left with a bad taste in my mouth. And I would give them another shot.
This is just smart PR for the company.
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