The social media 'threat'

It would be unusual for any large company not to have a website with links to social media like Facebook or Twitter. I mentioned in a previous blog about a 'service' called Yelp where people can give unsolicited reviews of restaurants. Some are good and some are bad. The problem with some is they go directly online, often without giving the company being reviewed a chance to make good on a complaint.
I believe, If the food wasn't right or service took longer than expected, the complainer should see management first for a resolution and not run to Yelp. I recall a viral video of a woman caught on security video negatively 'Yelping' while in a take-out restaurant because her order wasn't right.

Oh, and be real... don't eat 85% of your meal before complaining to see the manager!

Before the internet, people often relied on The Better Business Bureau to check if a company had complaints against them. Much slower than social media BBB typically stored real complaints and not vindictive reports for someone who didn't get any napkins in their bag when they left the drive-thru at Jimmy's friend chicken.

In my business, there is Angie's List, a service for negative reporting of contractors. I recall one customer who had purchased a new kitchen and bath from us. If she didn't like something (including wrong choices on her part) we were back to replace whatever it was to avoid her threats on social media. Her business involved travel and she had specific dates when she would be out of town. If we were unable to complete a repair, it had to wait until she returned to continue our scope of work.

The woman selected glass tiles for her kitchen backsplash. The manufacturer specified 1/8" (3mm) gaps between grout. She didn't to see the grout lines and convinced the salesman and tile installer to place them for 1/16" (1.5mm) or less. One problem. Grout doesn't stick to glass tile and 1/16" is insufficient width for the grout to bond to the backing. It was a recipe for failure and we ended up crediting the client for the work.

We itemized many credits she requested and closed out the order. I wrote into the final invoice that she signed there would be no warrantee to any of the credited items. To my surprise, she gave us a bad report on Angie's List stating it took us months to finish the work. Considering all the credits, I was able to negotiate her to remove the complaint.

It's been 5 years and we have been back several times now. The latest complaint is the base on her island is opening at the seams. We're sure someone washed the tile floor and water soaked into the toe kick causing it to swell. The new base has a slightly different color (dye lot variance) and she's insisting we replace ALL the doors on the island to match the toe we replaced. No... I told the service department, no. Enough is enough. It was her neglect and if she wants new doors, it will be at her expense. I don't want to hear the threat of social media anymore!