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Consumer complaints lurking under your bed
It seems that many companies in operation today seem to be holding on to the business models of yesterday. Those days when consumers had no possible recourse for a company's misdeed beyond a complaint to low level management in store have long since passed. Companies now seem to be either trying to roll with the punches and harness the various outlets that consumers have or they sit indifferent to the plight of one and end up being mocked by the voices of many.
Companies that have tried to quell the unending tide of consumer languish have probably realized that it isn't possible. Someone will always have a complaint and there are a reasonable bit of companies that try hard to make sure those complaints on Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Digg, and others don't blow up in their face.
But what about the companies that simply pass the buck, ignore the problem altogether, or make it right after it has blown up?
Consumerist has been exposing these rampant problems for years. Some of their recent posts inspired this little write-up. See below for some examples.
United Airlines baggage handlers threw a man's $3500 Taylor guitar around the tarmac in front of the man and other passengers aboard the plane. He complained at various levels over the course of a year. Those complaints fell on deaf ears so he wrote a song and made a music video for the world to see. With 137,986 views as of the time I watched it again and a feature on Consumerist.com, I'm imagining that a $3,500 Taylor guitar replacement and an apology would have been worth a few minutes of United's time a year ago.
This particular incident had a resolution, but well after a gentleman was ignored on several occasions by various levels of employees at a Toyota dealership. What was the complaint? The man had several incidents of change being stolen from his car and his stuff rifled through. He decided to go back and place a clearly visible digital video camera in the passenger side door compartment. The result was several employees performing one or more of the following: looking at his pills and licking the leftover dust, stealing change, using racial slurs, and watching porn in the man's truck. Most of the videos were removed after the owner of the dealership fired the employees, but Consumerist still had two clips to show.
See the Consumerist post for further details
This one is old, but still serves as a relevant example. There are quite a few other examples if you search for "comcast sleeping" on YouTube. This little blunder resulted in 1.3 million views to date. There are many possible reasons for a service technician falling asleep and some may not be the company's fault, but few consumers consider the side argument so it is important to be proactive so it happens as little as possible.
These are few examples and the pool of complaints floating around the internet are innumerable. Companies need to be diligent to try to prevent or quickly resolve complaints. Consumers should be creative and get their problems solved so companies stay honest. We are all consumers and representatives of companies at different times of the day so a little consideration would do a world of good in the end.
Have a problem/or accused of a problem?
If you are a company I would suggest you read up on social networking/bookmarking trends and how to avoid problems. Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies, a book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff would be a great place to start.
Consumers looking to resolve a complaint should start with the standard hierarchy of available employees and move up as much as needed. Make sure to take copious notes and ask for most communications in writing. If that fails, try Consumerist's executive email carpet bomb (EECB) technique. If you've reached the EECB point, it may be good to file a complaint with the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). I know the last two options seem extreme, but they seem to primarily serve as a means of cataloging consumer complaints. I wouldn't put much stock in reaching a resolution through those two channels, but you'll provide a record of the complaint and enough of them may trigger action. Viral videos and internet stories are arguably much more powerful so do it if you must, but make sure it is worth pursuing.
For more info: email Nic at technic.amoroso@gmail.com
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