by Paul Alan Levy
I often write in this space about baseless lawsuits brought by businesses to suppress criticism, although at the same time I have acknowledged that, sometimes, litigation may be a sound response to baseless attacks that are having a genuine untoward impact on reputation.
In this interesting blog post on a web site devoted to search engine issues, spurred by Dietz v. Perez, about which I have blogged here, Neg Norton thinks through some of the options that a business owner needs to consider in deciding how to respond to criticism on Yelp or a similar forum discussing the dangers as well as the benefits of bringing suit. He offers "five tips to consider when responding to negative online reviews, which
take into account lessons learned from Dietz’s approach."
Dietz's lawyer has been telling the media about the calls he is getting from prospective new clients who want to bring lawsuits, emulating Dietz; I wonder if he is giving them cautionary advice or just signing them up to litigate?
It’s interesting, the advice I give to companies consumers complain about is how easy it is to turn an online complaint into a shinning example of exceptional customer service. Yet, most companies just are not smart enough to do it. They appear to insist in taking an unfortunate situation and making it worse.
Here is my online guide, “How to Handle a Consumer Complaint Like a Pro And Come Out Smelling Like a Rose.”
http://getoutofdebt.org/32199/how-to-handle-a-consumer-complaint-like-a-pro-and-come-out-smelling-like-a-rose
Seriously, it’s not that hard to treat it as a golden opportunity and win more customers. In the online world, companies don’t get a bad reputation, they make one with their heavy handed treatment of unhappy consumers.