Actually, it seemed to be more like this: D: Company A is awesome. B: Why not use our product? It's cheaper! [Spam] [Certainly, it could have ended here. But th

Actually, it seemed to be more like this: D: Company A is awesome. B: Why not use our product? It's cheaper! [Spam] [Certainly, it could have ended here. But they asked the question - why is it wrong to answer them why you don't use it? Perhaps they don't realize their public posts are alienating customers, and the feedback would be helpful. Perhaps she might want to give them another chance if they 'fess up and apologize (Perhaps not, she has no obligation to do so). At this point, she is not being mean at all (not that she is later, either). At this point, there is no argument to end. It's still just a conversation.] D: I did use your product. You inappropriately and publicly broadcast private information. [Answering the question they asked, honestly and without pulling punches - something advocated constantly by popular and applauded posts on HN, I might add.] B: Yeah? Well you didn't thank us for the free trial of a service we were trying to sell you. whine whine whine [Completely inappropriate and rude. This is the first sign of actual hostility, as opposed to honesty.] D: This is why I'm not using you [Again, answering their question. Rhetorical or not, they asked it.] You probably should not say that publicly. [Helpful and useful criticism. Again, something recommended by HN on a public basis.] Now, I'm not saying she wasn't pissed by the end. She probably was (I would be). But she never said anything rude or explicitly hostile. In addition, she didn't escalate it to public status. Twitter is a public forum, and they started accusing her of... not thanking them for their sales pitch? Her response on Twitter was entirely appropriate. As to the blog post, this is the exact same thing that something like Amazon reviews does - publicly states the quality (in this case, in regards to courtesy) of a company or product. She is the customer. This has no bearing on her relationship with her customers (which I will not comment on, having never experienced it). This only affects her relationship with someone trying to sell her something - and the onus of making the interaction positive is entirely on the salesman, who completely screwed up. She was never rude. Since she is not the seller in this situation, common courtesy (as you'd give a stranger you were talking to) is the only obligation she has, and she meets it.