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It's interesting (and perhaps sad) how these days having a blog in which to complain, if needed, is one of the most foolproof ways to receive proper customer ca

It's interesting (and perhaps sad) how these days having a blog in which to complain, if needed, is one of the most foolproof ways to receive proper customer care from certain online companies.

tylermac1 13y ago
The best customer service I've ever gotten was as a direct result of complaining on Twitter. Most companies care tremendously about their public image but most have yet to get that care to their dedicated customer service lines.
owenwil 13y ago
Most of these companies are terrified of SEO probably. There's been a number of cases in the past where a customer's complaint would show up on the first page of results for a company on Google. Once or twice those blogs have even shown up before the official results for something that completely blew up. It could cost these companies a lot more once it's out in the open.
wpietri 13y ago
I think it's great. It's not like companies weren't shafting people before; we're just hearing about it more. For decades, companies with money had a big communications advantage. The web has re-leveled the playing field.
- a_bonobo 13y ago
  >The web has re-leveled the playing field. Can't say I agree - the original owner of @N has a huge potential reach since he's a writer for medium, and knows how to structure and write an article so that people root for him instead of Twitter. If @N would've belonged to some Chinese kid, that kid could have written on his unknown blog in Chinese and no-one would have cared. Edit: Mixed up nextweb.com/medium writers
  - timhaines 13y ago
    No, Naoki isn't a writer at thenextweb.com. The may have republished his own blog post from medium.
    - a_bonobo 13y ago
      You're right sorry, changed it
      - timhaines 13y ago
        Anyone can write at Medium. You can open an account there yourself.
  - tolmasky 13y ago
    It's more leveled than before, not (anywhere close to) fully leveled yet, but blogging is playing a positive role not negative (in my opinion).
  - baddox 13y ago
    Right, and before the rise of social media, the Chinese kid couldn't have drawn attention from a popular blog, and also wouldn't have been able to do anything else. The rise of social media obviously doesn't come close to solving anything, but it's strictly an improvement.
  - User8712 13y ago
    The blog is meaningless, you could be a nobody. If I buy a block of cheese tomorrow, and you can see a band-aid in the package, half embedded in the cheese, half hanging out, the internet will go wild. Toss a photo on Reddit with a cheesy headline, and it'll hit the frontpage, then get reposted all over the internet. Within a couple of days the company would issue an official statement, and I'd have copious amounts of free cheese. It would be a PR nightmare, and they'd be trying to track down the location, employee, and how their scanner for foreign material didn't pick it up. Meanwhile, without the internet, I'd call, never be able to reach anyone of importance, and they'd just apologize and mail me a 50% off coupon. The internet gives the individual a lot of power, and they can reach millions overnight thanks to social networks. It also forces the company to handle damage control ASAP, since their reputation drops a notch with every passing minute.
- bredren 13y ago
  It has, which is great for consumers in cases with these where there is merit. It also means it is easier for anyone to unjustly defame or disrupt the perception of an individual or organization. As per http://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/nsa-and-gchqs-dirty-tricking.html http://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/nsa-and-gchqs-dirty-trickin...
joezydeco 13y ago
You mean blog + viral traction. There are lots of blogs full of unanswered complaints.
__pThrow 13y ago
It's not foolproof. What's more foolproof is a big platform, huge megaphone, and lots of social amplification. Lots of blogger complaints, twitter campaigns have gone nowhere.
danielha 13y ago
I don't see how this is sad.
- AngrySkillzz 13y ago
  I think he means it's sad that @N wasn't able to resolve it through customer support channels at Twitter, GoDaddy, or PayPal.
pjc50 13y ago
Plenty of big online companies either try hard to be uncontactable (google!) or will simply have their first line support tell you that it's your own fault and nothing can be done.
mathattack 13y ago
It's always been this way. Being a squeaky wheel or someone in power has always been a way to get better service. (Or mortgage rates, or whatever) The web has empowered the squeaky wheels. You could say it's a shame that customer service is awful, but it's expensive to provide universally good service, so many companies opt to just deal with the fallout. Not everyone can be Tiffany's.

It's interesting (and perhaps sad) how these days having a blog in which to complain, if needed, is one of the most foolproof ways to receive proper customer care from certain online companies.

tylermac1 13y ago

The best customer service I've ever gotten was as a direct result of complaining on Twitter. Most companies care tremendously about their public image but most have yet to get that care to their dedicated customer service lines.

owenwil 13y ago

Most of these companies are terrified of SEO probably. There's been a number of cases in the past where a customer's complaint would show up on the first page of results for a company on Google. Once or twice those blogs have even shown up before the official results for something that completely blew up. It could cost these companies a lot more once it's out in the open.

wpietri 13y ago

I think it's great. It's not like companies weren't shafting people before; we're just hearing about it more. For decades, companies with money had a big communications advantage. The web has re-leveled the playing field.

a_bonobo 13y ago
>The web has re-leveled the playing field. Can't say I agree - the original owner of @N has a huge potential reach since he's a writer for medium, and knows how to structure and write an article so that people root for him instead of Twitter. If @N would've belonged to some Chinese kid, that kid could have written on his unknown blog in Chinese and no-one would have cared. Edit: Mixed up nextweb.com/medium writers
- timhaines 13y ago
  No, Naoki isn't a writer at thenextweb.com. The may have republished his own blog post from medium.
  - a_bonobo 13y ago
    You're right sorry, changed it
    - timhaines 13y ago
      Anyone can write at Medium. You can open an account there yourself.
- tolmasky 13y ago
  It's more leveled than before, not (anywhere close to) fully leveled yet, but blogging is playing a positive role not negative (in my opinion).
- baddox 13y ago
  Right, and before the rise of social media, the Chinese kid couldn't have drawn attention from a popular blog, and also wouldn't have been able to do anything else. The rise of social media obviously doesn't come close to solving anything, but it's strictly an improvement.
- User8712 13y ago
  The blog is meaningless, you could be a nobody. If I buy a block of cheese tomorrow, and you can see a band-aid in the package, half embedded in the cheese, half hanging out, the internet will go wild. Toss a photo on Reddit with a cheesy headline, and it'll hit the frontpage, then get reposted all over the internet. Within a couple of days the company would issue an official statement, and I'd have copious amounts of free cheese. It would be a PR nightmare, and they'd be trying to track down the location, employee, and how their scanner for foreign material didn't pick it up. Meanwhile, without the internet, I'd call, never be able to reach anyone of importance, and they'd just apologize and mail me a 50% off coupon. The internet gives the individual a lot of power, and they can reach millions overnight thanks to social networks. It also forces the company to handle damage control ASAP, since their reputation drops a notch with every passing minute.
bredren 13y ago
It has, which is great for consumers in cases with these where there is merit. It also means it is easier for anyone to unjustly defame or disrupt the perception of an individual or organization. As per http://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/nsa-and-gchqs-dirty-tricking.html http://boingboing.net/2014/02/25/nsa-and-gchqs-dirty-trickin...

joezydeco 13y ago

You mean blog + viral traction. There are lots of blogs full of unanswered complaints.

__pThrow 13y ago

It's not foolproof. What's more foolproof is a big platform, huge megaphone, and lots of social amplification. Lots of blogger complaints, twitter campaigns have gone nowhere.

danielha 13y ago

I don't see how this is sad.

AngrySkillzz 13y ago
I think he means it's sad that @N wasn't able to resolve it through customer support channels at Twitter, GoDaddy, or PayPal.

pjc50 13y ago

Plenty of big online companies either try hard to be uncontactable (google!) or will simply have their first line support tell you that it's your own fault and nothing can be done.

mathattack 13y ago

It's always been this way. Being a squeaky wheel or someone in power has always been a way to get better service. (Or mortgage rates, or whatever) The web has empowered the squeaky wheels. You could say it's a shame that customer service is awful, but it's expensive to provide universally good service, so many companies opt to just deal with the fallout. Not everyone can be Tiffany's.