Social media is a powerful tool. It can be useful in spreading the word about a business that has done a stellar job at customer service. It also can be a damaging tool when used in haste and in anger. There are myriad outlets online for venting frustration with a company or a product. You can write scathing reviews. You can post information on your Facebook page and on Twitter.

Something happened recently to a friend of mine in Lakeland and she attempted to get the situation corrected by working directly with the business owner. After five days and an apparent lack of cooperation from the business owner to right the wrong, she weighed her options. Small claims court, where there was a 50-50 chance of winning. Or social media, where she felt she could at least warn others so they could avoid being a victim of an apparent scam. This is what she wrote:

Friends in Lakeland, please be careful if you ever do business with [COMPANY X]. The owner says that he sells Rolex watches, but BEWARE. All of the Rolex links on his website are no good and there is no documentation other than he has a Certified Rolex-trained technician that can help with service and repairs. He advertises all over town on billboards, bus benches and else where that he sells Rolex watches. We thought he would be legit, but we were mistaken and TAKEN by him. We purchased an upgraded Rolex face for my watch and it started to look dirty so I took it to a Rolex dealer to have it cleaned. Well, it’s not dirty, the paint is coming off. Paint????…You got it, he sold us an aftermarket face and it’s FAKE! I purchased it from [COMPANY X] for almost $700 and it’s FAKE!!! But the real kick in the teeth is that he is refusing to make good on it. Never mind he has my real Rolex face that he replaced the fake with. No wonder he can afford to advertise all over town, he’s ripping people off. My only legal recourse is to file in small claims court. The filing fees are $175 and an additional $40 to have him served. I find it hard to believe that he can get away with doing this to consumers. I’m really not extravagant, this was a 20th anniversary gift from my husband….a special purchase that had a lot of meaning and the owner knew it. Should have known better when he refused to give us the Rolex paperwork saying that he would file everything for us. His wife would fill in the serial number and do the paperwork as a courtesy to us for being his customers. What a scam artist. I wonder if he’s just started doing this recently or if he’s been scamming unsuspecting customers for awhile?

One factor worth mentioning is that she didn’t go straight to social media in a fit of anger. She tried to get the problem corrected. I would recommend that everyone put themselves through a bit of a cooling off period before posting something that potentially could damage a business. She is a small business owner herself, and didn’t want to ruin a business’s reputation. She just wanted to not be taken advantage of.

I’m using this as a public relations teaching moment for businesses. In my opinion, this is what a business that finds itself in this situation should do:

- Take action immediately when a customer comes to you with a complaint. Customers in this situation likely are angry and feel taken advantage of. You need to listen to them and allow them to vent. They need to feel as though their concerns have been heard and that you care about correcting the problem.

- If you’ve done something wrong, say so. Apologize. Make it right. In the situation above, perhaps it’s possible that this jeweler believed he had purchased authentic Rolex parts and unknowingly scammed the customer. If that was the case, voicing that possibility and vowing to investigate it might have helped calm the situation.

- If you find that a disgruntled customer has taken to social media instead of allowing you an opportunity to rectify the situation, reach out. Invite the customer to come in so you can try to correct the problem.

I’m a firm believer that just as you want to read positive comments about your business in social media, you NEED to read the (hopefully) occasional negative comment. If some aspect of your business is not as good as it should be, don’t you want to know that? Don’t you want an opportunity to address it and make it right?

I keep a note on my computer so I will read it often. It reads, “Be transparent. Be authentic. Be humble.”

Six words can pack a great deal of meaning. If you will be transparent, authentic and humble in your business dealings, I’m convinced you will achieve success.

Photo Credit: Gipiosio