Remeber that skit on Seinfeld? Anyone who would dare complain about the Soup Nazis' soup got no soup -- for a year!
It was very funny. It was really a farce about the business owner who would broach no criticism of any kind about the establishment. From reading this forum lately, it seems that we have surrogate Soup Nazis here who want to enforce a no-complaint policy with regard to Lakes Region businesses. I think trying to get people to shut up will back-fire on the businesses themselves and hurt all of us as consumers.
First, like anyone else I have to use my judgment about weeding out the personal vendettas from legitimate consumer complaints. It is not always easy to do. In the case of NASWA and the garbage in the water, it is pretty clear that this is not a disgruntled employee but a caring customer who wants the business to improve.
Second, consumers have a right, if not an obligation, to share their good and bad experiences with other customers and prospects. I like reading great reviews and I also appreciate it when someone tells me a place is horrible. They are performing a community service by sharing their thoughts. It is up to ME to understand that one comment is not the final verdict on anything. That's one reason why, the more comments here the merrier! Over time a pattern emerges and the consensus tends to be positive or negative. It helps me and other consumers make better decisions.
This feedback helps the business. If you own or have managed a business as I have, your mind and attention are going in fifty directions at once. Nothing like a pointed comment from a customer to get you to act on something that was avoiding your attention. I would rather know about a problem than lose business without knowing why.
"Back in the day," customer evaluations were shared at parties, on the golf course, at the beach. Thanks to Al Gore and the invention of the Internet, we now have great places like this forum and a larger community to express ourselves. Some people here don't seem to like that idea. While I would not want to only be treated to bad restaurant reviews, this forum is part of the larger community and a perfectly appropriate place to vent, praise, warn, and invite. It is the obligation of company management to seek out and solicit feedback, positive and negative. If I ran a retail business in the Lakes Region, on a routine basis I would be searching this forum for my business name to find out what people are saying, perhaps respond, and certainly correct any problems.
While it would be neighborly for a customer who is loyal to a business to speak directly to management, it is not their obligation to do so. Some of the comments here make it sound like we as customers have that duty. We do not. It is management's job to manage. That includes getting customer feedback. It seems to me, when all is said and done, NASWA is not managing their business.
Now that I am done, if I am still allowed to have soup, I'll go with the corn chowder.
Thanks!
