The Bridge diner - Wolfeboro

[Biggd]

I have my own business also, auto repair. I find that social media allows people to be influenced more by their immediate mood than they would be in person. Many people, including me, would never say the things to someone's face that they write on a forum. But if you're attacked you tend to respond. Also some subjects just bring out the worst in all of us, like politics.
If I have a customer complaint I would much rather have them come back to me and allow me to make it right rather than just ripping me on social media.
It's much easier to walk away from confrontation in person than to walk away from it on your key board.
Twitter, IMO, is the worst social media site for this. Just nasty stuff that I don't think most people would ever say to someone's face.

[TCC]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I have my own business also, auto repair. I find that social media allows people to be influenced more by their immediate mood than they would be in person. Many people, including me, would never say the things to someone's face that they write on a forum. But if you're attacked you tend to respond. Also some subject just bring out the worst in all of us, like politics.
If I have a customer complaint I would much rather have them come back to me and allow me to make it right rather than just ripping me on social media.
It's much easier to walk away from confrontation in person than to walk away from it on your key board.
Twitter, IMO, is the worst social media site for this. Just nasty stuff that I don't think most people would ever say to someone's face.

Your attitude is refreshing, and when I have a concern with a business I'm more than happy to work with them to resolve the issue. I love to see businesses succeed. When a business is constantly trying to improve, they generally succeed and everyone benefits.

Unfortunately, not all business owners share your philosophy. Using auto repair facilities as an example, some shops, especially those that aren't particularly competent or, worse yet, dishonest, don't want to deal with customer concerns. That was my experience with the first auto shop I used after moving to NH. They were really nice when they were selling me tires, batteries, and doing state inspections. When a repair went wrong, however, and I tried to negotiate with the owner the guy unloaded on me.

In my opinion, posting bad reviews for businesses like that provides a valuable service to the community.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by TCC

Your attitude is refreshing, and when I have a concern with a business I'm more than happy to work with them to resolve the issue. I love to see businesses succeed. When a business is constantly trying to improve, they generally succeed and everyone benefits.

Unfortunately, not all business owners share your philosophy. Using auto repair facilities as an example, some shops, especially those that aren't particularly competent or, worse yet, dishonest, don't want to deal with customer concerns. That was my experience with the first auto shop I used after moving to NH. They were really nice when they were selling me tires, batteries, and doing state inspections. When a repair went wrong, however, and I tried to negotiate with the owner the guy unloaded on me.

In my opinion, posting bad reviews for businesses like that provides a valuable service to the community.

I agree but the younger customers today are quick to post first instead of confronting the business owner with their complaint.
I had one customer give me a bad review because I changed her oil and forgot to reset her oil reminder light because it wasn't on at the time, not all cars have them. A few weeks later it came up on her dash that she need an oil change. So she wrote a review saying I never changed her oil and ripped her off by charging her for an oil change. All she had to do was call me or come by and I could have reset the light in seconds. An honest mistake didn't mean that I ripped her off.
Also, if one of my employees does something stupid, I'm the owner and it's my job to make it right.

[Outdoorsman]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I agree but the younger customers today are quick to post first instead of confronting the business owner with their complaint.
I had one customer give me a bad review because I changed her oil and forgot to reset her oil reminder light because it wasn't on at the time, not all cars have them. A few weeks later it came up on her dash that she need an oil change. So she wrote a review saying I never changed her oil and ripped her off by charging her for an oil change. All she had to do was call me or come by and I could have reset the light in seconds. An honest mistake didn't mean that I ripped her off.
Also, if one of my employees does something stupid, I'm the owner and it's my job to make it right.

This is a perfect example of the point I was trying to make with my prior post.

I find that people post to social media more often when they have a problem with a single experience or when the restaurant does not suit their (lifestyle)?
JMO, but people tend to post complaints about businesses more often that positive comments.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Outdoorsman

This is a perfect example of the point I was trying to make with my prior post.

I also notice people tend to follow the crowd. If they see a bunch of negative posts then they tend to chime in with their own negativity. Just like online bullying.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I also notice people tend to follow the crowd. If they see a bunch of negative posts then they tend to chime in with their own negativity. Just like online bullying.

People are always that way. If you have ever been to a town meeting it is a perfect example of how people go with the way the wind is blowing. That's why a few plants could make a huge difference and probably does often.