Gripe Sites: Noble or Nasty? - Comments Page 1

I've posted both very positive and very negative restaurant reviews on Yelp. Believe me the negative ones have been richly deserved (e.g., clams that had been opened 12 hours ago and had gone bad; a waitress who talked to a friend for 20 minutes, with her butt in my face, while our food got cold in the kitchen; a supposedly hot BBQ place that managed to make even BACON tasteless).

On the other hand, I've been enthusiastic about unassuming places that go out of the way to do things right and make you happy.

Bob, thanks for an article on computer etiquette.
I have always dealt directly with a company and my problem is usually resolved. Only once or twice (since I owned my first Mac in 1992) in 20+ years have I posted to a complaint forum; and simply to warn others not to receive compensation.

I've posted one review on tripadvisor.com. Not to complain, but to make a helpful review for others. I use that site a lot when I plan my travels and find it very helpful, perhaps mainly because on that site are mostly positive reviews. :)
But your advice is always best, to contact directly the company if you have a complaint.

Rarely file complaints, when I do I present it as a "problem" that I want their help in resolving. Generally asking for help resolving a problem gets a much more positive response than presenting it as a complaint. You can still be firm, but make the company your ally - which, as you said, is simply good business for the company, so it becomes win-win.

"Most merchants want to do the right thing"
I really don't believe that. If they think they can get away with it most will do nothing. The only things that change that are either massive negative publicity or, perhaps sometimes more important, the impact on possible repeat business.
Threats of lawsuits can also make them take notice, but the truth is most complaints just don't rise to the level of being practical and actionable, and the merchants know it.
Sites like Amazon are like "white knights" for consumers, because businessmen who deal through them know Amazon will drop them if they get a lot of complaints. And generally that busness is just too important to them. Read the Amazon reviews and pay the most attention to recurring complaints that would matter to you. Generally it's pretty easy to spot the phony reviews, good or bad.

While slightly different, Yahoo local business reviews was somewhere I went to to discover how local businesses were perceived in my city. I found it was fairly easy to determine which reviews to ignore.

I started to write my own reviews and had written in excess of 100 positive reviews, and only two detailing a problem. Those two reviews were truthful, carefully written and just stated the facts about my particular experience.

Maybe I am naive, but I really was shocked to find that those two reviews were removed, I assume at the request of the businesses, one of which had several unhappy customers whose reviews are no longer online either.

I no longer even check the website or write of my own experiences as I feel if only the reviews the business approves of are allowed to remain then a false sense of the business may be portrayed.

Bob, or anyone .....

Has anyone used or got an opinion about the website
Angie's List?

Not a gripe site but advertizes as offering honest opinions from customers of local contractors/businesses.

Hi Bob, thanks for the interesting article. You forgot about the Better Business Bureau. While they just act as a go-between, it can spur a company into action. There is even a BBB in Canada.

I have used yelp and tripadvisor in the past. I didn't know about yelp's business 'extortion' model...that's not good.

If I buy a product I'm not happy with, I quite often go to the business's website and tell them how I feel using the 'contact us' option. I have gotten great results that way. I find the company really wants to rectify the situation.

Good points Bob. I have always found it better to talk to a company about 'resolving a problem' rather than simply complaining about poor service. You catch more bees with sugar than with vinegar.

I had my credit card number stolen at a hotel back in 2006. I reported it on Trip Advisor, but I went beyond that point. I found out the name of the person who did it, where they lived & their phone # and turned all the information over to the police. The hotel didn't want to talk to me. Now you can sign up with credit card companies, so if someone attempts to charge on your card, they will notify within seconds.

Complaining online about a business, is useless at best. Sorry, but, most of the complaints are stupid and too many people posting, are only doing so, to "heat up" the situation. I much prefer to write the company's President and tell them what I think of their company's handling of the "issue". I did this with a major online/retail store about a computer that I purchased in September 1996 and got results!!! It was a 4 page letter, which is usually ignored, however the circumstances were highly unusual. Bottom line ... I got a brand new computer tower, that worked ... At NO charge to me. To this day, I will purchase from this company, because they "honored" their warranty and took care of business.

I have done tons of purchasing online and rarely have had to "complain" about anyone's service. Of course, things have happened ... However, I prefer to contact that particular company and try to resolve the "issue." As for brick and mortar retail stores, same thing, I prefer to go to the store and handle any "issues" that have come about.

Overall, I have found that business' want to maintain a good reputation and good customer relationships, especially, in today's economic struggles.

As for my online purchases, I have a "test" that I like to do. When, I have had an "issue", I like to contact the business by email. I personally believe, that the "email" test is one of the best, to see if the online business means business. So far ... Knock on wood ... I have been very fortunate in purchasing from GOOD online business', that truly care about their product(s) and customers. When the whole transaction can be handled by email ... That is a definite plus, for that business.

Yes, there have been plenty of times, when only a phone call will do. Again, overall I have been most fortunate, that 95% of the business' that I deal with, are GOOD business' and truly care about their customers and their own reputation.

Bob ... I just want to say ... I have been a subscriber to The Internet Tourbus/Ask Bob Rankin, since November 1996! I am proud of that fact. I still look forward and LOVE to receive these emails. What I am trying to say, even in 2013 ... Bob, you are still relevant and "spot on", even in today's computer world.

Thank you, for sharing your vast knowledge and research, with all of your subscribers. Plus, you have a way of being common sense and logical, in all of your articles. What I love the most, is your plain talking language, so that even Newbies can understand. In all honesty, the ability to explain complex computer technology, in everyday language and still be understood ... Is a rare gift and you've got it.

This article "Gripe Sites: Noble or Nasty?" is simply another example, of how you keep us all, up to date with computer issues. Again, thank you Bob. :)

The BBB could care less, they protect their members and do nothing about those who are not members. There are almost as many complaints filed against them as to companies.

Angie's List is a joke. If you want to search another Zip Code than your own you pay extra. Check http://www.ripoffreport.com/ You can file a report good or bad.
As for contacting a company directly many have no phone number or email at best you might find a Postal Address. If they do receive your email or letter they will skip around your request

Papa John's is the worst. they have a Store just 5 blocks away and I can not order from them. This includes Calling on the Phone. The reason they do not have my area in their GPS.

Letters to them are replied to and do not cover the complaint. Luckily there are 5 other Pizza Shops within a block of Papa John's that deliver and meet 0hteir price.

Bob, thanks again for another great article. I don't really trust the gripe sites. I will read on the scam sites though. There are far too many wild offers out there on the Net that can dupe the unsuspecting. Those have saved me some headaches.

I too would also add the Better Business Bureau as a source to use to reconcile a problem. They helped me quickly with two prior semi-serious problems. I have found also that writing to the "contact us" department also gets some fast attention. Most companies would rather reconcile a problem these days via email rather than via the phone. Just be patient with reason.

I always go after companies if I feel as though I've been wronged but I generally go straight to the actual company. They are usually pretty good about resolving any issues I have. There's already enough HATE out there in cyber land without adding to the pot.

After 2 fruitless on-line chats, and 2 equally fruitless phone-cons about a UN-announced price increase by Verizon I got a robo-call from the "President of Verizon" asking is I was totally satisfied with their customer service. !

I responded with a admittedly somewhat snarky email and was surprised with a call the next day with a customer rep that gave me the same deal that new customers got that had been previously denied to long-term customers. That made me happy.

Verizon is well-known for their wonderful services and not-so-wonderful customer service; but in this case, as BobB suggests, a bit of perseverance and assertiveness goes a long way. But one should not overdo it, just yelling louder doesn't always get your own way. They might tell you to just go way.

Some days you try to be nice and d things by the book - and get abused as mistreated. So you go to the company website and guess what? They have no contact email address, mailing address, phone directory or anything else that will let you report misbehaviour to management. Don't believe it? Look at Toshiba, for example. Is there any acceptable explanation for this behaviour? It sure makes the scandalous complaints I found on www.toshibasucks,com totally credible. And should I post there and the proprietors use it
to blackmail Toshiba - to me, they deserve it.

I prefer using paper. It is so unusual these days that it gets attention. A polite letter to the company head outling what went wrong seems to often work. For example, how about half off on fiber optic installation due to installation problems? With electronic it is so easy to get lost. Either paper or electronic it is more effective to be factual and polite.

Jon is spot on. Writing and mailing a letter does make a company stand up and notice. It also shows how serious a person is who bothers to go the old school route rather than the modern, convenient email.

Angie's List was useless for me. It kept finding businesses in the NYC area even though I live in central NJ. Waste of money.

RipOffReport has been around a looong time. It helped me learn that I was far from alone in a scam being perpetrated by a car rental company. It was a great aid in getting my problem resolved.

Another 5 star site is Trip Advisor. Not only can one read both positive and negative reports, but it can be very entertaining as well.

There is a place for these rating sites. Just use your own good judgment as to which are better than others. They can be a very useful tool.

Real businesses (those that have been around an expect to stay around) tend to be responsive if you contact them directly. Some respond to online gripes with better service than if you call them, but most (ours included) treat online gripes the same as a hostile / threatening phone call. Click.
Fly-by-night scams don't care about repeat business, or reputation - online gripes mean nothing to a company like that. These are the ones with no contact info. If you gave your money to an online-only business with zero contact info, well... would you expect the guy you bought the Rolex from for $50 on the street corner to have customer service?
Large corporations that do not sell direct to the public, generally also do not have direct contact info on their website. Their distributor network IS their customer service department.
Proper channels and a good attitude work. Trying to go around them will almost never help you, whether the company is honorable or not. Online gripe sites may give you a warm feeling, but are otherwise useless, and can hurt a perfectly good business. Real review sites, like Trip Adviser, have a place, and are sometimes a good resource for consumers.