Allen Flavors,Inc

2. Consumer Vigilantes

The article is about a select few individuals and the lengths they go through to voice complaints. The ease to voice a complaint has risen in direct correlation with the available technologies. As the way in which we get our information grows, so does the platform for people to voice their frustrations. I have used various technologies to complain when I felt unsatisfied with a product or service, as most people in today’s age have. I can empathize with the two people mentioned and their personal sagas about their dissatisfaction as we have all been in similar situations. I can also understand the importance of today’s manager to keep this in the forefront of their minds. In today’s rapid word of mouth environment, one bad transaction can spread like wild fire. Instead of a lemon sign on the lawn of generation past, today’s complaint can reach thousands in mere minutes. The rising popularity of social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook make today’s companies even more vulnerable to complaints.
As a former customer service manager with a national homebuilder subjected to J.D. Power & Associates, I can tell you I read this article with a biased opinion. Based on my experience and my former company’s stance on customer satisfaction, there are roughly 5% of the population that will not be satisfied through no fault of your efforts. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep that small percentage of people quiet. A trend has emerged throughout corporations to cater to such acts, as mentioned in the article as Apple replacing the laptop. Most corporations believe the negative press is not worth the price, but it seems to fuel the fire as the squeaky wheels get the oil. This leads people to believe that the louder your complaint, the better. This also forces the customer service departments to focus a majority of attention on a minority of people. When the people not yelling do not get service, they tend to become annoyed, and they get rushed to the front of the line. I do not believe that ignoring dissatisfied customers is a good business practice, but I do believe companies overestimate such videos power to sway mass amounts of consumers. If anything, I believe it encourages others to make a video of their Apple laptop when it goes bad since Mr. Whitford was rewarded for defaming the company’s product.