Dear Dan: Recently, an unhappy former employee of ours decided to take his grievance to the Internet. He posted complaints all over the web, and we’re concerned his comments could give our business an undeserved black eye. How can we prevent this? — Web Target
Dear Web Target: Like it or not, disgruntled customers, ex-employees, sinister competitors – or almost anyone, for that matter – have unlimited options to undermine your business online. Complaints, rumors or outright lies that once passed orally are now plastered instantly across the Internet, indexed by search engines and available for the world to see, forever.
John Dozier, who heads Dozier Internet Law and often represents small and mid-size businesses recommends staying on top of what people might be saying about you online. He suggests using Google Alerts, which will notify you whenever key words you specify (like your business name) show up in search results. Dozer’s firm has seen it all:
• A competitor posting another business owner’s credit report online.
• An ex-girlfriend publishing false information about her boyfriend’s business, which was indexed by search engines.
• A participant in a failed joint venture launching a derogatory replica of a company site and advertising it with pay-per-click.
The raw grassroots power of the Web to create public relations mischief has been a wakeup call for many a company. But responding to unkind comments about your business can be tricky.
A certain degree of irritation is to be expected. That’s the nature of the cyber age we occupy. And by spending time to try and respond, you might only make the matter worse. A determined whiner can take your comments and turn them against you.
Debra Guzov, with the law firm Guzov Ofsink, suggests these steps that a small business should take when a customer has a complaint and takes it online:
• Review the complaint for accuracy. Make this a reality check to avoid blowing something trivial out of proportion.
• If the complainer persists, search online for any further evidence of a smear campaign against the business.
• Document what’s happened. Print hard copies of relevant online postings. A written record may help if legal action becomes necessary.
• Explain the situation to your employees, and devise an approach if other customers ask about it.
• If the problem threatens to move from irritating to damaging, seek legal advice from an attorney experienced in such cases. •
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at editor@business.com.
