As an investigative reporter, I saw a trending response from companies accused of taking advantage of customers. The companies argued to me they were bound to encounter some criticisms considering their number of customers. The businesses then pointed out the number of complaints represented a small percentage of overall customers.
I didn’t buy this theory, which I believed posed two major pitfalls. First, these companies ended up facing my microphone not because consumers were upset. These businesses could have addressed and settled on solutions when customers first raised their concerns with them. But because the companies did not respond or responded poorly, a number of angry customers turned to organizations such as the Better Business Bureau. And when the BBB noticed a trend, it contacted the media. While the number of complaining customers may have represented a small percentage of overall business, the number is much more significant considering the amount of people who felt so fed up, they told their stories to a reporter such as myself.
The argument’s second pitfall is it doesn’t address the actual accusations. The response attempts to dismiss the complaints as a small pool of people without answering whether their concerns are legitimate.
A New York Times article again reminded me of this interaction between the media and companies under the journalistic microscope. The story questioned whether third-party hotel booking sites are misleading customers. One of the key complaints from people The Times interviewed is they can’t get refunds.
Someone The Times identified as a chief executive for a travel industry consulting company is quoted as saying, “People just don’t understand how online searches work.” I inferred this response as something akin to, “We’re not the problem. They are.”
Lesson: When communicating with the media about complaints, don’t let customers infer they are to blame. That’s a tough sell if numerous customers have shared similar complaints with the media about your company. First, explain you need time to gather the facts of the case and you’ll get back to them with more information. Then investigate. Do the problems reflect a need for change? Why couldn’t the company resolve the problems directly before customers turned to the media? If the problems are isolated, tell the media the instances do not reflect the whole. If the problems are a trend, explain the company is working to improve and considering changes.
The Times wrote the same person who provided the above quote went on to explain the 117 complaints processed and closed with the BBB during the last three years were among 1.1 million rooms booked. I inferred from others The Times interviewed that the number of complaints is small overall. In addition, other responses discussed how the booking process in general could lead to confusion and hotels room rates are often changing.
But critics in the news story used stronger language such as “deception” and “deceitful” and discussed fine print and tiny font size.
We don’t know who is right. The industry’s arguments may hold some merit. But don’t let customers infer you believe they screwed up. That’s not good public relations. Don’t let the media infer you believe a small percentage of disgruntled customers is a natural part of doing business, especially when those customers’ stories end up in The New York Times. That’s not good media relations. We believe even one angry customer calling a reporter is one too many. Yes, the customer may not always be right. But not finding a solution before the media get involved can cost much more than a refund. And in this case, the media are not small-town publications you might argue are desperate for tiny controversies. This issue got so out of hand, even The New York Times considered the story worth covering.