If you’re a dooce reader – you know of her recent washing machine saga. She bought a machine, it broke, she Twittered about it, all sorts of people got cah-razy mean and start spewing at her that she’s a big bully.
This is why I can relate, and I don’t necessarily agree that she’s a bully.
I have a small blog. I have a small “following.” Last year I blogged (B.T. Before Twitter) about my toddler being told to “Shut The Fuck Up” by a car salesman.
Why? Because It Happened. I am a blogger, and we do this, we blog about life experiences, good, bad and exceptionally bad.
The internet’s blogs are the modern-day housewife’s telephone chain. Gossip spreads fast.
After the dealership’s management read my blog the shit hit the fan. (It doesn’t take much to find someone. One simple Google, and BOOM.)
This resulted in the dealership receiving a rash of phone calls and DEATH THREATS because of my sharing the experience On The Internet.
I was called a bully, too, for telling the internet about what happened. How dare I tell anyone to manipulate the dealership! (Like I thought THAT. FAR. AHEAD? Please.)
I was handed a piece of paper, and DEMANDED to NEVER, EVER!! speak of this event EVER!! again, and “sign here.” I did, because I was SCARED OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND. But, I left out the pertinent words they asked me to write out, and I didn’t see any lawyers around, and I wanted to go home.
I don’t know what they thought I was planning to do, but apparently I was a threat. They begged me to shut up.
Blogs have serious influence sometimes, for good or bad. It’s not like I was out to take down one of the largest used sales businesses in my area, only to share a customer experience, much like any product review, but this time, it went awry.
How did it end? Well, a negative rating on the Better Biz Bureau, a car trade. even though I should have WALKED AWAY from “the deal,” and not let them buy me off.
“
Respo nse Detai ls: We have worke d this out they got the vehic le. And they were makei ng thing s up in order to exsto rt our busin ess into givin g them what ever they wante d. The gm never sword near her child and thats all we have to say about the matte r. Howev er we did appol igize for the probl ems and misun derst andin g this cutom er had.”
“BBB processed a total of 74 complaint(s) (It was 23! last September.) about this business in
the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 74
complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 47 were closed in the last
12 months.”
These complaints:
| 4 |
regarding Advertising Issues |
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| 7 |
regarding Contract Issues |
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| 4 |
regarding Credit, Billing or Collection Issues |
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| 12 |
regarding Customer Service Issues
|
||||||||||
| 5 |
regarding Delivery Issues |
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| 5 |
regarding Product Quality Issues |
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| 14 |
regarding Refund or Exchange Issues |
||||||||||
| 2 |
regarding Repair Issues |
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| 12 |
regarding Sales Practice Issues |
||||||||||
| 9 |
regarding Service Issues |
I still feel sick about it, and looking at the car in the driveway I cannot wait to lose.
It’s funny how one experience can ruin a “product” for you – whether it’s a washing machine (been there done that several times, too!) or a car.
How DARE you talk about your experiences! You ARE a bully!
I have mad, mad love for you MM…but I see it this way…and you know what they say about opinions….on the one hand by talking about it, you got something out of it….you..”let them buy me off”. Had you not spoken/written about it, there’d be no buying you off…or doing a deal, because yes, they wanted you to stop talking…or did the buying off happen before you left there the first time, before you blogged about it….
That said, I find it a little disingenuous that you think you don’t have any influence, you aren’t that naive are you?
V – Hey.
I spewed my verbalrrhea the moment it happened, and shit = fan immediately. They wanted to end it immediately. No money exchanged, but they let me trade my car in. (You know, but others reading the comments: I bought a really nice big enough car, had a seizure, couldn’t drive, wanted to sell it outright. Could not make it happen, this was a trade-in deal, lose the high payment car, get the cheapest one possible and still make huge payments but less.)
I didn’t blog with that as my intention, it wasn’t about the “product,” you know?
It was the STFU part I could not sit on my fingers about.
I know I have influence, I’m not an idiot, but from where I sit, I don’t necessarily see any effect until it comes back to bite me in the ass. <-----
For real information on what constitutes bullying, I recommend everyone check out http://www.bullyonline.org – it has resources for the workplace, family, schools and more. It sounds to me like the car dealership bullied you into signing something you really didn’t want to sign.
Just go to any online forum and you’ll find bullies having a field day. That behavior is much different from a product or service review. The people who called the dealership with death threats and such were in the wrong, not you.
OF COURSE THEY DID.
I was scared out of my mind. I asked to leave. I asked for a lawyer. I was in TEARS.
(Yes, hindsight.)
I immediately hid my post, my video, for a while. It’s back up in the archives, and I’ve gotten a few responses from people who’ve dealt with the same company, badly.
I was actually surprised to find that the dealership had that many BBB complaints. Now, the BBB can be a collection place for people with an ax to grind, but have you actually looked at companies in your area??
I am in the New Orleans area (maybe it’s a regional thing) but the companies in the area just don’t have THAT many complaints.
I personally would have been mad in either you or Heather’s situation. You have a child to protect and Heather just spent a lot of money for a broken washer. I can’t say that I would have done any differently that either of you.
I have been known to call to the higher manager on location until I get what I feel is right. We, as consumers, ARE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, but we do deserve more than lip service when we get faulty product or service.
Check it out: http://www.slate.com/id/2226927/
ya know, what I wrote didn’t come out the way I wanted it to, but wanted to tell you I get what you are saying.
Like Laura, I am surprised they have that many complaints..how does a business stay in business with a rep like that?
V
I understood it completely – V, they paid me off. Paid off my car loan and got me into a “better” deal. (Which now, looks RIDICULOUS considering.)