I prefer a peaceful life. Do my errands in familiar places. Sometimes I like to try something new. Generally, all my needs are well met by the retailers I patronize offline and online. If there’s a glitch, I’m either patient and get what I need in the end, or just go to a different store that has the item. No big deal. I just want to pick up my stuff and go home.That is not the world of the Global Mouthpiece that is the Internet.
The Web has so much potential for global commerce, bringing people together amicably, and an awesome resource for research and information. Unfortunately, this great tool is often identified instead by the worst faceless users in the world (some criminals), who spew mountains of hateful rhetoric for global publication every day. Ugly attacks and “Rantrums” against other people on the Web is way out of control, and is enabling public behavior that is openly uncivil, narcissistic, anti-social, and sometimes dangerous.
Really, there is a deep need for greater online regulation (never mind re-training in basic social skills), and a lot of retailers are quietly, politely, showing signs of getting proactively fed up.
One vocal online merchant says (and I totally paraphrase for his protection) that large and small retailers are increasingly and unnecessarily burdened with rude, undisciplined, and often abusive customers that cost way more than they should. Anger (sometimes enhanced by substance abuse?) can be stoked further by safe anonymity and what is often unregulated libel in Chat Rooms, Forums, Blogs, and online “Review” sites. Smaller business have been undeservedly damaged, or even ruined, by some of the more awful attacks from people who will destroy anything, and harm anyone, when they can’t have their way. Even the last word in a dispute is up for grabs.
Customer Review Sites: Like most things in life, they are fair in concept. But in practice, they’ve become vengeance attack zones designed to ruin innocent people and small businesses, plastering personal issues all over the internet, sometimes under false names. Nobody can justify a nasty third rate public rantrum under the guise of legitimate “review”. The only online reviews I trust are about the product, not broadcast 10-volume versions of silly complaints escalated into a federal case because some woooooookid@witless.com’s special underpants were backordered. Chillingly stupid.
Complaint sites and “Consumer Rip-Off” Forums: Granted if a pattern of bad business practices can be detected, published complaints may be helpful. But in most instances, entries are no more than public temper tantrums, and embellished versions of everyday disputes, with few options for rebuttal from accused companies. While there are a small percentage of fraudsters that deserve to be exposed, most businesses do not deserve to be attacked.
General Forums and Chat Rooms: Again what a great way for people to get together and share ideas and opinions! On the other hand, there are a few bloggers out there who are generating some serious rage because anonymity seems to protect them from legal backlash. Hey, if you’ve published something really egregious that’s appearing all over the place, any decent tech/lawyer team can easily locate you. No sympathy!
Sorry, Banshee Nation, the following evil retailers and service providers are top favorites, and nicely integrated into many lifestyles, including my own:
Amazon. Electronic Comfort Food even more ubiquitous than burgers and fries, I swear. For me, a great place to buy DVDs. They are almost too huge, but their sheer size has enabled automation of delivery and customer services so completely that by design, has effectively barricaded Amazon from any contact with bad customers.
“Big Bank” Services. One bank scripts Customer Service greetings to convince you they would kill themselves if it would make you happy, which is kind of creepy, but then proceeds to deliver to the best of their abilities. But money is a sensitive issue, and sometimes bank policy and highly audited industry regulations mean the customer won’t necessarily get his/her way. That’s just life. I appreciate my bank, and couldn’t care less how many nasty “reviews” are published.
“Big Box” Book Stores. Sanctuary for the soul with books, books, books, for the disappearing species of people who still know how to read (global warming??); plus nice coffee bars and comfy leather chairs. Who on earth would even WANT to dream up an ugly complaint about that? Oh yeah. The woooooookids@clueless.com whose attention spans can be measured in teaspoons. There’s something to be said though for chasing away potential screamers, by quietly boring them to death.
“Big Box” Discount Stores. My personal favorite provides good quality, great style, reasonable prices, consistently easy shopping. Swing in there for my personal and household essentials and prescriptions plus occasional fun stuff. You know, there’s an entire Rantrum site publishing nasty, long winded complaints about one chain’s Return Policies that makes little sense. Don’t know about you, but I don’t typically walk into a store and spend hard earned personal time and money to buy something I don’t really want. Understand and respect a merchant’s Returns and Exchanges playbook, and customer services are usually more than accommodating. If you want a legitimate gripe, go after the losers who abuse other people in the aisles, and in mall parking lots. But that’s everywhere.
Big Box Movie Rentals. Recently bumped into a “rage page” of really silly complaints against Blockbuster (that I felt compelled to rebut) filled with enraged indignation because people got dinged for not returning movies as agreed. Unfortunately, one can sneeze and find similar pages loaded with novelettes decrying enforcement of stupidly ignored policies. I return my movies on time, Blockbuster still has my business, and Life is good.
Small online retailers: The call to true social responsibility. That means anybody occasionally thinking outside themselves must embrace the idea of online opportunities for families and small businesses … a brilliant solution to sharing wealth and alleviating hard times for hard pressed families everywhere. I never hesitate to give them my business whenever possible; and encourage everyone looking for specialty items to favor small online website catalogs! If something occasionally goes haywire, which happens with big boxes too by the way, just be friendly and patient. Only encountered one nasty crook on eBay which was aggravating, but whatever.
Unfortunately small internet businesses do take a constant barrage of nastygrams and published tantrums from difficult people who enjoy attacking reputations and livelihoods of innocent people far more talented than they are. Why? Because lime green crew socks are backordered a couple of weeks. Sorry, but given the potential for irreversible harm on the global Web, mere words can’t begin to describe a person of that ilk. If such shenanigans happened in a physical store or mall, many would be rightly tossed out the door.
Sure, there are occasional issues between consumers and businesses, but almost all can be reasonably resolved with cooperation from consumers who are sane, literate, and possess a few basic interpersonal skills. There is a world of good companies large and small whose people just want to do an honest business without fielding a daily barrage of broadcast hystrionics from self centered jerks.
I am sure anybody who cares to read this through will erupt into a state of enraged, inflated indignation, with fingers itching to hammer a keyboard response that will blow my mind with brilliance and righteousness, but REALLY. Don’t we all have vacuuming or laundry to do … or something?
