Boners BBQ – BMW – Crisis Communication Behind Closed Doors

Social Media Will Bring Your Business Down

If You Stay Behind Closed Doors

Are you asking yourself as a business, community organization or government entity WHY should you participate in social media with all the negativity you have seen recently, let’s take a look at where the blame lies.

• Social Media will not fix stupid
• Social Media will not change the fact you offer bad customer service
• Social Media will not cover up or hide your weak link

Here are two examples of businesses missing the mark in such a big way you ask – “Were you doing drugs?”

First Boners BBQ

( doing my best not to slam them on their choice of a rather inappropriate business name)

What would you do if this was your business?

Here is what they did, they went posted a customer pic on their wall and said:

“NO WANTED! (Stephanie S.) left waitress 0.00 tip on a $40. tab after she received a Scoutmob discount.  If you see this woman in your restaurant tell her to go outside and play hide and go fuck yourself!  Yelp that bitch.”

1. Seriously what did you think this would do for your reputation?
2. What makes you think you can run your business any different than any other restaurant  in hospitality?
3. Was the supposedly – lack of tip worth the PR nightmare?
4. Do you realize you will be used in MANY social media presentations ALL YEAR LONG?
5. Does this really generate the goodwill needed to grow your business?

Here is some of the customers side of the story:

You can read it here Boner Bashes customer

Then of course many people go to Yelp and have another conversation…

Conversations where happening on multiple platforms in minutes…Facebook,  Twitter, Yelp, Reddit…how would you handle this nightmare?

“Imagine if you were not even set up and participating in social media with an established community that cares for you and this happened, what would you do if you could not participate in the conversation?”

After seeing the damage instead of giving a heartfelt mature apology

this was their twitter stream

That was a food truck, it does not happen with bigger , better brands

I think we can all agree this is just bad business, yet are you properly prepared to handle mistake of this magnitude?

BMW wasn’t either

Second North Scottsdale BMW

What do you do when a customer comes into your dealership for service on a car they bought from you has a warning light going off?  You make sure everything is ok!  Not so for Steve Rock at BMW North Scottsdale.  According to a post on Jalopnik ( more details)

When did we become a society that thinks by ignoring a customers needs and trying to sweep it under the hood, that it will results in anything but disastrous?

BMW North Scottsdale – Penske Automotive and BMW itself are lucky they do not have a death on their hands right now.

So, do they shift gears and do the right thing now that it has full beams shining on the issue? NOPE

Early December Steve called his dealership BMW North Scottsdale because warning lights came on the dashboard to his Certified Pre-owned 2007 BMW 335i.  Like every customer is expected to do, follow the customary procedure and have it checked out.  It is that type of security that people pay for when they buy a BMW.

After bringing his car in, the first tier service technician tells Steve that the problem is a state required emissions check alert and he is going to turn off the warning signals so “they do not bother him.”  Steve says he repeatedly asked “are you sure, these seem pretty serious?”

Now, isn’t that what we all do, we ask the qualified expert what to do and if our gut feels a little like the advice might be off, “Are you sure?”

It gets better. Two days later while driving 65-75 on the highway, the steering starts to fail.  Luckily Steve is able to get off the road by slowing down and not crash head first into oncoming traffic,  not hit any cars around him, or slam into anything stationary off the road.  In the process of getting off the highway other parts of the car are damaged, wheels etc…and a flatbed truck comes to tow him.

The next course Steve took was to write the GM of the BMW dealership and with no apology or concern for Steve’s safety, the GM insists the car be brought back to the very dealership that gave him bad advice to start with.

Now, would you be hesitant, concerned or even a little suspicious they might try to cover things up? I would.

Being one of today’s consumers ( becoming informed when they feel taken advantage of) Steve posts on E90 post forum to see if anyone else had had similar issues and advice, only to discover the signals he saw had nothing to do with an emissions check.  Off to see how the GM will rectify this situation.

Have you grabbed a cup of coffee yet?  It get’s better, sit down and enjoy this one.  The GM told Steve to only bring his car to HIS dealership ( can you say bells going off in my head if I were him) and it is a minor problem.

Really, no steering at 65 miles per hour

is not what I call a minor problem

How would you feel after all this while sitting in GM office asking for reassurance that the work and diagnostics would be done properly, you received a chuckle and this condescending comment stating it is an ” older model” and it is a “small problem and wil be taken care of.”

I am not convinced and I am not even sitting in the middle of it. Just imagine how it feels to be careening off the highway with no control in your steering, or to be treated as if you concern was trivial and a bother.

To add a hot wax treatment to this situation when Steve asked by a lawyer from Penske Automotive ( the parent company) to remove his posting on the forum.  BMW North America asks him to bring his car to another dealership and they will fly in specialized engineers to look at it according to Steve’s recollection.  So did BMW make right a situation gone sour at several touch points?

FAIL again!!!

A local service technician looked at it and confirmed there was an issue with tracking and steering controls, but would not elaborate. THEN, despite the fact Steve has not asked for anything to be paid for , filed any kind of lawsuit, Penkse Automotive has gone silent stating they ” have a legal matter with Mr. Rock.” ( see more details in Jalopnik’s post link first paragraph of this segment)

Ok let’s look at this again:

1. Technician #1 messed up sent out customer in faulty car
2. GM #2 was rude and did not clear up matter to customers satisfaction
3. Auto group Penke #3 treated customer badly – like talking in social forums made him the problem
4. BMW #4 again acting in seemingly same manner, no clear responsibility taken and satisfaction given customer.

Really, does this give you confidence in BMW now?

Well then WHY would I want to participate in Social Media?

One:

To be part of the community and actively participating allows you to build trust.

Two:

When you handle problems, challenges and issues openly, transparently you gain additional trust from everyone watching the conversation and it keeps you wearing your White Hat!

Three:

People know mistakes are made.  If someone is looking to sue you, a steady case showing you handled past mistakes openly and honestly with respect in the social channels might even go a lot further when you go to court helping you win. ( if you were in the right)

What should be very obvious at this point is that not participating in social media will bring you to your knees.

Today’s consumer will no longer put up with being treated shabbily and will shout from their Facbeook, Twitter, Yelp, Google+ on their mobiles or computers when they have been treated so.

Question now is where will you be found?

Being an active part of the community

or

Hiding behind your closed doors

photo attribution http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfear/291361721/sizes/m/in/photostream/