These days, when everyone is a critic and an expert and can make or break a business with a single, scathing review, the power of the customer has never been greater. Businesses have had to raise their game customer service-wise, which is good for all of us, but what happens when people take advantage and leave false or unfair reviews out of nothing more than spite?
Heninger Toyota, a dealership in Calgary, Alberta, received a less than flattering write up from a customer recently, who basically accused them of wrecking her car. “The engine is in the trunk!” She wrote. “This alone should be enough to help people avoid Heninger.” The rest of the details were left out, but it was enough to get the indignation flowing, and the dealership is suddenly enemy no.1 through no fault of their own.
“Toyota Canada had denied her a warranty repair due to maintenance neglect,” a spokesperson from Heninger told Bored Panda. “When given the news, she gave specific instructions not to touch her vehicle as she was going to sue us.”
Heninger's response should be used as a template for all businesses who have been unfairly targeted with false and misleading reviews. Polite but firm, factual and backed by evidence. “Because we couldn't respond directly to her post, we shared it on our own page with a link to the audio recording,” the spokesperson told us. “Since she deleted the post, our share has also been deleted as a result. The people who got a chance to listen to the voice clip know that she specifically asked for her parts to be boxed up.”
“Our response was perhaps a bit emotionally charged, but still fair. We appreciate the support we have gotten online, but do not want to escalate the situation to more than what it already is. It had become a legal issue before this post and we do not wish to add fire to the flame.”
Despite the stress and hassle the situation has caused, the dealership seems to be taking things pretty well and are showing the kind of restraint and understanding that not many in their shoes probably would. “In regards to why she blamed us, I think it is very natural for people to vent their frustrations,” the spokesperson told Bored Panda. “When you have a bad experience, you want to talk about it, even if it's just to your friends and family, rather than to social media.”
Scroll down below to read how it unfolded for yourself and please, follow your car maintenance schedules to be sure you don't lose your own warranty coverage!
The post sparked some passionate reactions from the woman's Facebook friends
And then the dealership responded
Update: the voice clip is not available anymore since the dealership has removed the post from Facebook.
People had a lot to say about this situation
