Using social media for attention

People posting their complaints in public sphere has become a trend

LODGING complaints is an easy process.

Most establishments have a customer service contact number or email where such concerns can be raised.

However, their effectiveness in resolving the matter raised is debatable.

These days, some do not bother going the conventional way but choose to highlight it on their social media pages and tag the relevant people, agencies or organisations to get their attention.

They claim that this method often works and is faster too, mainly because the concerned party’s reputation is at stake.

So, instead of the aggrieved party trying to get in touch with the right people in an establishment, it becomes the other way around.

I have often come across social media posts by people seeking a refund from a business entity that gave them the runaround.

More often than not, they claim to have received their refund after a public post on the matter.

Making private disputes public is becoming a trend in solving problems.

One person claimed that some companies or business people often make the process difficult, so as to frustrate the claimant to the point of giving up.

Among the delaying tactics used is to not answer emails and calls, and the complainant being told that the person-in-charge is unavailable.

Not many people have the time or patience to see things through, unless the sum of money owed is too big to be ignored.

If the matter is highlighted to the public, the potential repercussions to their businesses may prompt the concerned party to seek damage control and a resolution to the matter.

If this notion holds true, then the uneducated as well as those not on social media will stand at a disadvantage.

These days some people choose to post their complaints on social media and tag the relevant people, agencies or organisations to get their attention. — Shutterstock

For other issues, people have also begun to use social activists who are active on social media, to highlight their community problems.

Usually, emails and memorandums would be sent for formal enquiry on a matter, followed by protests.

These days, there are very few protests but many social media posts, which open the way for potential abuse.

Social media activists are sometimes used as well to reach out to their followers.

I am sure establishments do not like these methods, but their lackadaisical manner in handling the public’s complaints is essentially what birthed this problem-solving trend.

Often, the burden is on complainants to follow up on a matter for updates, even though a proactive system can easily ensure that all emails are responded to within a stipulated period.

In the course of my work reporting on community issues such as neighbourhood cleanliness, traffic congestion and objections to development projects, among others, I hear many people talking about getting feedback on their inquiry in an ideal situation.

It is never as easy as sending an email and waiting a decent grace period for reply.

As journalists, we often must write several emails and make many phone calls to multiple people over a period just to get some questions answered.

Sometimes, the answers given are too short, confusing or ambiguous.

It is about time that corporations ensure all emails with valid concerns are given proper attention.

That way, at least there will be fewer disgruntled people and less damage control that needs to be done.