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Social Media Complaints and the Risks

It has become normal for businesses to utilise social media platforms for customer service purposes. However, there can be drawbacks to publicly posting social media complaints. This blog will discuss how to complain on social media, what the dangers are and the best protocol for complaining online.

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It is now part of consumer culture to turn to social media if you receive bad service or have a negative experience with a business. If someone openly complains there is a president that they are more likely to attain the desired outcomes. This may be a refund or another form of compensation. This has largely developed from companies wanting to manage their reputation. If they receive a negative comment online and do not respond in the right way, or at all it is more likely to have a negative influence on potential consumers. 

Although it can seem like a good idea to complain on social media, we will discuss how this can backfire if not done in the right way.

 

Public Social Media Complaints

One of the biggest potential backlashes of publicly complaining on social media is that you can then be target for a cyber attack. We know this may seem a bit far fetched as we often hear in the media about big companies that have been affected. Yet, cybercrime is continuously on the rise and it is often individuals that are targeted over companies. 

So how does complaining via social media leave you more exposed to the prospect of being targeted by a cyber attack? 

Basically, it can set you up as a target for a phishing scam. Someone pretending to be a representative from the company may act as though they are dealing with your complaint, but actually, over time try to draw out personal information from you over one or a series of exchanges.

Here’s a real-life example to illustrate what we mean. 

If you complain about the customer service of your bank online, a cyber attacker will now have information about the bank you use. If they follow up as though they are the bank dealing with the complaint and attain your personal information, they then have the ability to call the bank gaining access to your accounts. This would be bad news for you and your hard-earned money in that account.

 

How to Complain on Social Media

We understand the appeal of complaining via social media, it’s fast and you are likely to get a quick response plus you don’t have to speak to anyone on the phone. Something we know a lot of people like to avoid nowadays. Yet, it is just about making your complaint in the right way to protect yourself and receive the desired outcome from the company in question. 

The dominant social media platforms utilised for customer services by businesses are Twitter and Facebook. It is also not uncommon for companies to request complaints or issue to be sent in a direct message within their bio’s. Although this is more to help them manage their own reputations, it can be safer for you too.

So if you complain publicly on social media, be aware of the potential information you are then exposing about yourself. We always recommend utilising direct messages when complaining via social media as it keeps your personal information protected and ensure the account you are dealing with is verified.