Dear VNN Member: 

But...you knew we would keep you informed, didn't you?  After all, it's our job!   

BREAKING ALERT!  

In a Texas court case, a family suing a shelter employee for mistakenly euthanizing their pet has successfully appealed the lower courts ruling and will be moving forward with the case.  The Fort Worth Second District Court of Appeals sent the case back to the lower court stating "...the special value of man's best friend should be protected".

Why does this matter to you?  This precedent has the potential to allow for increasing damages and costs associated with pets who are injured or killed.  In other words, there are some unintended consequences that may results from this ruling.  Although this is a single case in Texas, other cases have happened and are happening across the country.  We have developed a set of Message Points for this topic and they are available in the Message Point Library at MyVNN.com.  These are early message points and don't contain a lot of specific details, but they will be useful down the road as cases like this continue or legislation is introduced.  Like the continuing press coverage of veterinary costs, this topic has the potential to pique the interest of local media and you should be prepared!

(VNN members who signed up for our text alert system received a message about this story early today.   If you have not signed up, check below for instructions on how to include yourself in these alerts!) 

In other news, there is a renewed interest of the story about how sleeping with  your pet has the potential for disease transmission.  As WE all know, the risks are there, but are also fairly minimal.   We have decided that we will generate a new VNN story resource to deal with this sort of sensationalism.  For now, remember that Message Points for this type of story are available through VNN.  If you would like to weigh in on the story or share your thoughts, we have a discussion happening at our LinkedIn group.   

Lots of discussion happening on this story as well...police seek teenagers accused of stabbing Dachshund.  Our VNN Facebook page lit up with comments after I posted this horrendous story.  Hopefully, the law will catch up with these young men.

You can keep up to date with daily animal health and veterinary news by "liking" our VNN Facebook page.  Not only will we keep you in the loop, I also often post reminders about resources we have so that you can respond to these stories in your local media or social networks!  

The Power, Danger and Management of Complaints    

James P. Humphries, BS, DVM, CVJ
Veterinary News Network
www.MyVNN.com

American Society of Veterinary Journalists
www.ASVJ.org   

All consumers, and pet lovers among them, are more empowered today to complain about bad service or shoddy products.  I now personally make it a real point to praise where it is deserved, because, frankly, I do my share of complaining.  Since most now have the reach of social media as a platform from which to influence others, complaints are common and they can get out of control if not managed properly. 

Social media can be powerful, it can also be insignificant, depending on who's doing the complaining and how effective they are at the technology of complaining.  So don't think that just because someone has 'tweeted' something bad about your clinic, it is automatically a horrible thing.  I know some will post a complaint, then put it "in your face" just for the shock value - but some of these have no hope of gaining any audience.  Also remember, just as with bad news on television or radio, the dust often settles very fast and life goes on. The "news" turnover rate on social media is lightening fast. 

Just as powerful is your ability to use that same media to either solve, manage or counter those complaints.  And as a consumer yourself, I feel certain you'd like to know how to effectively complain and praise services which affect you and your family.  Complaining correctly has really helped me with the AVMA Health Insurance (frankly not as good as they used to be), Lowe's (where we do a lot of business), local human hospital (what hospital is run well these days?), web developers, PR agencies and so on. 

So I'd like to take a look at how to effectively complain and in doing so you'll better understand how to manage it when done to you (my next installment). Next, we should begin to look at how to properly manage complaints and promote compliments. 

As I am always happy to remind our network, traditional media (good ole radio, television and print) are not only still powerful, but also effective ways to managing your image and deal with controversies.  This could even be as 'traditional' as the telephone when it comes to complaints. 

How to Complain:

First, complain as soon as possible.  Especially with a financial issue your chances of getting resolution are better.  Have all your facts ready, even write down your key points so you can "stay on message" and be effective in a short time. 

Be calm and try not to raise your voice. In some cases this is hard, but today more customer service people will simply hang up on your in an instant.  They know you can't get back to them and they are on to another call.   
Put all conversations in writing (letter or email) with dates and names and keep it brief.  You may need to refer back to these and being well equipped is a big plus as you climb the supervisor ladder.  This also can preserve your rights under the law and lay groundwork for a future legal case. 

In most cases you will need to "go higher".  Ask for the store manager or supervisor.  I've had to do this twice with Lowe's and in both cases the store manager not only fixed the problem, but was happy to hear of the problem.  They also kept me as a customer. You can get names and contacts of Presidents and CEO's by using SEC data found at; Hoovers, (Hoovers.com) Google Finance (Google.com/finance) and Yahoo Finance (finance.yahoo.com).    

Getting the government involved really gets attention.  Government agencies will not always take your case, but will often contact the company to open up communication or get more information, and that does ring some bells. 

I've found the Better Business Bureau pretty worthless.  But it's easy to file a complaint and with some business this is a way to let them know you mean business. 

Use the media if necessary.  Action lines and consumer protection reporters may like your story and have a past file on the same business.  This is a great way to use the media to your advantage and get action. 

Finally, social media can be a very big "squeaky wheel".  I had a recent issue with a furniture purchase.  The sales person was of no help and unavailable.  When I found them on Facebook, I posted pictures of the terrible quality and told their followers not only how bad it was, but how poorly I was treated.  That combination of real photos, social posts and facts got me a phone call from the manager and a fast refund.  The manager said to me "our corporate social media folks called me and said to take care of this".  It can be a powerful way to get action. 

Beyond the Facebook page of that business, there are countless complaint web sites and on-line review sites that are becoming more and more effective.  Most large companies monitor their on-line "reputation" and this can be an effective way to get attention in your case.  Sites such as Yelp.com, Amazon.com (for product reviews), TripAdvisor.com (for travel issues) are good.  Angieslist.com and Checkbook.org are subscription sites and are monitored by companies and a negative review may get you a call and offer to fix the problem. 

Consumer advocacy groups also can have some leverage in your case.  Sites such as Complaints.com, My3Cents.com, ComplaintsBoard.com, ConsumerAffairs.com, RipoffReport.com and MeasuredUp.com are all effective ones.  

Savvy consumers are now going to these sites before buying a product or visiting a service business.  I now routinely check in with these and have changed my mind on several items within a few minutes of reading a long list of negative reviews and complaints about complete lack of customer support or communication.  (just use the name of the product you want and add "complaints" or "reviews" in the Google search - or simply go to one of the above sites and type in the product name)

Consumer complaining can become a serious and detailed business.  Some people even begin their own blog just to pound a business into submission.  Consumers are more empowered by social media and many will say things in their private persona behind a computer screen they would never say face to face.  But that is the world we live in. 

Add to this activism such as animal rights groups and you can have a real mess on your hands within a few hours.  So knowing both sides of this issue is very important in my opinion.

Now that you know how to complain well, next time we'll look at handling complaints and I'll focus on the on-line complaints, as I'm sure you all know the best way to deal with in person problems in your office.  But a recent issue with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine Facebook page has highlighted the need for all of us to have a policy and act on that policy to maintain our good reputation. 

Till then...

Dr.Jim@MyVNN.com
719-495-2100  

Thomas Dock, CVJ
Managing Editor

tomdock@MyVNN.com

719-445-7065 

Dr. Jim Humphries

President/News Director

dr.jim@MyVNN.com

719-495-2100

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