Manizesto

I’ve heard of customers creating bad publicity for a company they’re unhappy with, but one Fiat Doblo owner has taken it to the next level.

Take a look at this photo:

The loud graphic exclaims: This FIAT is very unreliable, 2 new clutches, 2 new flywheels, 2 new master cylinders, 2 new servos, Since new, Nothing but aggro..

Dealing with all these pricey repairs on a relatively new car, (it’s less than 18 months old), has got to be frustrating. And he wants the world to know about it. It’s a pretty innovative way to get revenge, and one that’s sure to have Fiat grimacing.

How to deal with this
Marketing types classify this type of customer as a detractor, or one that will not only not return and do business with you, but who will also detract others from ever becoming customers. A great article from Fred Reichheld hypothesizes that it takes between 3-10 promoters (customers who evangelize your business) to offset a single detractor, so it’s potentially a costly and difficult issue to deal with. (The PDF of Fred’s article is here, and is well worth the read).

The next time one of your customers takes to lambasting your products like this, take note and fix it if you can. Then 1) give attention to your promoters, 2) address other detractors, and 3) create more promoters.

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[Source: Noisy Decent Graphics].