Consumer Complaint Sites

Consumer complaint sites (also called ‘attack’ ‘boycott’ or ‘flame’ sites) are devoted to attacking individual organizations or brands. These sites are often well-organized attacks and should be handled carefully. If there is a whole website devoted to attacking your brand what should you do?

Consider the following questions:

Are the complaints valid?
° If so, Can you integrate organizational changes to eliminate the complaints?

Are competitors involved?
° Copyright infringement may be an issue.

What is the best way to counteract the attack?
° A counter-attack site
° A Pay-per-Click campaign
° Participation
° Litigation

Generally speaking, litigation against consumer complaint sites is not the answer since it can end up increasing the amount of adverse publicity against your site. Direct communication is an option, but bear in mind that anyone who goes to the trouble of building a website dedicated to the destruction of your brand may not give you the time of day much less be impartial to your point of view. However, listening to their point of view is essential and a well-formed response should be produced. A counter-attack site giving your point of view is a possible platform for your response. This can be given immediate placement in search engine results if a paid advertising campaign is activated.