Help -- Customer complaining on her Facebook page

I certainly wouldn't give her a dime.

I'd send her a certified cease & desist letter telling her that if she doesn't delete the defamatory posts that you'll be taking her to court.

I'd also make sure that I NEVER, EVER completed a transaction with her, or any of her family members, in the future.

And, if she left the posts up, or continued to defame me, I WOULD take her to court.

Rae

She is a thief, plain and clear. Definitely threaten legal action. Her poor little son is learning how to be dishonest, too. And we wonder why this country is in trouble....

If she has done this before I would contact the police department right away. If the police can find evidence that other shops have been hit with this there would be a much stronger case against her.

The defamation lawsuit threat is basically a bluff, it's doubtful you would be able to win that one. Other than going to the police I would ignore her. If she happens to post on your business's FB page, don't delete the post but reply with your side of the story.

I own a retail storefront and no, the customer is NOT always right. Some people conduct their lives in such a way to make everyone around them miserable and this lady sounds like one of them.

Just the fact that she was willing to trust a small child with a 20 dollar bill and then expect him to get correct change and then bring everything back along with the cookies tells me she's not the brightest crayon in the box.

I would respond calmly and respectfully on whatever forum allows a reply and leave it at that. She can only get so much mileage out of the situation and then it will blow over.

After that you may see her sneak into your place quietly one day, hoping you have forgotten her rude behavior. I had that happen once with a complainer that made my life miserable over a one letter misspelling on a small cake. She didn't give me a chance to fix it, instead she posted on forums and brought my rating way down on a restaurant review site by being the only negative review. After some time had passed she tried to place orders 2 more times and I refused to make another cake for her. Who needs that kind of headache?

No, the customer is not always right. Sometimes they are downright rotten.

I'd blast her on her own shitty post too.

Oh it was on her personal page? So she had to go out of her way to make sure you'd see it? Who does that?!?? What a hag.

While this may provide some catharsis, remember that people reading the post don't know all the information, and for all they know they could believe this person's story. As a business owner it's a good practice to take the high road in these types of situations and respect a customer even when that respect is undeserved.

I had the opposite happen. I am totally anal retentive about numbers. My husband gave me $32.00 to get my three dogs' nails clipped by my regular groomer. I sat that same 20, 10 and two one's on the coffee table for two weeks and stared at it. When I finally went to the groomer, I only took two dogs. I gave the amount for two dogs plus about a big tip. I handed the girl the 20 and ten and told her what amount to give back, let's say $16 plus & $7.00 tip. I only took in that same $32.00. So I gave her $30 and asked for $7.00 back. The owner chimed in that that would only be a $2.00 tip because I gave her $25.00. I explained and the owner still corrected me over the tip!!! not the amount. Most don't tip at all but they knew I was a big tipper. The tip should have never been addressed in the first place.

I had been going there for years and my husband's ex-wife had also patronized the shop. Her husband was a patient of my husband's. Obviously I never went back and we spend plenty on our pets.

I wasn't upset about the $10 vs $5 thing... this has happened to all of us on one end or the other. But to argue over the tip was ludicrous.

But I would never put this on facebook.

My husband has had patients post negative comments when he has had to be more aggressive about a past due bill. All of a sudden he is a bad doctor. I didn't know this until it happened, but you cannot post negative comments for the sole purpose of causing a company to lose business. You may not be happy with the company, but the things you say must be accurate. I know all about libel, but this takes it a step farther and you can actually be sued for your feelings about a company if the facts can't substantiate your written or verbal criticism.

Since I have known this, I have never used comments or ratings to air my displeasure with a company. It's just not worth it. I found my daughter's car online and went 100 miles to get it because I wanted a particular color. The dealership warranted it that it was a one-owner. Well, I got the "Car-Fax" and that one owner was Enterprise Rent A Car. The car was still a good deal and I bought it anyway. It was practically new. But before I blasted their practices (new car dealership in the Baltimore area), I thought about my husband's C&D order by his attorney to his patient and I just left it alone.

Yeah, I'm really quite aware of that, but thank you. It can be done tactfully. You better believe if someone was accusing me of that on my page they'd get an earful.

I think your response was professional and addressed the perceived problem.

I live in a small town, too. It's so small it can't support a cookie trike or even a bakery. Most people in your town know this woman and know her ways. They will not let it affect their opinion of your business negatively. If anything, they will silently cheer for you for standing up to her.

In my town, we have the "Christian" grandmother who even sings professionally in a gospel group in the area. She takes her grandkids to fast food joints and they leave a high holy mess behind. She always insists that the order was wrong- and not in a nice way.

We also have a cake thief in this small town. For three years someone's cake at the cake auction would disappear yet we'd always have one cake left over. We changed our system and I put a strong woman in charge of the cake tables and she caught her thieving butt. She hasn't been back since she knows she now has to take the plain cake she bid on (and won) home and not the $200 one. Another one who doesn't return any longer is the woman who always made her check out for less than she owed. It drove me nuts the first two years trying to figure out why the figures didn't add up.

Trust me- it's small town. We know who they are and know to take their words for their worth: nothing.

I think you handled it well...You look better than she does if people read both letters.

Keep in mind that if she posts on YOUR business page you can delete the post and block her from posting.

WHEN YOU SLING MUD YOU GET DIRTY TOO !!!... You can't change a person's actions,but you can control how you react...You said your husband and you were thourough as to the money exchange and the amount of product sold matching what was earned and it all balanced out...also she has done this before. It seems that if everything is straight in the books and bank ,,,Yaw owe her nothing.... DO NOT get caught up in all that craziness, Keep serving your community I bet there are those there who appreciate what you guys are doing.Remember "There is NO right way to do wrong"<333><

First of all... who sends a 4 year old little one ALONE to handle any business tranaction? I don't care how small of a town you live in... NEVER hand a small child a $20 and send him on his way to purchase a cookie, snowcone, toy, etc! The parent is responsible for the purchase! Eesh!!! On the subject on how to handle... Facebook can be a great tool in advertising, and can be the direct opposite at times! Always handle your self with grace - no matter how ugly she gets. After all, this is your livelihood! You can notify her in a professional manner that "Slander is a crime and will be reported." Give her the chance to remove the posts, if she does not... you have the right to report her.