Company Feedback - via Boards.ie Office Staff

Lovely Bloke

Yesterday, in the Beer, Wine & Spirits Forum, Niamh posted the content of an email sent to the office by a brewery that was taking some flack for the quality of it's brews.

Were they encouraged to sign up and interact with the users? I find it entirely distasteful that the office staff can just seagull a thread like that, and then the complainant not come back to back up the points they made in their attack on Boards.ie posters. I find it even more distasteful that an office staff member would allow them to do so. With a line like this:

I think it is unfortunate that some of the discussion on boards tries to isolate people for liking beers that other do not

this is NOT true, the BWS forum is extremely welcoming and inclusive of anyone and everyone looking for advice on trying new beers, and I've actually never seen anyone belittled, spoken down to nor "isolated" anyone.

Does that company advertise on this website?

osarusan

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Were they encouraged to sign up and interact with the users?

I would guess that the poster who said he would contact the owner, and later confirmed he had contacted the owner, mentioned the existence of the thread in question to the owner, who went off and read it.

The Hill Billy

I'm sure that any business owner becoming aware of a thread titled "Anybody else avoid [insert company name] like the plague?" would want to check it out.

So, as a mod of that forum I have to say that I appreciate the fact that the owner appeared to use the correct channels by contacting the office & requesting the right to reply, rather than registering as an unverified representative & getting themselves banned.

As for "their attack on Boards.ie posters" - come on! Believe me, if I saw anyone attacking a member - I'd action it. Give Niamh a bit of credit too - do you honestly think that she would post something that she considered to be an attack on boards members? That wasn't an attack by any stretch of the imagination.

Boards.ie: Niamh

We offer any company who reports a thread with inaccurate information about them or a serious customer service issue the right to reply in this way. Considering the OP referred to their products as "they just taste like chemicals and that it's mass produced garbage trying to pass itself off as craft beer", they fall into the category of people we should afford a right to reply.
This is not the first time we have done this for a company, nor will it be the last. We always ask them to provide contact details should anyone have any questions for them.

Rye River Brewing do not advertise with us currently. That does not mean that they won't in the future, and frankly I'd be delighted if they did.

As a community manager of the site it is my job to post in any thread on the site that needs it including those brought to my attention by an email report of factual inaccuracies.

Taltos

I'd much prefer to see a company engage in this manner than threaten legal action, even a whiff of lawyers would shut the thread down. As it stands the company engaged via the office, had their replies posted and are allowing further items to be discussed.

Their only other option (I think - please let me know if wrong) was to register with the office as a REP and reply if permitted (possibly with Mod/Admin/Office input) but not every company wishes to do so and those who just register get shut down fairly fast for posting in a manner that would flag them as a Shill...

Putting myself for a moment in the shoes of someone who has started up their own business and is contributing to the economy - fair dues for reacting in a really good manner and not going ott like so many others have done.

Canis Lupus

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Yesterday, in the Beer, Wine & Spirits Forum, Niamh posted the content of an email sent to the office by a brewery that was taking some flack for the quality of it's brews.

Were they encouraged to sign up and interact with the users? I find it entirely distasteful that the office staff can just seagull a thread like that, and then the complainant not come back to back up the points they made in their attack on Boards.ie posters. I find it even more distasteful that an office staff member would allow them to do so. With a line like this:



this is NOT true, the BWS forum is extremely welcoming and inclusive of anyone and everyone looking for advice on trying new beers, and I've actually never seen anyone belittled, spoken down to nor "isolated" anyone.

Does that company advertise on this website?

What attack did they post exactly? There's a thread with people saying they don't like their products. They didn't make a fake account etc, they emailed the HO with a response and the email was posted to the thread. Seems like a fairly level response given, as stated above, the very thread is titled about avoiding the company like the plague. I mean, jaysus, they make beer. You either like it or you don't, they don't claim to make you able to walk on water ffs.

Baldy Conscience wrote:

It's pretty precious of them to then send an email to the Boards.ie Office

You seem to be.. ahem... a little precious yourself starting a feedback thread about it....

Cold War Kid

Taltos wrote: »

I'd much prefer to see a company engage in this manner than threaten legal action, even a whiff of lawyers would shut the thread down.

Massively agreed.

Opinions of all kinds need to be allowed, but I've never understood absolute slating of companies or artists or whomever for simply producing a product that the critic doesn't like (and no other reason).

Something as provocative as "Anybody else avoid [insert company name] like the plague?" is hugely unnecessarily IMO. I don't think it's difficult to express distaste for something without resorting to inflammatory language.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Seems like a great example of a company reacting well to negative online feedback. Well done to them.

OP, it seems to me that you're a little high-strung. I suggest you sit back, relax and chill out with a delicious Knock Knock Ned’s India Pale Ale. Available in stores now.

anncoates

Misael Tangy Roundworm wrote: »

OP, it seems to me that you're a little high-strung. I suggest you sit back, relax and chill out with a delicious Knock Knock Ned’s India Pale Ale. Available in stores now.

Just in a completely random and strange aside, my proxy software blocks that site as adult content.

So add smut to the charge sheet, your honour.

Nody

anncoates wrote: »

Just in a completely random and strange aside, my proxy software blocks that site as adult content.

So add smut to the charge sheet, your honour.

Probably because it requires you to confirm you're an adult before entering as they could be accused of advertising to underage if not :P