The best way to test if companies are using social media is to complain about them. I had occasion to do so twice this week on Twitter. One was a surprise. One I expected to. And one I expected to didn’t.
First, the surprise – Whirlpool Corp. A new fridge we bought had a misaligned drawer. I didn’t so much slam Whirlpool on Twitter as I did Lowe’s where we bought it. But I nano-dinged Whirlpool. Here’s the complaint and response.
Thedodgeretort: Bought #Whirlpoolfridge at #Lowe‘s. Drawer assembled wrong. Incompetent #Lowe‘s gave me broken drawer replacement, runaround. Fixed it myself
WhirlpoolCare: @Thedodgeretort I am sorry to hear about your experience. Please let me know if you are needing assistance.
Pretty good response from an old line manufacturer! We tweeted back and forth and I have to say I was impressed enough to follow @whirlpoolcare.
Lowe’s did not respond on Twitter as I suspected they might, although the store personnel tried to help but ultimately failed to solve the drawer problem. They took a drawer out of floor unit and told me to come get it (grrr). I schlepped to the store only to find the replacement drawer more broken than the one I had.
Unlike Lowe’s flooring people (we just bought carpet), the appliance people could use considerably more training on what they sell. I fixed the original drawer myself by reassembling it – correctly this time. I might have been a little hard on the Lowe’s floor personnel…they were trying.
The other company that responded on Twitter was GEICO, one of the most web savvy companies out there. I complained about a runaround on the phone. Here the thread:
GEICO_ServiceSep 01, 11:15am via engage121
@Thedodgeretort: Sorry to hear about the confusion. Here’s the # 1-866-272-5192 -Ivy
This is standard stuff for GEICO. With 615 followers, @Whirlpoolcare is just starting out on Twitter, but at least it is there. Bravo.
But where was Lowe’s (there is a @lowescares, after all)?
Follow me on Twitter because I could be complaining about you.
