In the 21st century, online reviews can make or break your business.
Owing to the profusion of review sites, satisfied or disgruntled customers can easily share their views on the products they recently purchased, be it a meal or a Hello Kitty face mask.
The more positive reviews you garner, the more customers you’ll attract.
On the other hand, if many of your customers have left bad reviews of your business, you might find it hard to find new ones.
One solution is to take note of the various criticisms levelled at you, and take the necessary steps to rectify those issues.
But one local business found a simpler, much faster fix; delete all the negative comments.Â
F&B Business in S’pore Admits to Deleting FB Comments; Promises to Do Better
8 Crabs has admitted to deleting negative reviews on its Facebook page in a lengthy social media post, following an exposé by Stomp.Â
In an article last Thursday (14 Jan), the local news outlet reported that some customers who ordered from 8 Crabs on 1 January to celebrate the New Year were disappointed with the quality of their orders.
They described the crab meat as “mushy” and “watery”, and believed it was not fresh.
Displeased, they took to 8 Crabs’ Facebook page to post a negative review, presumably to inform other customers about their unsavoury experience.
The only problem was that their reviews were later deleted, and they were subsequently blocked.
In response to the Stomp article, 8 Crabs issued a public statement on Facebook, apologising for their actions.
“We are truly and sincerely sorry for all the distress we have caused the public. Yes, it has been inconvenient, but we are not trying to play this down or avoid it.”
The business said it deserves the online backlash because of its “unacceptable” behaviour as a business.
It then admitted to the deletion, and was honest about its reasons for doing so.
“The truth of the matter is that we did delete comments because we wanted to look good, and we were being too simple minded about it. There is no excuse for this,” 8 Crabs said.
“When we realised the extent of non-customers commenting furiously, we were stunned ourselves at how oblivious we were to never realised this was so wrong before.”
The business also promised to let customers have their say from now on.
“We know now how to improve, and we how to serve you better too. Never ever will we deny the public of their thoughts and their opinions,” it said.
Free Replacement OrdersÂ
The business explained that crabs are “less predictable” compared to other seafood, which may explain why some customers received less than satisfactory meals.
It said it has taken the necessary steps to ensure that this never happens again, including enhancing its quality control checks.
In addition, 8 Crabs has decided to roll out a “1 for 1 plus free guarantee”.
This allows customers to receive an immediate replacement whenever they receive an order they’re not satisfied with.
While some customers showed support for the business after their post, most of the commenters found it hard to forgive them for deleting negative reviews.
You can view the post here:
Featured Image: Stomp & Facebook (8 Crabs)
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