I felt compelled to write something after I read of a recent case of bullying and bad mouthing on Facebook that drove a small business owner to attempted suicide. I do not know the exact circumstances of the bullying or why it occurred but its consequences could have been even more tragic than they were.
I have to admit when I first stumbled across the story I briefly thought to myself "oh, that's a bit extreme" but on reflection and following a couple of events in my own life recently I can see how these things can escalate.
I don't know about anyone else but I really hate it if I upset people or inadvertently provide a bad service. I strive to be as polite, kind and helpful as possible but no matter how hard we try sometimes things go wrong. I know when this has happened to me it has caused a great deal of distress, something as simple as goods not arriving at their destination on time (which is out of my control) can cause me endless worry and sleepless nights. I know some people can turn their backs on such issues and ignore them but I am not one of these!
So imagine how this can escalate. Something goes wrong, the customers not happy and has a little rant. You worry that others will think badly of you, you try to appease the customer which makes it appear you accept you are at fault. You worry some more and......before you know it its out of control.
I really feel for the person in question and I think we should perhaps all step back and think hard about the possible consequences of things we write. Comments posted on Internet sites are often taken out of context and more is read into them than intended. I'm sure there are times when we don't recieve the service we expect but complaints can be made in a polite and private way.
Have a good day.
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