The power of social media.

Social media. It is a powerful tool. We tend to forget just how much so. Last week after a failed third attempt at getting a pair of shoes from my local Vans shoes I got on twitter. I was frustrated. I was irritated and I was simply expressing it. I did not think anything of it after I hit send.

That is until I received a response to it from the Vans Company. What followed was a week of responding via emails to customer service. I was not really expecting much, and did not want anything other than to let them know that I had gone in to the store on three occasions and on all three occasions I was ignored. I felt that they needed to know because as someone who has worn the shoes since high school I obviously had every intention of buying another pair, but of course I cannot do that if I am being ignored. The emails were rapid but stopped after they asked for the entire information and I let it go feeling I had done all there was to be done.

And then I got a call from a district manager, who was not as pleased to hear of my issues. The conversation flowed and he apologized more times than I could count. Was this going to make me stop buying the shoes, no. Did I think any less of them, no. I have bought more pairs than I can count. Online, in stores. All I wanted was to let them know that being ignored when I clearly had a pair of shoes and needed assistance was not something you want in a store. He agreed. And as a result he informed me he was sending me a certificate for a pair of shoes as a thank you. It was not needed and not the point but thanked him and told him I appreciated it.

I hung up thinking how social media plays a part in marketing and promotions in our lives these days. How years ago, you could complain face-to-face and you would get nowhere. But you put something out there, especially negative for the world to see on twitter and whether you meant to or not, you may just get results. 

 

All because I hit the send button.