Home Business Customer Service Twitter Stupidity: Using a Brand’s Logo to Anonymously Bash Customers

Twitter Stupidity: Using a Brand’s Logo to Anonymously Bash Customers

Posted on August 31, 2012 Written by 42 Comments

Today, while looking for an email address for a grocery store in my area, I came upon a Twitter account created by employees of that same grocery chain for sole purpose of bashing customers.

This Twitter account @stopnshopprobs not only gripes about the people who are customers of Stop N Shop, but it also uses the Stop ‘N Shop logo. This can open them up to a variety of problems beyond what would happen if it was found out who was behind the handle. For example, there’s the copyright issue and I can see grounds for a lawsuit (as well as dismissal) here too.

When I made mention of this account on Twitter, the person behind the account responded as follows: (he or she also locked the account)

So the good news is that it’s ok to insult your customers because everyone else does it too, and it’s even more ok if said account is successful. But then it got me thinking….how many of these “problems” accounts are there?

Well, we have @stopnshopproblems where the tweeter not only admits that he hates where he (or she) works, but  he or she is also using the Stop N Shop logo and official web address. People who don’t know any better might think this account is sanctioned by Stop N Shop.

Stop ‘N Shop isn’t the only brand whose employees are publicly bashing their customers. According to this employee, Shop Rite is likened to a slave training camp:

 

This McDonald’s problem person doesn’t only hate his job, he or she hates co-workers as well. Note McDonald’s logo.

 

And I could go on. There are a ton of these out there.

But the difference between the above mentioned “Problem” Twitter accounts and the accounts I’m highlighting below, is that the people above are taking the company logo and bashing customers under that logo. If I’m researching one of the above brands, I might think these accounts are endorsed by said brand and decide not to shop with them anymore. It’s stupidity plain and simple. They’re opening themselves up to a variety of problems and losing their jobs is the least of it.

There are ways to commiserate with the people you work with, however. For example, @servicedeskprobs, is a little better because we don’t know that the people work for a specific brand that we may or may not be loyal to. They’re not referring to their brand or using the logo or website to make it look official. This person is a little smarter and probably doesn’t have as big a chance of getting fired as those mentioned above (if it’s discovered who they are).


Ditto @cashierissues – which is kind of like a Waiter Rant for cashiers. It’s one thing to joke about the issues you face in a certain industry each day. It’s a whole other issue to flat out insult people under a brand’s logo:

What do you think? Is it ok to create a Twitter account using a brand’s logo in order to anonymously bash customers and co-workers? What is the difference between these types of accounts and the accounts that poke fun at specific professions?

 

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Filed Under: Customer Service, Reputation, Trust
  • http://www.jtdabbagian.com/ James Dabbagian

    If someone made a cursory glace at some of those accounts, they might think they were sanctioned by the company. But once they look at the tweets, they’ll know something’s up.

    It’s one thing to talk about how much your job sucks (And if there really is something bad going on with the company, I’m all for whistleblowing.) It’s a whole other thing to bash customers for it. Customers are innocent bystanders; they usually care not for your plight and have no say in causing it, and you harassing them is only going to make them MORE pissed off at you. Instead, employees need to increase awareness to the conditions they work in by discussing them, and assuring customers they are on THEIR side against a shitty company. Bees, honey, vinegar and all that.

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      I don’t mind friendly commiseration, really. But I draw the line at insulting customers. Moreover, I’m not sure these people realize that by using a company’s logo they’re opening themselves up to all sorts of legal issues (as well as the potential to be out of a job).

      One of the people bashing said she’s miserable at her job but needs to keep it because she’s putting herself through school. Well, don’t you think she’d be a little more cautious about what she’s putting out there?

      • http://twitter.com/HollowRoseAPC Kdubzzz

        AHEM*** I NEVER SAID I WAS MISERABLE AT MY JOB YOU ASSUMED THIS BECAUSE I DEFENDED MY RIGHT TO ******FREEDOM OF SPEECH****** GET YOUR COMMENTARY RIGHT!

        • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

          Actually you did say it –

          ”
          @debng So are people from other chains… did you ever stop and think how miserable our jobs are dealing w/public? At least we’re having fun ”

          https://twitter.com/HollowRoseAPC/status/241631921879252993

          • http://twitter.com/HollowRoseAPC Kdubzzz

            Again, I didn’t say I *PERSONALLY* was miserable. Ever hear of people “Going postal?” Yeahhhhh this is how people avoid just that, by VENTING. I hate to say it but it sounds like you’ve never had a job as a peon, cause if you have, then you’ve talked about it at the water cooler, you’ve told your friends about the miserable customer who in turn made YOUR day miserable. This is the same thing. It’s dealing with stress in our own way. Sorry if it makes you miserable to see us having fun at our daily expense, while you obviously can’t.

          • Melissa

            This is such a joke. You’re replying with everything in thinking though. I wouldn’t be as nice about it as you though!

          • Melissa

            This is such a joke. You’re replying with everything in thinking though. I wouldn’t be as nice about it as you though!

          • Den Ng

            Actually, I’ve worked in stores and I’ve waited on tables. And I stil think you’re missing the
            Lint.

          • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

            I’m sorry for the incoherent remark. That should say, I still think you’re missing the point

  • fatty

    I think your a whiny bitch

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      That would be “you’re a whiny bitch”, actually. Thanks for stopping by and so eloquently adding to the conversation.

  • Miss

    All this twitter account is and all it means to accomplish is to give those of us who work for the company in question a place to mention problems that we come across that drive us crazy. It’s not meant to put specific customers down because most of us like a majority of our customers. It’s the crazy nonsense that makes us insane and make us want to connect with others who share our pain. It’s like a support group for employees who live far apart. It is unfair to judge this account without understanding why it is needed in the first place.

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      So by cursing at the customers and calling them names you’re showing your affection?

      I have no issues with commiseration among peers -we all have gripes and grievances, but I think you’re missing the general point here. Customers see this and they see the brand’s logo and assume that the person tweeting “shut the f*** up” to a customer isn’t doing so affectionately.

      The other issue is this – what happens when your employer finally gets wind of this? Besides the copyright issues associated with using the logo for such negativity, and the legal implications that can step from upset customers – and an upset employer – don’t you all care about your jobs? Especially people tweeting under real names. Doesn’t it worry you that you could lose your job? And doesn’t it worry you that future employers may give you a Google (they do) and see negativity associated with the real names tweeting to these accounts and decide to pass on hiring?

      Your digital footprint – it doesn’t wash away.

    • http://twitter.com/HollowRoseAPC Kdubzzz

      That’s right, if we were saying specific names then by all means we’d be in the wrong… A lot of this is blowing off steam from the crap we normally deal with… if you’re NOT working for the company WTF do you care? are we naming YOU when we talk about customers?

      • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

        I think you’re missing the point.

        • Miss

          No one is cursing specific customers here. All that we are doing is sharing general annoyances for stereotypical customers. When customers do or say the general things that drive retail associates crazy, we complain about it like anyone working in any field has the right to do. No one is saying that Jane Doe that came into Specific Store at Specific Time is a bitch or anything like that. We are not using names and not using locations.
          I can agree to the one point that the use of the company logo was a poor choice but that is the only mistake being made here. Otherwise, there should be no reason why there are so many complaints against one twitter account. In today’s world where there is so much wrong going on–when there are constant threats being made to our security and freedoms–I wish our only concern was that there is ONE twitter account that allows people to share a common misery.

          • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

            Again, I have no issues with commiserating on common issues you face as people who work in supermarkets. I have seen blogs as well as Twitter and Facebook accounts dedicated to this type of thing and many of them are flat out hilarious. However, you don’t need to name a specific customer to be insulting. Thanks to the above accounts and all the employees tweeting to them, I’m going to think everyone at my favorite supermarket is thinking “screw you” behind their smiles. You don’t need to name names to make people feel uncomfortable. No one wants to shop at a place where they think the employees resent them. So there’s that.

            Moreover, the people who run supermarkets, restaurants, and other service industries can face a public relations nightmare if people make a fuss about these types of Twitter accounts. That can make for a series of unfortunate situations for the people involved.

            Certain people used their real names, real pictures and even locations when sharing their stories and gripes to these Twitter accounts. Despite what some people are tweeting about free speech, you can get fired for certain things. For example, it may be OK to talk about some aspects of your job as long as you’re not violating any confidentiality agreement – and you need to check your contract, because many places are now putting in verbiage that limits the types of things you can say about your brand online – but when you start to insult customers, and your brand’s name and logo are involved, the issue gets a little stickier.

            My recommendation to anyone is to look for more private outlets – secret Facebook groups or closed forums. Public rants about customers can not only lead to getting fired, but for those who use their real names, it can also lead to not getting hired in the future. No one wants an employee who is going to cause damage to the brand.

            The purpose of my blog post wasn’t to call out bad behavior or say you can’t vent about the things that bother you, but rather to think about what you’re putting out there and how it can impact your future.

          • Miss

            By your logic here, going into any store, grocery or otherwise, the worker behind the counter/worker helping you is thinking “screw you” behind their smile. This is true in any place where workers deal with the public. Other websites/twitter accounts/Facebook pages where retail workers rant about customers/working conditions would lead me to believe that you should feel paranoid about entering into any place that deals with the public. People who work retail treat customers with respect and kindness and would help them out above and beyond their job duties. It’s the customers who treat us poorly, who yell at our managers for lengthy periods of time because we supposedly did not smile enough or bend over backwards enough for them, and the ones who generally treat us like crap for just trying to be helpful are the reasons why we need all those websites/twitter accounts/Facebook pages. We deal with a great deal of abuse that we have to stand by and take or else face disciplinary action and it’s only fair that we have an outlet.
            Since your blog has been posted, the twitter account mentioned has been deleted. Thank you so much for feeling the need to take away one small piece of comfort that helped make retail workers feel less crazy and instead makes us realize that people are not sympathetic but out to shut us up and make us feel more alone.

          • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

            I have no issues with you having an outlet. I have issues with you being publicly disrespectful under your brand’s logo.

            I also seriously doubt that every customer who comes through your doors treats you poorly but your post above makes us feel as if we’re all horrible people. Which kind of illustrates my point.

          • Miss

            I simply want you to be aware that there are people who make our lives living hell. Some customers come through our stores with such anger and spite and treat us like pieces of garbage. I was recently yelled at and made to feel like a piece of garbage because a customer’s check was denied by a 3rd party company. Upon further investigation, the customer used one check twice and instead of apologizing like a considerate person would have, she made me feel like garbage because I should have known better that she wrote the check elsewhere. People like that are what needs to be addressed. If you are not guilty of actions like that, then you have no problem. The retail clerks you encounter deal with needless anger but if you are a nice consumer who smiles and does not give us trouble, then we have no problem with you. The issue of customers treating retail workers with respect and and not taking out their person issues on us is what really needs fixing. This is a problem with a small percentage of customers and it’s those small percentage who ruin it for the rest of customers.

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      I have no issues with twitter accounts discussing crazy funny things that happen at a supermarket.I’ve seen similar accounts and they’re hysterical. But that’s not what’s going on here. You’re trashing customers – the people who make it possible for you to receive a paycheck. Also, there could be repercussions at work if they find out you’re behind the tweets. This isn’t a simple case of “let’s post fun at what it’s like to work at a supermarket.” If it was, we wouldn’t’ be having this conversation.

  • Jeff

    just wanted to make you aware its *Stop and shop* not stop n shop and to be honest this is what we all think at work someone just happens to post it on twitter, its how the world goes. I do agree they shouldnt use the company logo like that since if customers stumble upon it they would get confused but it is a tiny fix the creator can make to make it less confusing

  • Pissesatdeb

    What the hell did you type into google to come across this twitter. You are a miserable person. Leave us alone.

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      I was looking for a Twitter handle for Stop and Shop. Which means if I was, other people were. Which means, it’s really not a good idea to have Stop and Shop’s logo on a account where you insult customers.

      • Melissa

        I thought you said you were looking for a phone number? Get your story straight.

        And you won. They closed the account. Thanks for that.

        • Caralin McCay

          Actually she said she was looking for an email address. Nitpicking semantics only makes you look foolish and if you talk to your customers that way I can see why they don’t treat you so well.

        • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

          This isn’t about winning or losing – I wasn’t looking for that. I was just trying to show employees what might happen if they’re not careful.

          As for the account closing, that wasn’t my intention. Again, I wanted to the owner to think about what he was putting out there. If it’s perfectly innocent like everyone says, and just a place where people vented, with no harm intended towards anyone, there’s really no reason to close it, is there? That the original owner felt the need to cut it down speakers volumes.

  • P

    You seem like the type of person who hates having fun. The type of person who needs to point out what is wrong in everything you see. Disregarding that, though, here’s what I think about this article.

    Using the company’s name was a way to make us feel connected. Each supermarket is different, so using a general “supermarket problems” page just wasn’t good enough. As a former employee of Stop and Shop, I could relate to every one of the tweets on that page. That’s what the page was about. We could relate to each other.

    Yes, maybe twitter was not the right forum for this type of thing. Using real names may not be the smartest idea, but it was a risk people were willing to take. They were willing to take this risk to have a little fun, and to connect to fellow S&S employees. I will agree that there was some ‘customer bashing’ on that page. I, however, don’t see that as a bad thing. It is simply people venting. Sharing problems with others to make them feel better. Sometimes venting is the only thing to make you feel better after a rough day at work.

    This page was meant in no way to insult Stop and Shop. If corporate Stop and Shop had asked the owner to stop, they would have. Pages like these are simply meant to be a haven for people to VENT.

    Also, there is a typo in the first paragraph of your article. The saying is “sole purpose”, not “soul purpose.” :)

    • Deb Ng

      I do like to have fun and enjoy myself, but that isn’t what this is about at all. What no one seems to be grasping is that these types of accounts, and the comments you’re making, can open up a huge can of worms. At the very least you can all lose your jobs. Whoever runs the account can also be sued for copyright infringement (among other things) for using the brand’s logo for some pretty nasty tweets.

      So you can all attack me personally, and question my ability to have a good time, but in the general scheme of hings, none of that has anything to do with the big picture.

      • http://dragonsearchmarketing.com/ Ric Dragon

        I recently had an employee justify the notion of going out on smoke breaks with others and having bitch fests – complaining about their boss and perhaps even the customers. They said it helps them blow off steam. The only problem with that notion is that complaining just leads to more misery – it doesn’t really help you improve your lot in the world, nor the world around you – it just reinforces the unhappiness.

        • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

          Also, if customers or clients are walking by and hear said bitch fests it can lead to negative feelings towards the brand by those who overhear. What I find disturbing is the lack of professionalism here – and the justification behind the lack of professionalism.

          • Melissa

            How about we all just mind our own freakin’ business. Freedom of speech lady.

  • John Hewitt

    Nice article Deb. The nastiness of the comments here is unfortunate, but it demonstrates pretty clearly that the people who run this account are very comfortable mocking others, but can’t handle the least bit of criticism when it gets pointed at them.

    • Allen

      So true

  • Anonymous

    I agree Deb, this is not a very simple
    discussion. It needs some serious action. They can’t do this. People behind the
    tweets are heading for serious trouble.

  • http://dragonsearchmarketing.com/ Ric Dragon

    Having my company with about 20 employees, I know what it’s like to have a disgruntled employee or two. Sometimes we hire someone, find out that they aren’t really right for the job – they become marginalized, and more disgruntled, and before you know it, they could be creating one of these”problems” accounts using our logo.

    The take-away for me is that the organization needs to be fanatical about creating its culture – and when someone isn’t a fit – you need to do more to move them along more quickly. If any one of those brands cited in your (terrific btw) post was more fanatical about their employee culture, it would be more unlikely that a problems twitter account would still be in operation.

    • http://kommein.com Deb Ng

      Right, @ricdragon:disqus . When the employees are this bitter online it doesn’t give me much faith in the brand. This goes way deeper than a customer service issue.

  • Allen

    Wow, Deb this is a great piece and the fact that people are stubbornly, and ignorantly, defending this idiotic practice tells me everything I need to know about these people. Blowing off steam is one thing, but this genius is actually stealing the company’s logo (which WILL result in a lawsuit when the company finds out) and talking badly about customers. After seeing this account I would never shop at this store for fear I will end up being bashed online later.

    This isn’t rocket science yet these people are still missing the point.

  • Pingback: Free Speech: I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means « A Common Sea

  • Master K

    I really don’t understand what kind of person has the time and patience to painstakingly research (I use the term loosely) these various pages and write a blog post, the essential point of which is a pathetically anticlimactic: “OMG, what if u get fired?!?!”

    Honestly, do you honestly think that the people running these accounts haven’t thought of that? They know they’re taking a risk. Who put you in charge of lecturing the internet population about the dangers of inadvertently making one’s company look bad while trying to entertain fellow company workers?

    The amount of thought you’re giving this “issue” is honestly quite laughable.

    The brand logo means absolutely nothing. If I were to commit an armed robbery whilst wearing my Stop and Shop uniform, and a loyal customer happened to catch a glance of my mugshot on the evening news, would she be less inclined to visit the store?

    Also, everyone knows that Walmart employees are treated like shit: the strikes and the lawsuits garner more media attention than pretty much any other retail-related topic. Do people stop shopping at Walmart? Maybe a few righteous zealots, but the masses remain comfortably apathetic.

    So I’m sorry, but you’re wrong on all counts, and I just can’t help but be baffled that you actually think this is any of your business, or that this topic is of any interest to you at all. You have clearly never worked in a retail position for a large company and therefore cannot empathize with the employees in question; moreover, you are probably of an age where cyberspace is still an advent in your life (I’m not calling you old, but your tone suggests such). You fail to realize that major companies would regard twitter accounts like these with all the seriousness due to bathroom graffiti. It’s base entertainment, but it’s a catharsis for employees that I’m pretty sure we are free to engage in.

    Thanks for playing!

    • Deb Ng

      If you think this is none of my business, or has nothing to do with me, the consumer, then you completely missed the point.

      Thank YOU for playing.

      • Master K

        Wow, thank you for actually reading my entire response and offering a well-thought-out reply, addressing all of the points that I made! Your intellectualism is just stunning.

        Uhm. It actually ISN’T any of your business. The only thing you keep bleating, feebly, is that “The employees can lose their jobs.” So what? Why does it bother you if nameless, faceless individuals might lose their jobs over a stupid twitter account?

        I work for Stop and Shop, and have actually read our social media policy. You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, but please, feel free to waste your life over something that has no impact on you in the slightest.