When Sarah Kohl-Leaf wrote a letter to the owners of the St. Croix Falls Cinema 8 voicing her concerns about a bad experience, the last thing she expected was to receive a furious, expletive-filled rant in reply. Here’s a sample, from an article in the Star Tribune:
“Drive to White Bear Lake and also go [expletive] yourself,” began the reply from Steve Payne, Evergreen’s vice president. “If you don’t have money for entertainment, get a better job, and don’t pay for everything on your credit or check card.” It also included a couple more expletives before ending.
The shocked Kohl-Leaf didn’t hesitate to share the emails with friends, who began posting the e-mails on their Facebook pages. Things got even worse for the company when one individual created a Facebook page called, “Boycott St. Croix Falls Cinema 8,” which has already drawn over 3,000 fans. Instead of viewing the complaint as an opportunity to further his business and satisfy a valuable customer, Steve Payne discarded his role as executive (and apparently his common sense) and created a crisis management nightmare for his organization.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/