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AnonymousInactivehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB122057760688302147.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
How to Handle ‘IHateYourCompany.com’
Some Firms Buy Up Negative Domain Names To Avert ‘Gripe Sites’
In
recent years, disgruntled consumers have launched hundreds of Web sites
to air their grievances — from starbucked.com and ihatestarbucks.com
to boycottwalmart.org and againstthewal.com.Are companies fighting
back? A new study finds that some have been much more aggressive than
others. Xerox, for example, has bought or registered about 20
unflattering domain names, including xeroxstinks.com,
xeroxcorporationsucks.com and ihatexerox.net. But other companies, such
as Dell, have taken a more hands-off approach. DellisEvil.com,
MyDellSux.com and IHateDell.info are for sale, but the computer maker
says it has no interest in buying them. (Those sites currently host no
content.)The Internet has become a mecca for disgruntled consumers,
creating new challenges for companies accustomed to controlling their
message tightly. While companies can’t pull down a negative YouTube
video or erase a critical Twitter post, they have more power when it
comes to domain names.That doesn’t mean, however, that they should snap
up every domain with a vaguely negative-sounding name and then let them
gather dust, according to Internet-strategy consultants.Rather,
companies should register or buy just the sites that get the most
traffic, says Josh Bourne, managing partner of FairWinds Partners, the
Internet strategy consulting firm that conducted the study.Xerox
says it is selective in deciding which pejorative domain names to buy.
Those it now owns make up less than half a percent of the company’s
domain portfolio. But the company has a watch list of domains it would
like to buy: While it owns ihatexerox.net and ihatexerox.org, someone
else owns ihatexerox.com. If that domain became available, Xerox likely
would buy it, says Rebecca Berkich, who manages domains for Xerox.Once
they are in control of these domains, companies should maintain those
sites, and use them as a vehicle to solicit feedback from customers,
Internet consultants say. Otherwise, angry customers will visit the
sites and, when they find them blank, simply will find another site on
which to complain about the company.In its study, FairWinds looked at a
subset of the so-called gripe sites: those that end in the phrase
“sucks.com.” There are some 20,000 domains on the Internet that fit
that description, according to FairWinds. (Only 2,000 domains end in
the phrase “stinks.com.”)Of the companies surveyed, 35% own the domain
name for their brand followed by the word “sucks.” They include
Wal-Mart Stores, Coca-Cola, Toys”R”Us, Target and Whole Foods Market,
according to FairWinds. Some 45% of these domains have yet to be
registered by anyone. (FairWinds based its analysis on 1,058 domain
names for companies on the Global 500 and Fortune 500 lists.)The
study found that the majority of companies that do own these domain
names publish no content on them. Only a few marketers have started to
use the domains to try to tackle customer grievances. For instance, a
Web surfer visiting the Web site Loewssucks.com (a reference to the AMC
Theatres chain) sees a guest-satisfaction survey. Visitors to
Southwestsucks.com are directed to the customer-service page on
Southwest Airlines’ site, where they can submit official complaints.Starbucks
says that for all the gripe sites that exist, it has just as many fan
sites. “We appreciate that our customers and partners [employees] take
the time to share their thoughts about Starbucks. This feedback — good
and bad — ultimately makes us a better company,” a spokeswoman said in
a statement.While some of the gripe sites that remain in the hands of
critics have fizzled, others have grown bigger. Take
BankofAmericaSucks.com, which was started by former Bank of America
customer Jonathan Speigner nearly five years ago after a dispute with
the bank over a car loan. It now is home to thousands of postings, and
it calls itself the “Official Bank of America consumer opinion site.”Consumers
continue to post complaints on the site. One recent post from a user
named “Ripped_off” says: “BOA does not care about customers….BOA is a
disgrace to banking. I can pretty much relate to every complaint I’ve
seen on this site and others.” The site is mentioned in numerous blogs
and newspaper articles, and appears among the top 15 results on a
Google search for “Bank of America.”Even though Mr. Speigner’s
dispute with the bank over the loan is long settled, the
information-technology director at an Atlanta technology company says
he keeps up the Web site because it continues to draw traffic.Bank of
America says it sometimes visits the site to solicit feedback and
address consumer concerns. “We are always listening to our customers,”
says Jim Pierpoint, a vice president of corporate communications at
Bank of America. Bank of America notes it also devotes an area of its
own site to customer service. -
AuthorSeptember 5, 2008 at 3:51 PM
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