How NOT To Handle Public Relations

[Vigilante]

Reading through this is like watching a train wreck, or buying a ticket to a freak show. You really should't look, but it is just so magnetizing.

So... Fastlaners... lets use this as a reminder of how NOT to handle adversity in business. The old adage that the customer is always right has some merit to it. Bend over backwards to help people, and you will avoid unnecessary and personal escalations like this.

This Is The Most Epic Brand Meltdown On Facebook Ever


And if you want to see it live, the show is continuing on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/amysbakingco?fref=ts

 

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[Tom.V]

I have seen companies post retaliatory comments on Facebook, Angies List, and the sort before, but I have never seen anything this bad on a public forum. Yikes.

 

[Amail]

We need boots on the ground to check out this trainwreck. Anybody in Scottsdale brave enough to peek in and have a look? God Speed!

 

[Darius]

LMAO!!!

:smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol: :smilielol:

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Funny, we were just talking about these guys yesterday!

Here's the train wreck that Gordon Ramsey tried to fix...

[video=youtube;XQDtoHpAWhg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XQDtoHpAWhg[/video]

Anyone that refuses to listen to their customers and their market are doomed to fail. I imagine the restaurant will be busy due to its cult status, but I wonder how long that will last...

 

[Mrs. BRKb]

Wow, from Facebook below. Wonder if this is for real, or a seriously grandiose effort to deny responsibility:


Amy's Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro 14 minutes ago
Obviously our Facebook, YELP, Twitter and Website have been hacked. We are working with the local authorities as well as the FBI computer crimes unit to ensure this does not happen again. We did not post those horrible things. Thank You Amy &Samy

 

[Hypnos]

This Is The Most Epic Brand Meltdown On Facebook Ever

Did you read the part where they are starting a FAMILY?

They plan to have children and bring them up to think just like they do.

Wow.

 

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[Hypnos]

Amy's Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro 14 minutes ago
Obviously our Facebook, YELP, Twitter and Website have been hacked. We are working with the local authorities as well as the FBI computer crimes unit to ensure this does not happen again. We did not post those horrible things. Thank You Amy &Samy

Well, who knows in this case?

However, I have heard of many OTHER cases where people say they got hacked after posting unpleasant things.

It seems to be a common defense.

In fact, I think we should add it to the list of psychological defense mechanisms: internet hacking defense, when you realize your unwise comments are posted for the world to see -- for perpetuity. I think it's a combination of denial and projection with a technological twist.

~H

 

[AllenCrawley]

Funny, we were just talking about these guys yesterday!

Here's the train wreck that Gordon Ramsey tried to fix...

Haha, I actually watched this episode the other day. I was dumbfounded by her attitude, elitism, ignorance, stubbornness and her insistance of nothing was wrong. What a mess. I believe Ramsey said that was the first time he had to walk away.

 

[AllenCrawley]

I love how they've gained over 25,000 likes in the past 24 hours.

 

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[healthstatus]

Smells like a publicity stunt... or damage control and trying to turn bad decisions into sympathy...

 

[Twiki]

Ironic fact: one of the owners spent time in prison for identity theft, using other people's SSNs to open up lines of credit. And now, they don't allow their staff to handle money or run the register, because they don't trust anyone else ("everyone we've hired is lazy and steals from us"). I'm not a mental health professional but it's pretty clear there is some sort of personality disorder going on there. Positioning themselves as the victim, insisting that everyone is out to get them ("haters" etc.)... seems that even Ramsay and his producers knew that this is not just a case of stubborn owners, but genuinely unstable people. Even though the episode is over, at least we can still enjoy the spectacle-making antics of such mentally ill people, via social media and reddit etc... "Are you not entertained?" Yes I am! :eusa_clap:

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Amy's Baking Company Bakery Boutique & Bistro 14 minutes ago
Obviously our Facebook, YELP, Twitter and Website have been hacked. We are working with the local authorities as well as the FBI computer crimes unit to ensure this does not happen again. We did not post those horrible things. Thank You Amy &Samy

Sure, and I have a bridge for sale...

 

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[Hypnos]

Ironic fact: one of the owners spent time in prison for identity theft, using other people's SSNs to open up lines of credit. And now, they don't allow their staff to handle money or run the register, because they don't trust anyone else ("everyone we've hired is lazy and steals from us"). I'm not a mental health professional but it's pretty clear there is some sort of personality disorder going on there. Positioning themselves as the victim, insisting that everyone is out to get them ("haters" etc.)... seems that even Ramsay and his producers knew that this is not just a case of stubborn owners, but genuinely unstable people. Even though the episode is over, at least we can still enjoy the spectacle-making antics of such mentally ill people, via social media and reddit etc... "Are you not entertained?" Yes I am!

Entertained? Yes, yes, oh yes!

This topic provided me with the most fun I've had in a l-o-n-g time!

This is one of my guilty little pleasures, I suppose.

It's "guess the personality disorder," and yes, I'm loving it! This should be required for psych students.

Anyway, I'm seeing lots of paranoia and delusion. They are argumentative and have volatile interpersonal relationships. They lie! And steal the tips from the waitstaff.

It's a good lesson for seeing disorder "in the wild."

Watch out when a business can't seem to keep employees (over 100 fired or quit?), or when "everyone" is lazy, difficult, or can't be trusted.

Unfortunately, business people sometimes don't see the signals that let them know someone else is a bad risk -- as a business partner or employee -- because they fall for the flash. It would be good to look back through those videos and find the red flags in both people. That would help us recognize those red flags in others.

I truly believe (watch out -- I'm getting visionary) that the reign of the disordered is coming to an end. Disordered people cost the rest of us money -- and time. We should all learn what to be cautious of.

 

[Twiki]

Yeah that episode and the aftermath is like a field day for amateur DSM-IV detective work.

Reminds me that a good book to study is "The Sociopath Next Door" by Dr. Martha Stout. Dr. Stout writes that after decades of studying sociopaths, the #1 reliable indicator is the "pity play", she notes that it almost universally the case that such people seek to provoke sympathy in others by presenting themselves as the victim... eg. Bernie Madoff in prison interviews makes it sound like he is the one who has suffered injustice.

Notice the main reason that the owner gives for the failing business: the horrible terrible deceitful evil hateful Yelpers, while she has God on her side, and is fighting the good fight on behalf of all small business owners.

Asides from Dr. Stout's work, another red flag that you can observe with the owners and Chef Ramsay is when the owners are very complimentary and flattering of the Chef at first (I guess it'd make sense in the context of the Kitchen Nightmares show), but they turn on a dime, at the drop of a hat, and the Chef suddenly becomes another "hater" just like everybody else.

That kind of unstable swinging of opinion is maybe reflected internally also by the intensity of their need to believe that they are adored --- despite Ramsay's poor meal experience, the owners insist that the everyboy loves their food and think it's the best they've ever had ("the real Yelpers, not the liars")... any hint otherwise is intolerable and unacceptable to unstable personalities.

I agree that studying and observing these kinds of red flags is very useful because getting entangled with such people is an absolute nightmare. Developing a spidey sense for this sort of thing is a good idea.

 

[DeletedUser2]

wow, just.....


wow.

like a plane wreck in Gopro SLow Mo...


waiting now, for the fireball...


Z

 

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[AndrewNC]

Before


After

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The increased likes is not unusual; who doesn't like front row seats to an ongoing train wreck?

 

[theag]

Funny, we were just talking about these guys yesterday!

Here's the train wreck that Gordon Ramsey tried to fix...

[video=youtube;XQDtoHpAWhg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XQDtoHpAWhg[/video]

Anyone that refuses to listen to their customers and their market are doomed to fail. I imagine the restaurant will be busy due to its cult status, but I wonder how long that will last...

So painful to watch..

 

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[michellepinto]

Gosh... that's a very bad lashing out. A brand must honor and look after its clients. People spend and their hard earned money and trust them to give good service, they should fulfill the expectations. Hence customer analytics is good way to go as it will let you know what your customers are expecting and how to respond to them.

 

[LibertyForMe]

Spreading your company through SPAM is also not a good way to handle P.R.....

 

[AllenCrawley]

Loved this comment from their page:

"If you sold a grilled cheese called Amy and Samy's meltdown, it would be epic!"

 

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[Hypnos]

This story continues to fascinate me for many reasons.

At the time I'm writing this, some of the first voices are being heard to let the story die before they get their own reality tv show.

Some people are also expressing a lack of interest -- their 15 minutes has stretched to over 48 hours, so let's move on now to the next thing.

At the same time, they've become a tourist attraction in Scottsdale. People want to see a dose of crazy.

However, they've now hired a PR expert and plan to reopen later in the month.

So I'm interested in observing the life cycle of a PR train wreck. Can they recover from it? Will they just go with the Crazy and rebrand themselves as "Crazy Amy's Bakery," as one PR expert suggested?

How long will people remain interested in a story like this?

In other words, how does this play out over the longer term in a mass psychology or social psychology kind of way?

What will the long-term message be?

Is it possible that there is really no public catastrophe you cannot recover from, short of child abuse or murder?

And if that's true, then it's quite encouraging for people looking to develop public visibility for the first time.

 

[The-J]

[video=youtube;kNwbjcuQUv8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNwbjcuQUv8[/video]

The Soup Nazi is based on a real person who runs a real soup shop. He's known as one of the "meanest men in America" and he often treats the customers like shit. He even banned Seinfeld from his restaurant after the Soup Nazi aired because he was offended.

The difference is, his food is actually good.

Amy's Baking Company seems to have both terrible food and terrible service and if they keep this up, the tourist attraction won't last. I bet people are only going there to be kicked out of the restaurant.

My question is: to all 10,000 of you who live in or around Scottsdale, have you ever been to this restaurant? How was the food and the experience?

 

[Arrabista]

I saw the Kitchen Nightmares episode last night on line. wow. It was painful to watch but i was riveted. Alot to learn here folks ,what i got out of it too was all the qualities NOT to have in a relationship, do not get with any woman who shows the traits of this lady, the man is not that endearing either by the way. Both were delusional,dishonest at the core,inauthentic in their interactions with each other ,did not LISTEN to anyone and were not willing to CHANGE or even entertain the idea that their "view" of reality could be questioned let alone be wrong...especially that lady ..man oh man
that was the deal breaker for Ramsay after 100 episodes of doing this show, they were not prepared to listen or change...so he walked away.
horrificly riveting !

 

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[Mrs. BRKb]

Gordon Ramsay's most difficult couple ever finally speak out on the death threats, the rows - and a scandal over unpaid tips: | Mail Online

What's the latest word in Scottsdale about all this? Did they have their new re-opening after the initial craziness?

 

[charlow]

lol "my wife is a jewel in the desert"

 

[Durete]

Customer is always right is the biggest nonsense ever. (Try working in the hospitality and say that, lol)
People are crap, and most of them have no people skills and are incredibly stupid.

However, they pay for your service and for your time, so you have to help them the best you can./give them the best time they can have.

But never forget the full ruleAs taught at my management degree.)

"The guest is king, but we remain the emperor"

 

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[Durete]

Customer is always right is the biggest nonsense ever. (Try working in the hospitality and say that, lol)
People are crap, and most of them have no people skills and are incredibly stupid.

However, they pay for your service and for your time, so you have to help them the best you can./give them the best time they can have.

But never forget the full ruleAs taught at my management degree.)

"The guest is king, but we remain the emperor"

 

[Durete]

Customer is always right is the biggest nonsense ever. (Try working in the hospitality and say that, lol)
People are crap, and most of them have no people skills and are incredibly stupid.

However, they pay for your service and for your time, so you have to help them the best you can./give them the best time they can have.

But never forget the full ruleAs taught at my management degree.)

"The guest is king, but we remain the emperor"