Horse and Hound, Above the Law ?

The best way is to run a great company serving your customers well then you never have an issue and if you do there are lots of satisfied customers around to defend you.
It's great to keep lawyers in work helps to pay for villas In Tuscany , children's in private schools etc etc .
But truly IMO you must have more money than sense , and I can think of no sensible reason for you to post this vaguely threatening unpleasant post .
Please go away .
 
Personally I think it's good that we the consumer, are kept informed of people or companies that are rogue or give very bad service. If I gave bad service or sold dodgy products it would serve me right if somebody bubbled me! Our money is hard earned, and it makes me madder than a we then when people think they can rip you off or con you out of it and think they can get away with it. I really hope horse and hound don't stop these posts and like was previously said, if it's untrue what's being said, then that's a different matter entirely, but if it is, we all deserve to be well warned!
 
gemstoneflyer13 said:
I have started legal proceedings for this matter however was just wondering what peoples views are on publicly expressing their opinions on companies/business's.
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If a business/company has provided a good service then surely they have nothing to worry about? Those who are slated on here, are usually so for a good reason and one has to hope that they try to put things right. When you see the same dealers and equestrian goods businesses being discussed on here, with 10s or 100s of people listing their bad experiences, that isn't one person libelling them. A decent business would take a good look at itself in that situation and hopefully change its practices. I think that people are realistic enough to realise that anyone can have a bad experience, any company can get something wrong, and if it is rectified then there is no issue.
 
Good luck with your case OP. Will you also be challenging Trip Advisor, Booking.Com and Expedia as well in your quest for the gagging of reviews and customers experiences ?

There are many examples of good companies on this forum with excellent feed back, it works both ways. Reputations have to be earned.

And I still don't like horse's in pyjamas.
 
RaposadeGengibre said:
Its not another season of garment Eastenders, is it?
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I think it's someone who's more recently been having customer problems on here - although I stand to be corrected on that. Posts are more literate than the other company but still with some glaring errors! At least they've found the spell check button though. :)
 
chestnut cob said:
I think that people are realistic enough to realise that anyone can have a bad experience, any company can get something wrong, and if it is rectified then there is no issue.
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I agree with this it's not that things go wrong that's the issue because in life things do go wrong it's what the company does about it that matters .
If a company behaves well and sorts the issue then I am happy .
 
OP mentions fledgling companies and is quite articulate so i wonder if they are possibly connected to the other company discussed recently - the one that is operated with no stock and that thinks four months is an acceptable time to make people wait for orders.

I echo the above points - if the reviews were good then you wouldnt be taking action and if your service was great there wouldnt be a problem!

I suspect that the 'legal action' mentioned is just a solicitors letter at this stage

Many forums do remove bad reviews but i am glad that H&H doesnt - it gives us a heads up or at least prompts us to make further enquiries so we can make an informed decision
 
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chestnut cob said:
If a business/company has provided a good service then surely they have nothing to worry about? Those who are slated on here, are usually so for a good reason and one has to hope that they try to put things right. When you see the same dealers and equestrian goods businesses being discussed on here, with 10s or 100s of people listing their bad experiences, that isn't one person libelling them. A decent business would take a good look at itself in that situation and hopefully change its practices. I think that people are realistic enough to realise that anyone can have a bad experience, any company can get something wrong, and if it is rectified then there is no issue.
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Exactly - no different to Tripadvisor. There are several hospitality owners/managers that are having to take long hard looks at their business because of repeated bad reviews. Many have tried to take on Tripadvisor to get the bad reviews taken down, but haven't won and the reason is because Tripadvisor feel that potential customers have the common sense to work out what is a genuine bad review, and a random bad apple report.

If you are who I think you are, then you did try, but you appear to have still not delivered (literally) the service to help smooth your customer's furrowed brows. Having had my own business, I know that you get so involved in it that having even one negative customer experience really rocks the boat and your confidence. You would be far better off investing the solicitor fees in clearing up the issues you have currently, sitting back, taking stock and starting again. You need to make a decision as to how much time you want to invest as there are very few businesses that are truly possible on a part time basis.
 
LadyGascoyne said:
This! And a lawyer I am! (Albeit not English law)

You NEVER discuss ongoing cases. This thread has the potential to be very damaging to any case you may have. The courts are not going to be impressed with an online mudslinging match, I'm afraid.

If you really do have a case, and this is not just an empty threat, then my advice is to delete this thread immediately.
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Sounds like good advice to me.
 
I must have missed all the fluster and bluster, if it is a company I bought some poor quality stuff off a few years ago and who were totally not interested in my feedback [ a complaint by phone] I think they deserve bad reviews. I am sure fb is worse.
Anyone should be aware that only solicitors make money from court cases.
 
I think sometimes so long as there is good communication, delays and errors etc can be excused and the customer can remain happy.

If a company is routinely giving bad customer service, then it is to be expected that people will complain- be it in a forum, social networking, blog or any other internet outlet.

When multiple people complain on a site like this, I highly doubt any legal proceedings for libel will be taken through the courts with success- OP would have to disprove those statements.

Hardly the way to turn a reputation around- another well known company has recently been getting much better feedback from many, saying quite delivery and good service, despite the awful reviews it had previously. THAT is the way to turn it all around.

Ax
 
gemstoneflyer13 said:
This is one of the many problems with this forum, people over react very quickly. I can stand the heat thank you very much however I don't believe that companies should have to worry about the continuous threat of bad press from forums such as these, especially fledgling companies.

Its allowing users to publicly put their side of the story across while all the company can do is just sit back and watch while their name gets thrown in the dirt. I have seen a few companies comment back and all it gets them is more grief for trying to provide solutions to a problem.
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Free speech .
The internet is powerful it's protecting consumers we can move fast and communicate quickly with lots of people you can also connect with people who have had the same experience which was very difficult in the past.
HHO will doing far more to promote products as it's one of the main ways I find out about new things is forum members posting about them .
 
All companies make mistakes and get the occasional bad review. It is a drop in the ocean and a good company will resolve any disputes and save their reputation swiftly.

We enjoy freedom of speech. That does not mean we are allowed to lie and that is clearly what you are getting at with your current action. Unfortunately, that brings with it what can be some very unpleasant proceedings unless you and your company are absolutely above reproach.

In order for you to prove that the words printed within the pages of theses forums are lies, you have to allow full access to all communications in and out of your company. That means that everything will be reviewed. You can't simply delete the ones you think might get you in trouble and only leave the ones where you have behaved impeccably. They will know. Every part of your business will be picked apart by the opposing legal team. They will also contact everyone they can find who has written a bad review or posted negative comments about your company anywhere and they will either gather evidence in support of their clients or, if you're unlucky, they may begin to gather additional clients and start a counter suit action against your company.

All of this will be in the public domain. Anyone will be able to walk into the court, if it got that far and follow the proceedings. That includes the media, so you need to think long and hard about how perfect your conduct has been in every communication, how fantastic your products have been, how wonderful your customer service has been and how diligently you have refunded any monies owed, dispatched items and dealt with genuine complaints.

Let me also say...the law does not like to be used. It is a tool that is available to those who have been wronged. It is not a tool for people to use when they are angry and wish to seek some sort of vengeance, especially not a company seeking to claim against individuals.

It's a very slippery slope when you decide to take this path. Your legal advisors will of course tell you that you have a strong case and you are more than likely going to come away the victor. They are always going to say this, for many reasons...the most common being that their clients don't usually tell them the whole truth, I know, the hypocracy!

By all means, if you feel you have a strong case and you have never failed in any way to provide excellent customer service, go ahead with the action.

Just remember...when you have opened a door like this, you can never close it behind you.
 
Whilst I think that companies that are giving poor service should be named and shamed, I do think one or two threads on here have made for rather uncomfortable reading. Especially when things start to get personal and people take it upon themselves to do some sleuthing into their personal lives etc. Not nice at all and rather sinister. But so long as the thread is kept factual and does not descend into personal insults, then I don't see why these types of threads should be stopped. We all need to know if we are likely to lose money, or receive poor service if we order from certain companies.
 
Having been involved in a defamation case some years ago, I can confirm that it is very difficult to prove.
Not only do defamatory statements have to be false, but it must be proved that such actions have seriously damaged the reputation of the person (as in altering the perception of others). In effect, you have to show that the reputation was good and was then damaged as a direct result of defamatory statements. It seemed that it was virtually impossible to bring a successful case if there was any question of 'blemishes' to reputation prior to statements being made. The person/company pursuing the defamation case would have to prove the strength of their reputation.

I was told that all of this was to stop people/companies over-reacting when faced with a bit of bad publicity.

Although I was successful, I would strongly advise against taking such action unless the case was rock solid and it was literally a matter of losing an entire livelihood.
 
The above is a sound and sober warning. Suing is not for the faint of heart, even if the case is clear cut.

Just one comment about 'free speech' though - it is not universal license to say what is on your mind. If you are challenged to onus is on you to prove what said was true, not on the challenger to prove you false. And if it's proven you are consciously trying to defame someone for personal reasons then there is every reason to expect trouble. This is even more the case when you publish the information, which is what putting it on a forum is. Truth is not always a secure defence and, as Twain said, 'Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins'.

In this case the OP is trying to fight fire with fire though. . .be careful you don't get burned.

All that said, the law is catching up with Facebook and forums. Don't assume everything you write just disappears into the ether
 
If you wanted to make this a genuine discussion thread rather than a sour dig OP perhaps you should have chosen a name that you dont use to showcase your browbands online. That seems to be a quality product supported by good service and a sucess on your part so i am not sure why youd want to link it to something like this??

Of course i may be wrong and i apologise if so but its a heck of a coincidence
 
Gosh what a thread OP! I haven't been in involved in any of the other threads mentioned... But surely if someone receives a bad service they have the right to tell people? You would have every opportunity to join in and apologise to those concerned and fix the problem should you want to... There ought to be a procedure in place so that each customer complaint (and yes you can't please everyone) causes minimum damage to the company.

Surely it's no different than someone leaving a bad review about a restaurant or hotel on trip advisor? It may be even better because through PMing the problem may be able to be resolved quicker!
 
This has escalated quickly. I can confirm that my company is not that mentioned in any of the above posts however I have read their particular threads and they seem to be experiencing a similar problem.

It is not that I believe in gagging public speech, however I do believe that the threads should not be allowed to turn into an argument as said previously eventually it gets personal and that should not be left to continue.

The matter is just up for discussion to hear peoples opinions on the matter if the shoe was on the other foot how would you feel ?
 
I am sick to the back teeth of these "lible/slander" posts from everyone. If you offer a bad service, people deserve to know. It has gotten to the point bad businesses are allowed to thrive because people are afraid to say they have had a bad experience! What ever happened to taking on criticism to make yourself better?!?!?! If a company is getting slated the best thing they can do is ask people what they would like to see done better then follow through with it. This bloody county has gotten far to politically correct and it is NOT a good thing!
 
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equi said:
I am sick to the back teeth of these "lible/slander" posts from everyone. If you offer a bad service, people deserve to know. It has gotten to the point bad businesses are allowed to thrive because people are afraid to say they have had a bad experience! What ever happened to taking on criticism to make yourself better?!?!?! If a company is getting slated the best thing they can do is ask people what they would like to see done better then follow through with it. This bloody county has gotten far to politically correct and it is NOT a good thing!
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This. Apparently we're not allowed to have an opinion anymore.
 
Why do people expect to provide an unsatisfactory service and then have people silenced in their complaints? If you don't want bad reviews - be professional. If you can't be professional - seize to operate.
Not rocket science.
 
gemstoneflyer13 said:
This is one of the many problems with this forum, people over react very quickly. I can stand the heat thank you very much however I don't believe that companies should have to worry about the continuous threat of bad press from forums such as these, especially fledgling companies.

Its allowing users to publicly put their side of the story across while all the company can do is just sit back and watch while their name gets thrown in the dirt. I have seen a few companies comment back and all it gets them is more grief for trying to provide solutions to a problem.
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I work in the hospitality and catering trade. Trip Advisor is a massive website for people to air their views, both good and bad.
How is posting an opinion on a forum any different or would businesses feel more comfortable if the comments were more contained in one place?
 
The point that Im putting across here, is not one that I think no one should be allowed to voice their opinions.

Like I said earlier people on this forum do over react to posts, you can gather this just by reading this thread. I originally asked for peoples 'opinions' on the matter, so I'm unsure how it could seem that I want to silence people.
 
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