Annoying News
-
PayPal Gets an F: How not to handle a social media PR Crisis
Today a group of unhappy customers started a PR campaign to encourage people to close their PayPal accounts.
Paypal have failed to mount any kind of response as of the time of this writing.
How the campaign to shut paypal down started
As far as I can tell the tweet to start it all off was:
Follow @AnonymousIRC
@AnonymousIRC
If @LulzSec called for a #Paypal boycott it would make way more damage than any LOIC attack could ever do. Is that a felony? #AntiSec ReplyRetweetFavorite@AnonymousIRC wondered if @Lulzsec calling for a boycott of Paypal would have a significant impact on the company.
This tweet was followed up by a post on Pastebin, also by AnonymousIRC, putting forward the case against Paypal.
Some minutes later (or before… can’t easily work out which came first) @anonymouSabu posted this:
Follow @anonymouSabu
@anonymouSabu
The Real Sabu Operation PAYPAL (#opPAYPAL) Cash out your accounts, and cancel them. Press release coming soon. Get the message out there. ReplyRetweetFavoriteThat seems to have gotten the ball rolling. With RTs and direct engagement of followers and followers of followers and so on the phrase #OpPayPal is trending.
Let me say it again.
#OpPayPal is a trending phrase on Twitter.
How PayPal responded
I have looked at several Paypal accounts on Twitter.
Here are a couple of examples:
The most recent Twitter posting from @PayPal, the account that should be taking charge of the official response to this PR campaign has not posted anything since July 14.
Follow @PayPal
@PayPal
@bezierwrangler @AskPayPal is on Twitter to help! ReplyRetweetFavoriteThe really telling thing about this posting is that was a response to another unhappy customer.
OK, so the official corporate account has no response and seems to be happy abdicating responsibility to another account. Here is how @AskPayPal have responded so far:
Follow @AskPayPal
@AskPayPal
Ask PayPal @LeBlanc13 @gocatgo1964 Please let us know if there is anything we can help out with. ^LC ReplyRetweetFavoriteWhich, interestingly, is another example of fobbing off an unhappy customer.
UPDATE:There are now reports that the page to cancel your PayPal account is no longer working.
It may be that the page is not working because the server is overloaded or because PayPal took the page down. Either way it is not good for PayPal.
PayPal social networking performance grade: F
No attempt to interact directly with their customers.
Either Paypal have no awareness of the campaign to undermine their business on Twitter or they do not believe Twitter users represent a significant threat to their business.
Either is a fail on the part of PayPal.
How could PayPal do better next time?
If a customer complains do not fob them off or blandly ask if you can help but respond directly to their concerns and attempt to engage them in a direct and open conversation about their issues.
If you upset a whole community take the time to properly respond. Put your case out there for your friends and foes alike. While nothing you say will make your enemies become your friends there is a good chance that if you take the time to address the issues, explain your position, and offer your enemies an opportunity to engage in a direct and open conversation you will keep the loyalty of your friends.
Reaction of PayPal customers to the boycott
The reaction has been mixed.
There are those who clearly support the aims of the boycott, such as:
Follow @odotm
@odotm
O.M #oppaypal is trending because people are tired of corporations siding with government against free speech. You cant bully us. We made you. ReplyRetweetFavoriteI spent some time trying to find a pro PayPal tweet. The best I could find was:
Follow @Oddly_Normal
@Oddly_Normal
A Bomb of Brilliance I’m pro #opPAYPAL. I think Anonymous should create their own version of PayPal. That way, we can DDoS the shit out of it just for the Lulz. ReplyRetweetFavoriteNow there are loads of tweets speculating the impact on the share prices when the market opens
Follow @Chri_Phoenix
@Chri_Phoenix
Christoph Phoenix @AnonymousIRC @Beast1333 @OpPayPal I really can’t until the stock markets open… ReplyRetweetFavoriteAnd many many PayPal customers who are a bit confused about it all and are actually helping to spread the #OpPayPal campaign simply because PayPal are not present in the conversation to help them understand that this is a politically motivated PR campaign.
Follow @Kayley_A
@Kayley_A
Kayley Almond WHATTT??!! someone tell me what this #oppaypal business is about, should I move all my money?? Help! I’m scared!
ReplyRetweetFavoriteSo, PayPal, for all of the above you score an F on your social networking activity, an F on your use of Social Media tools, an F on your social communications skills and an F on your customer service efforts.
-
life:
In late July 2011, the United Nations declared the ongoing famine the worst in 20 years. Some 11.5 million people have been affected by drought in the region, but the 270-percent inflation rate in Somalia has made it financially impossible for companies to import food and make a profit. Two regions of southern Somalia especially hard can claim a malnutrition rate of 50 percent, with 10,000 dying each day of hunger. And the famine’s effects have spread to neighboring countries. In Dadaab, Kenya, a refugee camp meant for up to 90,000 Somalis fleeing the famine has growing into the largest refugee camp in the world, at four times that population.
see more — Famine in Somalia
-
Leopard Attack in India: This adult male leopard mauled 11 people before dying from knife wounds after being captured. The animal reportedly wondered into the village; the forest guard pictured here was injured. (Via AP/Yahoo)
-
Our visual tribute to the space program as it winds down with the final shuttle set to land early tomorrow morning. From space walks, to the orbiting earth to some amazing space suits ala 1959 there are so many incredible images to remember.
Want more? Well here ya go!
