As Solicitors we are always encouraged to settle disputes ,as soon as we can, if an advantageous deal can be reached for our client.
However today I want to talk about a means of resolution which is pre mediation or pre Letter of Claim.
Brand names ,large stores and big business have an online presence worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
They invest large sums of money in keeping their names at the front of our minds.
The one thing they cannot abide is online criticism or ridicule of their name and they go to great lengths to protect their names and images.
That is why they inevitably have Twitter accounts and teams of tweeters monitoring the Internet on the hunt for disgruntled customers venting their spleen.
Twitter is an excellent forum to show that they are caring and kind to their customers.
It is also the opportunity to scour Twitter for positive publicity which can enhance their brands.
I myself have found what a useful tool this Twitter presence is.
I have had cause to moan on three occasions over the last 18 months for some funny but trivial things.
Last year I took a picture of a pigeon inside my local Sainsburys perched on the sign for the beer aisle.
Within 30 minutes my reference to an alcoholic pigeon resulted in Sainsburys tweeting me to apologise and stating that they would contact the store. (This left me with an imagine of Nad hatter Mcvittie hanging offending employees out on meat hooks in the freezer backroom!)
Yesterday I posted a picture of a package of Sainsburys raspberries wrongly labelled as Strawberries.
Once again I received an immediate apology with a further threat to contact the store.
A few weeks ago my wife and I wanted to cancel an In store organised delivery before the goods were delivered.
The store stated we had to go to the store to obtain the refund on the credit card we had used to pay.
Yet soon after complaining on Twitter the matter was resolved and repayment was organised over the telephone.
Yes it is good to complain on Twitter but ,whatever you do,do not curse,libel or slander big business because they have the ability to take legal action against you and far greater ressources!
