AÂ few weeks ago we discussed a significant (and ongoing) customer service blunder by McDonalds. Â It appeared that a disgruntled employee had put something in a child’s milkshake. Â The parents are trying to find out what the something was, and McDonalds is refusing to tell them – only saying that it was a ‘store-related product.’ Â McDonalds has repeatedly tried to buy off the family, but has not come clean with the details the family is asking for. Â One can only assume that this is on the advice of a legal team who has put limiting liability over customer service.
Now, there’s a new story – this time with furniture giant Ikea.
For the last 8 years, an Ikea fan in Malaysia has run a popular site called Ikea Hackers. It’s filled with cool pictures of creative things you can do with Ikea products. Ikea’s response? They sent a cease and desist letter to him because it’s not their accepted way of putting products together. One can only assume again, that this is yet another heavy-handed legal team trying to limit liability, protect a trademark, or whatever.
Pretty hard to ask customers to be loyal to you, when a company isn’t prepared to be loyal to their customers.