BT Customer’s YouTube Rant December 2, 2007
Posted by paulprdixon in : PR in the UK, Social Media , add a commentBT came under scrutiny earlier this week when one of its frustrated customers posted a video complaint on YouTube.
And obviously it worked. Within days he had received a response from the office of BT chairman Sir Christopher Bland and a full refund which he rightfully deserved.
BT obviously did the right thing by sorting the mess out as soon as possible. But its reputation took a hit in the British news - especially the tabloids.
BT - Riding the storm
The Sun Newspaper - Britain’s leading tabloid - made it one of their top stories for the day (at least on-line) informing readers that after scores of letters and hours spent on hold or speaking to staff at the BT call centre in India, Mr Askins decided to grab the attention of the company - and its customers - by venting his rage on the video website. Consequentially, Mr Askins received preferential treatment from BT’s top brass.
YouTube stories are increasingly popular for newspapers as they add a further dimension: anyone reading online can just click straight through to the video post, if it isn’t already embedded like it was for this story. Also, even if you reading your morning papers the old-fashioned way the chances are your computer is not too far away. With YouTube stories, newspapers can offer more than words and pictures.