In the restaurant entrance yelling irrupted.  The innocent young hostess was an incompetent “c%!t” who ruined a special evening.

The problem?  A group of 16 had a reservation that didn’t get recorded.  The restaurant was packed, so there was nowhere to put such a large group.

Pretty poor attention to detail, to be sure.  The hostess tried to fit in sincere apologies between being called shameful pejoratives for the female anatomy – even offering some free steaks and comp meals – but there was no salve for the irate leader of the group. It was later learned he was a bridegroom there with family, celebrating the upcoming nuptials.

The details of this guy’s relationship is where this story takes really strange turn.  They were revealed, in all places, in his online review of the restaurant.

Needless to say, the review was a 1 star tirade.  But the missed reservation – apparently – did far more than inconvenience the group.

In the hateful, shrill tone he’d used at the restaurant, the guy went on to describe how the events of the evening lead to a fight with his fiance that looked to spell the end of their relationship.

A missed dinner reservation ruined this guy’s life.  He finished his review with a threat to sue; having to walk up the street to another restaurant being such a grievance he deserved more compensation than a few steaks.

A woman at a salon walked out with a new style that was a daring change for her.  She thought she liked it, but as she looked herself over in the mirror later than evening, she was unsure.  Does it fit my face?  How does it look from the back?  Is that color quite right?

The next day she had a job interview.  She struggled through questions, giggling nervously as she realized her answers fell short.  She blinked too much as she tried to maintain constant eye contact, twice had to stop her feet from tapping, and at one point (kiss of death) looked at her watch.

She didn’t get the job.  She felt off that whole interview.  And who was to blame?  The hairstylist.

In an online review, she blamed her poor confidence levels in the interview on her new hairstyle. This was not what she wanted, and now her dream job fell through as a result. Her career path was destroyed.  She threatened to sue.

These are examples of scapegoat reviews.  They’re not just scathing.  They blame the business for problems that clearly go beyond the impact the service/product could have.

These reviews have a tendency to end with the threat of a lawsuit.  The more frivolous the grounds, the more anger in the threat .

Most client service business get hit with these reviews on occasion.  We’ve had a few at Marketing 360®, in the same kind of tone.  A marketing campaign didn’t just fail to meet expectations, it drove the business owner to ruin.  Because of a couple grand spent on some marketing collateral, the entire business went belly-up.

Reality check:

It could be that the bridegroom’s relationship failed because of his raging temper and misogynistic attitude.

It could be the woman didn’t get the job because she wasn’t qualified – and knew it.

It could be that the business failed because the owner had no plan, budget, or long-term preparation for building out his business.

Or, in all three cases, it could be that the individuals involved are angry, insecure, disorganized people who struggle to work with others.

For businesses that mainly have excellent reviews, the scapegoat review is a blow-off.  Don’t waste time thinking about it. People make mistakes; things don’t always go as planned.  But when the client blames you for serious problems in their lives, you know you have someone who’s venting, looking to lay blame elsewhere for their issues.

And don’t worry about being sued.  “I’ll sue your ass!” is the desperate, last threat of impotent anger looking for a scapegoat.

P.S.  Most of the reviews for Marketing 360® are excellent.  Check them out.