How Blogging Crashed Dell's Reputation?

Few years back, in 2005, Dell's customer named Jeff Jarvis, had launced complain in his blog called "the buzz machine". Over the summer, Jarvis began writing about his lengthy quest to fix a $1,600 computer, an ordeal he said included countless e-mails, some unanswered, and phone calls to Dell's customer-service line. He even called it "Dell Hell" (that is now popular to used by those who dislike Dell) because of his anger.

People's responses about his complain on his personal blog was stunning! Two days after he published his complain on his blog, Business Weeks magazine and New York Times newspaper had published his complaint on its news!!! Guess what next, everybody talk about Dell and their sales has dropped significantly afterward. One complaint in blog (not newspaper or magazine) had destroyed Dell's reputation!

Afterward, Jeff Jarvis has more influence over people’s perceptions of Dell’s customer service than Dell does - so much influence that the paper claims, “Any attempt to redress the public perception of their customer services by Dell will have to pass via Jeff Jarvis’ influence.”
If there was ever a time for Dell to enter the blogosphere, it would be now. But as Clickz.com reports, the company is doing what you should never do in the blogosphere: stonewalling. “Dell shut down its online customer forum shortly after the postings unfolded. The company’s sales have dropped, and in October of this year, Dell issued a profit warning for the year.” (http://blogbusinesssummit.com/2005/12/jeff_jarvis_off.htm)

Isn't that awesome that somebody with his own personal blog, can affect a highly respected company like Dell, turn around customers perception about Dell, and crashed its reputation? Never take your customers complaint lightly, they can crashed your company reputation in just few minutes, even though you had a great reputation in the past, just like Jeff Jarvis did!