I’ve been online long enough to remember the famous 1993 cartoon, where one dog is talkingïto another dog. He says, On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. It’s an internet classic. The joke is that anyone can post anything online.
Well, 26 years later and we still (and always will) have people who take to their keyboard and write without thinking. Fortunately, complete privacy is no longer (and probably never was) possible.
Last weekend, we received a one-start Google + review from Anela Bonafede. Her review is attached to her name, so I did not have to do any detective work. I have never met her, nor have we provided business services to the company any for which Anela works.
Her review was, “Refusing business because of possible competition with kayak businesses.” (one star)
I quickly connected this review to a call I had last week. A guy called and said that we were highly recommended by another business. He said he was in the kayak rental/tour business in Kealakekua Bay. I stopped him right away and told him that I probably couldn’t help him because I was already working with a tour company at the Bay. I had a handshake agreement that I wouldn’t work with competitors of my client for marketing work, but I would for signage.
My client has become very successful, partly because of the work we have done for him. He also runs a great business. Given that there are only a few businesses working (legally) in that area, growth can only come from taking customers from another business. That is, the pie is only so big and to get a bigger piece of it would require someone else getting a smaller piece.
Helping a competitor would mean taking business away from an existing client.
We are unwilling to do that. We agreed�for good reason�not to do that. End of story.
So, our one-star review from Anela Bonafede (who I don’t know) is because Kona Impact will not engage in unethical behavior. I am very proud of this one-star review.
I ask Ms Bonafede the following:
- If Kona Impact was willing to cheat an existing client to help you, don’t you think we’d do the same to you eventually? Why would you want to work with a business that didn’t keep its promises?
- Do you run the kind of business that doesn’t honor agreements? If so, why would Kona Impact want to work with you?