[iamed2]

I've only ever engaged on Twitter when companies do not provide an avenue for direct customer support in private, but this has become more and more important over the years. Twitter provides a platform for public shaming; if the company directs you to a private channel and doesn't respond effectively there, you can report back publicly that the company has failed to respond. The situation may be changing, but in the past this has resulted in internal escalation and my problem was resolved in a way that was not possible through official private channels (if those even existed).

IMO the best way to avoid publicly advertising when you've failed a customer is to provide a clear and effective private avenue for complaint resolution. Most people who are looking for a resolution will only resort to social media complaints when they're desperate, either because they can't figure out how to get help or they are being denied help and/or communication.

[chestnuttrees]

It’s an arms race of bad faith complaints leading to watered down responses, and mediocre responses leading to faux-outraged complaints, all involving a peanut gallery of online haters.

I agree with avoiding publicity (in this sense e.g by replying to online complaints or attacks, other than to redirect to a private channel), though I don’t like it.

[Terry_Roll]

When is a bad faith complaint not actually intelligence gathering to see what behind the scenes or non public safety/security measures they have in place to ensure they dont fall foul of bad faith complaints?

Social Media is a classic "if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear" spook ideology turned on the business sector, and various coping strategies are highlighted in this article.