Would you respond to this insult?

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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

I won't bore anyone with the details. One of my ex-tenants made the following post on her facebook page and inundated me with long, rambling text messages claiming her attorney was going to take me down. Yes, she is an unemployed 19-year-old that can't afford $600 rent but she apparently has an attorney on retainer. It's a classic move.

My question: would you respond to a post like this? She made it on her personal facebook page but it is visible to the public. I already have my answer but I'm curious to see how others have responded.

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Scott Mac

Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes

====================

Sorry you were unhappy with your renting experience at American West.

In the future we hope you find a place where you can be more happy.

The Management and Staff at American West.

===================

(No personal signature, no personal account used.)

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Anthony Hurlburt
Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2016 · 199 posts · 190 votes
6y
Yes, I would respond. In today's world reviews are very important and a non response usually will feel like an admission to the general public.
21 Reply
Kathy Johnson
Real Estate Professional · Hayfork, CA · Member since 2015 · 231 posts · 212 votes
6y
I wouldn't respond because she is warning other landlords about what a problem she is on her facebook.
21 Reply
Scott Mac
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
6y
====================
Sorry you were unhappy with your renting experience at American West.
In the future we hope you find a place where you can be more happy.
The Management and Staff at American West.
===================
(No personal signature, no personal account used.)
41 Reply
Andrew B.
Rockaway, NJ · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
I wouldn't respond. People tend to see when something is obviously a rambling pile of word vomit, as opposed to a well thought out review of a negative experience. I'm curious to see what your decision actually was.
10 Reply
Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Anthony Hurlburt:
Yes, I would respond. In today's world reviews are very important and a non response usually will feel like an admission to the general public.

If it were a review on a public page, I would agree. This was a public post made on her personal facebook page. We're a small community, I know a lot of people, and it was pointed out to me. I had to go to her page to see it so it's not shared on a public forum like a business review would normally be.

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Andrew B.:
I wouldn't respond. People tend to see when something is obviously a rambling pile of word vomit, as opposed to a well thought out review of a negative experience.

I'm curious to see what your decision actually was.

I decided it was a "private" communication intended for her like-minded "friends" and not for the general public. About a dozen people piled on and all of them are non-customers, former customers that are upset they lost their deposit for failing to pay rent or trashing a rental, and one former employee.

Because it was limited to a personal page, I didn't do anything except to take screen shots and add it to her file. If it were on my business page or some other public forum, I would have responded with facts and taught her a lesson.

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Jill F.
Investor · Akron, OH · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
I wouldn't respond to her fb rant either but if another landlord called me for a reference, I'd send them a copy of that rambing rant and my response.
14 Reply
Irina Belkofer
Real Estate Broker · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2017 · 719 posts · 658 votes
6y
It takes two to create a fight. Until you’re not responding, it’s her problem.
As soon as you answer anything - it become yours.
Ignoring - is the best
25 Reply
Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
6y
@Nathan Gesner
Sadly, the reality of a landlord's having to maintain their reputation in a small town or in a close-knit neighborhood, in the age of social media, has expanded to many larger communities.
My first impulse would be to set out the facts of the matter from my perspective, along with the appropriate documentation. That's going to be a very long post, because this ex-tenant rambles like she's on drugs. Since it's on her page, if she doesn't agree with it, she can feel free to delete any response you might make. That's not helpful for you.
So my second idea might be to expose only the most glaring holes in her rant, of which I'm sure there are several, in a Facebook post on my own page.
Nobody likes being called a giant pile of dog feces for doing his job. But when they get personal, unless there's a gun involved, and of course 99/100 times there isn't, I don't respond. I've been called worse and I've certainly thought worse about myself.
I haven't been put in this situation on the kind of scale you're at, Nathan. I probably wouldn't do anything, in the end. The more you read the more obvious it is that she has problems upstairs and the more I'd suspect that an actual good tenant, one who signs pieces of papers with reasonable terms and follows them, would have no issues with you.
3 Reply
Matt M.
Realtor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Don't respond on her FB. She called you a thief and crook. Send a demand to have the post removed assuming she committed libel. Unless....you ARE a thief and crook;)
If she doesn't comply, then you could pursue small claims.
8 Reply
Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
6y
I would not respond. Idiots win every time! Thanks for the laugh @Nathan Gesner
1 Reply
Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Irina Belkofer:
It takes two to create a fight. Until you’re not responding, it’s her problem.
As soon as you answer anything - it become yours.
Ignoring - is the best

I thought the same. Things like this obviously impact me, but only for a second. Within two minutes of reading it, I decided that the best response is no response.
My son is friends with this poster's younger brother and they both admit she's bat-$h1t crazy. My son wrote her a long email tearing her claims apart and then asked me permission to send it to her but I told him to ignore it.
Not our circus. Not our clowns.
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Scott Mac
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:
... Not our circus. Not our clowns. ...

Post of the day!
10 Reply
Jennifer T.Pro Member
Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
6y
I agree, a posting on someone's personal FB page is an ignore. Responding at all is just going to give an unreasonable person more fuel to get riled up again and continues the rant. Though I could see that being more of an issue in a smaller town.
But if it were posted on a common public forum, like Yelp or something like that, then I would reply back with a short, factual statement that covers her most egregious claims.
If she's only 19 years old, I am cracking up that you're the "worst rental experience she's ever had".
3 Reply
Joe VilleneuvePro Member
Plymouth, MI · Member since 2013 · 13k+ posts · 19k+ votes
6y
Have your lawyer send her a demand for retraction, and sue her for her defamatory comments.
3 Reply
Jonathan R McLaughlin
Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Nathan G. I’d probably write out a devastatingly clever response and then delete it. No upside.
6 Reply
JD MartinBusiness Member
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Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
6y
LoL. I wouldn't even know it was there because I'm not on Facebook, which is really just a virtual open sewer these days. If you watch it long enough you're bound to see some turds floating by.

You might, however, be the insolent type 😋😉😂
PS: Not my circus, not my clowns - I love that and I'm stealing it!
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6 Reply
Ladè Baruwa
Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 90 posts · 122 votes
6y
@Nathan G. Not worth your energy.
2 Reply
Jonathan R McLaughlin
Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Nathan Gesner You may find this amusing and validating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
3 Reply
Joe P.
Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2017 · 824 posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Unless your business is impacted, I wouldn't respond. I firmly believe in this day and age, businesses provide great service, but sometimes the outcome doesn't satisfy the receiving party -- you can't be everything to everybody.
If you have otherwise fantastic reviews online, I wouldn't let one bring you down. If you have a ton of negative reviews, you might want to reconsider your practices. One person won't speak for many, but many can speak about one.
1 Reply
Account Closed
Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Nope. Nothing to say to any of that.
I think the issue of legal vs illegal entry is something. Perhaps you did a poor job of explaining this to her. I know the issue comes up for me and I always remind myself to do a better job of explaining it at signing. Certainly an important issue that is easily misunderstood, one where I believe it is important for a prospective tenant to understand in no uncertain terms before they sign, for good measure and smooth relations for all.
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Jennifer T.:
I agree, a posting on someone's personal FB page is an ignore. Responding at all is just going to give an unreasonable person more fuel to get riled up again and continues the rant. Though I could see that being more of an issue in a smaller town.
But if it were posted on a common public forum, like Yelp or something like that, then I would reply back with a short, factual statement that covers her most egregious claims.
If she's only 19 years old, I am cracking up that you're the "worst rental experience she's ever had".

LOL! Exactly!

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Joe Villeneuve:
Have your lawyer send her a demand for retraction, and sue her for her defamatory comments.

Not worth the money or trouble. She's a stupid kid. Her friends commenting on the post are all stupid kids. The only one over 25 was a woman in her late 40's that used to work for me and was fired after costing us a lot of lost time and money. Now she's apparently biding her time by yucking it up with teenagers. It's a classy bunch!

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
Nope. Nothing to say to any of that.
I think the issue of legal vs illegal entry is something. Perhaps you did a poor job of explaining this to her. I know the issue comes up for me and I always remind myself to do a better job of explaining it at signing. Certainly an important issue that is easily misunderstood, one where I believe it is important for a prospective tenant to understand in no uncertain terms before they sign, for good measure and smooth relations for all.

Our lease is clear:
RIGHT OF ENTRY AND INSPECTION. Landlord has the right to enter the Premises for performing inspections inside and out, making repairs, alterations or improvements, in the case of an emergency, due to abandonment, or pursuant to a court order. Except in cases of an emergency, Landlord shall give reasonable notice of intent to enter and the reason for entering. If you have animals, they must be crated, on a leash, or removed from the property during any visit by Landlord or his Agent. Visits may be recorded with video and/or photographs for office records. Landlord may place signage on the Premises or show the Premises to perspective renters or buyers during the last thirty (30) days of occupancy or any time the property is listed for sale.
When she failed to let the contractor in the second time, I texted her to let her know that we would schedule a third attempt. If she failed to allow entry, we would enter without her and complete the repair. Texting is her only form of communication so I know she saw it.
She acts as if she was in danger or that the contractor was in danger of being shot. Interesting claim since she later admitted she hadn't been in the home for two weeks.

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Nick Rutkowski
Rental Property Investor · Ithaca, NY · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@Nathan G.
Turn it into a meme.
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