Comments on: In which it metaphorically hits the fan

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:50:25 +0000

Margot – Thanks for your input. I live in Indiana, and we thankfully have an anti-SLAPP law in place in my state. We haven’t heard anything else about it at this point, but it would be easy enough for her lawyer to draft an intimidating letter to us (even if they have no plans to pursue it) in the hopes that it would be enough to scare us into removing the review.

We know (and if the lawyer is worth his student loans, he will, too) that this suit wouldn’t have a prayer of making it to court. I’m confident we could draft an intelligent enough letter to a lawyer letting him/her know that we understand the anti-SLAPP law, and that we’re prepared to file a motion to dismiss the suit on that basis. I think that would be the end of it, if it’s not over yet. The nice thing about the anti-SLAPP law is that if she DID pursue it, once the case was dismissed, she’d be responsible for our legal fees. I agree with you that she probably wouldn’t want to pursue it, and even if she did, it would be dismissed.

We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, but I’m hoping this is the end of it. If she lets it go, then I’m happy to let it go. I said my piece on the review, and I did update it to include a note about her threatening phone call, because I agree — it’s likely she’s done this before and will do it again, and others should know it.

By: margot

margot — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 03:37:59 +0000

1) First, I wouldn’t worry about the vet or about needing a lawyer. She’s just bluffing. She’s used to being a blow-hard as a means of intimidating people. I’m sure she’ll fade away. She can’t possibly want to spend money on a pointless lawsuit. If bad reviews were illegal, a million websites and newspaper and magazine book, movie and restaurant reviewers would have been shut down already.

2) I’d go back to your review and add an update reporting what the vet did in response to your review. Anyone reading your review should know this. Her bad behavior should not be shielded. And if she’s done this to you, she’s done it to others who left a bad review, so best to let people know what her tactics are.

3) Because she deserves it, and as others have suggested, perhaps you want to find other ways to highlight her unethical intimidation tactics and her poor vet work. I’d report her to the BBB. I’d also report her to whatever the national and local vet associates are. That’s the most powerful way to do things. And I’d consider contacting media and leaving other reviews in relevant places.

4) On the tiny chance that she does sue you, I’m 100% sure you won’t actually need a lawyer. (And I am a lawyer.) You can win the lawsuit yourself on summary judgment – that means that the other side has no valid legal argument, so the lawsuit is dismissed before it even goes anywhere. I (and others on here) as well as the internet could tell you what to put in a motion that you could easily write.

By: Angie

Angie — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:27:19 +0000

Contact the BBB.

By: d

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:12:25 +0000

Karen,
You also have the opportunity to report her to the Better Business Bureau.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:46:57 +0000

My sister had a run in with a lady like this. She threatened to sue my sister for a bleach stain on the counter of the bathroom that my sister had cleaned. She called my sister for a few weeks and then just stopped when my sister stopped answering the phone. The thing is, people like this are just bullies. They are hoping to scare you enough that you will do what they want. She has no intention of actually suing you. She’s just using scare tactics to try to get her way. Don’t try to reason with her because you can’t reason with people like this. My advice would be not to talk to her at all. Just don’t answer the phone when she calls. Just ignore her and she’ll eventually give up and go away.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:04:21 +0000

You’re such a better person than I am. I would be editing the review — to let people know that after reading the review, the vet called and harassed me, threatening to sue. Oh, and just as a sidenote, you might want to keep a recorder handy. After all, it is legal to record any conversation as long as one of the parties involved knows it’s being recorded (so my lawyer father-in-law has told me). You never know, it could come in handy. But honestly, stand your ground. She has no right to treat you this way. And if a vet had treated my dog like that, you’d better believe I’d be telling people about it.

By: M

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:31:29 +0000

Just laughing here. Or you can amend the review to say that she had called you to harrass you for writing it. That she had tracked you down and yelled at you. (Be calm and factual). So not only will you get bad service at this vet’s , if you complain, you get harrassed.

By: M

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:03:38 +0000

Can you find a way to make this a win-win? Tell her that you’d be happy to change the review if she can find a way to satisfy you as a customer, ie. make amends, refund your money, give you a free grooming, whatever it is. (People (including vets) make mistakes, or have bad days. That’s a shame, but it is HOW you rectify mistakes that separates out the wheat from the chaff) If she refuses to budge and refuses to find a solution to your poor customer experience- the review stands. Or you can amend it to say, that you had given her a chance to have you amend the review more favorably, but she didn’t take you up on her offer.

By: Bobbi

Bobbi — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:13:05 +0000

Wow, she much have plenty of time on her hands. :( I’m sorry she is causing all this trouble. Must be something in the water with the vets lately. My friend took her cat to a new vet and asked him to clean out her ears and the vet refused and said that my friend could do it. He said the cat was not cooperative and he would not touch her. He had the nurse do the shots because the cat ‘was not happy’. I wouldn’t be happy either if someone was giving me a shot, but this is the mans JOB. Something in the water for sure. :( Good luck.

By: Lynne

Lynne — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:17:46 +0000

Hi there
I just happened to see your blog post while looking for something about living with less. Anyway, the only reason I am writing this is because we recently got to experience the court system up close and personal. Although I am probably old enough to be your mom, your age doesn’t make you less important. But what I have been through when it comes to things like people yelling at you and possibly doing something to hurt your new little family, well..I guess if it was me after knowing what I know can happen when you go to court…to me it would not be worth it. We went through a grueling 3 year nightmare over a lemon law lawsuit. We told the truth. The dealership got technicians to lie. Their lawyer lied. They won on a very tiny technicality. Justice in court? There isn’t much anymore. Justice in life? There is plenty. This world has a law of compensation. What goes around comes around. I would remove the review and just use the biggest campaign of word of mouth you have ever seen. Tell the guy next door, tell all your friends who have dogs. Eventually, it will spread like a virus. And if what you do doesn’t make a difference, her own life’s justice will get her in the end. The people who lied on the stand in our case only hurt themselves. They have to live with the one in the mirror. I get to see someone in the mirror who was honest. And our share of the court costs? 26 thousand dollars. Luckily we were able to get them to waive court fees if we didn’t file an appeal or request another trial. If we had not gotten them waived and refused to pay, they would have put a black mark on our credit and a lien on our house. Sorry for going into so much detail about my own life but I am truly talking about your life. Let her go from your life. If I was your Mom, that is what I would say. Take it easy in life. It is too short. thanks for hearing me out, and leave the dufus to her own screwups. She’ll get hers in the long run. And you won’t even have to be involved in her demise. Happy life. Lynne