Stay Away From Potential Clients Who Give Bad Online Reviews

Bad reviews can be petty, vindictive, or downright crazy -- and almost impossible to remove.

internet online troll angry man typing on keyboardIf you have an account with online review sites, they may allow potential clients to contact you. They may ask all sorts of questions or even request to meet with you. If these potential clients have a profile, you may want to see how they review other businesses because after reading them, you might have second thoughts about working with them.

I recall one potential client who asked me for an appointment to discuss his issues. When I clicked on his online profile, I noticed that he gave a number of bad reviews that seemed questionable. For example, he one-starred several restaurants because he didn’t like the taste of the food or the decor. He one-starred several professionals because they didn’t give free consultations or didn’t give the results he wanted.

I decided not to work with him. I think I told him I was too busy. I might have referred him to someone I can’t stand.

For most small law firms that handle primarily consumer law, a lot of our clients find us online. So our internet reputation is very important. Attorneys do not get a lot of reviews because we don’t get the same volume of clients compared to a supermarket or a restaurant. So even one review can have great impact. A bad one can stick out like a sore thumb and cannot be easily drowned out by a multitude of good reviews.

Also, when most people read online reviews, they tend to skim over or ignore the favorable reviews. But they pay particular attention to the bad reviews. I must admit, I do it too.

The problem with bad reviews is that some are petty, vindictive, or downright crazy. If a lawyer blew a deadline, didn’t communicate regularly, dishonestly billed or was outright incompetent, he probably deserves a bad review. But is it fair to give a bad review because he didn’t like the lawyer’s hourly rate or flat-fee billing structure? Or because the resolution of their case took longer than they anticipated due to factors outside the lawyer’s control?

Unfortunately, businesses will have great difficulty getting a negative review removed. Online review companies generally do not control how their users write reviews. They rarely remove negative reviews at a business’s request even if the business can prove the review is false or stupid. And courts are generally friendly to reviewers, citing the First Amendment or the Communications Decency Act.

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All of this gives a great incentive for businesses to avoid potential clients who are likely to leave bad reviews if they are not happy for any reason.

By reading a potential client’s review history, that can tell you a lot about their personality, their likely expectations from you, and whether you will be a good fit for their needs. If they give a lot of bad reviews, you’re likely to get one too if you don’t meet their expectations. If they complain about money, then they are likely to be a moocher. If they constantly complain about long wait times, expect that client to demand a resolution within a certain (and probably unreasonable) timeframe. If they give bad reviews for stupid reasons, expect them to do the same to you.

Some might say that the solution is to simply treat our clients in a manner that would avoid a bad review. After all, we’re in a service business and it’s all about the clients, right? However, in small-law world, there are times when we cannot perform the miracle they expect. If a potential client comes into my office holding a severed head in one hand and a rusty saw in the other, I can’t be expected to bring that headless soul back to life. The most we can do is minimize the client’s damage.  Also, circumstances change during the course of the representation, which means that my original predictions are no longer good.

I mentioned that the simple answer is to avoid working with these potential headaches. However, I understand that some cannot afford to turn down a time- and resource-consuming client so long as they can pay. Also, others might have the skill and patience to meet their high-maintenance clients’ needs. All I can say is do so at your own risk but treat them well regardless.

If a potential client reaches out to you through an online review site, as part of your due diligence and case review, check out how they review businesses. If they have a history of giving negative reviews for bad reasons, avoid representing them if possible and refer them to someone who may be a better fit. The small, short-term revenue loss will mean nothing compared to the possible long-term reputational harm if you become the disgruntled client’s next target.

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Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached by email at sachimalbe@excite.com and via Twitter: @ShanonAchimalbe.