The term “catfish” has been co-opted. No longer reserved for a delicious low-mercury dining option, it has become an epidemic of online socialization, with consequences that range from irritating to downright horrifying. And now, the phenomenon is spreading out from faux-Tinder hotties to businesses. Some unscrupulous companies are capitalizing on a fast-paced internet outrage cycle to shirk accountability and renege on promises to their customers. There are several ways a company can catfish you, whether it’s:
- Disguising “pulling a fast on on you” with customer service”.
- Taking, um, certain “creative liberties” with product images.
- “Negotiating” with you on services you didn’t receive.
- Making promises they can’t keep, a fatal mistake when a promise is the bedrock of trust with customers and one of the most significant distinctions a brand can make.
- The big Kahuna of catfishing: not having a viable product at all (most recently and spectacularly demonstrated by the train wreck of Theranos, a consumer health company positioned to be Silicon Valley’s next unicorn—until it came to light that their “revolutionary” technology was pretty much non-existent.
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To read our full article and hear how Comcast is a catfish contender, click here.