Be careful what you tweet for...

Twitter is all about sharing news and opinions.  Therefore, it’s understandable that many of us turn to the real-time online network to vent our frustrations when services, products or providers let us down.

Even I’ve done it – as a sporadic tweeter – when left stranded in my car with poltergeist windscreen wipers that were determined to either burn a hole in the glass or drain my car battery.  It didn’t get me anywhere though; the tweet went unnoticed, or ignored, by my ironically termed ‘roadside rescue’ service. And so I was left, un-rescued, to juggle with the car handbook, fuse box and torch to end the squeaky misery.

For post grad law student Mark Leiser his complaint on Twitter this week certainly prompted a reaction.  Waiting for a delayed easyJet flight and feeling sorry for an armed forces passenger, Mr Leiser turned to Twitter: “Flight delayed 90min. Soldier going to miss last connection & @easyjet refusing to help pay for him to get to Portsmouth. Get right into em!”

The 113 character tweet resulted in airport staff approaching Mr Leiser, as he waited to board the plane, and telling him he couldn’t fly.  The staff claimed it was because of that tweet – did they deem it as disruptive behaviour or was the ‘get right into em’ threatening?  Eventually, Mr Leiser was allowed to board, but only after pointing out his right to free speech and referring to his status as a law student.

easyJet’s response to the incident certainly begs questions, particularly around staff protocol on social media.  Companies and their staff need to brace themselves for criticism and be on hand to respond quickly and appropriately.   

But here is a lesson also for Mr Leiser and other tweeters out there – be careful what you tweet for, the written word can all too often be misinterpreted.

Sam Kandiyali

Director