File this one under, “what were they thinking?”
Once in a while we come across an organization that’s just plain asking for trouble. In this case, Wellston, Ohio’s First National Bank, whose president refuses to fully reimburse a woman after accidentally foreclosing on her home.
Oh, and did we mention that it’s not even owned by his bank? Check out these quotes from a TheBlaze.com article, penned by Becket Adams:
“Katie Barnett says that the First National Bank in Wellston foreclosed on her house, even though it was not her bank,” 10TV.com reports.
“They repossessed my house on accident, thinking it was the house across the street,” Barnett explained.
Barnett added that she was away when the bank decided to break into her home and take her things.
She said she had “to crawl through the window of her own house in order to get in after she used her own key that did not work,” the report adds.
The report notes that most of her belongings were “hauled away,” some sold and others trashed.
Now, if you were the bank manager, wouldn’t you be putting on your crisis management hat and practically groveling to erase this woman’s ire? She has a very much legitimate complaint, and the bank is clearly at fault, but what was his response?
She took her problem directly to the bank, presenting its president with a list totaling $18,000 for her stolen belongings.
He refused to pay.
“He got very firm with me and said, ‘We’re not paying you retail here, that’s just the way it is,’” Barnett said. “I did not tell them to come in my house and make me an offer. They took my stuff and I want it back.”
Here’s the thing…even if you REALLY didn’t want to pay this woman, anyone who’s been in business long enough to become the president of ANYTHING should know that she has an open-and-shut case. In fact, a competent lawyer can (and probably will) not only make sure Barnett gets retail price for her belongings, but also nail the bank with a heavy settlement for suffering, legal expenses, and the like. Of course, on top of that will be the added reputation damage for both the bank, and the president himself, who we would expect to be searching for another job sometime in the near future.
Making mistakes can be very expensive, but refusing to do the proper crisis management after is guaranteed to be more so. Do the right thing, or your organization could be the next one taking a well-deserved beating in the court of public opinion.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/