The Sun newspaper had great fun poking fun at the UK's old enemy with its front page splash about a British holidaymaker whose stay on a Greek island was ruined by German tourists.
Brit's holiday from Helmut was every Sun journalist's dream come true. It allowed the paper to reignite the jingoistic flame and go to town with the nation's favourite stereotype including towels on sunbeds.
And while the Sun was lampooning the Germans, the holiday company involved was probably breathing a huge sigh of relief because the tabloid coverage had missed the point of the real reason why the story came about.
The original article was published in the Stoke Sentinel (the day before it was splashed in the Sun) a result of a reporter covering the court case where David Barnish was awarded compensation from the tour operator.
Mr Barnish claimed a breach of contract because all the literature pertaining to the booking failed to mention that the hotel was geared up for Germans.
But what actually ruined the holiday was the appalling customer service from the tour operator. Mr Barnish has since said that the ineffective resolution of his complaint was the reason he took legal action.
And that's the killer. The company could have avoided any headlines if it had dealt with the complaint efficiently and effectively in the first place. In PR terms we have seen it time and again: if minor gripes had been nipped in the bud by better customer service then some companies wouldn't get themselves in the pickle.
Some of the world's biggest brands have customers who have become a real thorn in their side and sparked such things as internet hate sites which are a very public and damaging reminder that corporations have nowhere to hide from the people they upset.
The answer is simple. Good PR always starts with good customer service. But if you get it wrong, try and find anything Germanic as a fall guy!
Paul
hello@octopuspr.co.uk 
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