For questioning this company on Facebook

[Comefromaway]

A dog walking/sitting company have just put some pictures on my local Facebook group.

I am actually looking for such a company as fil who currently dog sits for us when we are at work or on holiday is getting more inform and we would also like to take fil away for the weekend too.

The pictures are of 5 dogs who I assume are clients in various places. They are all off the lead in what looks to be public places (I recognise one place as it's somewhere I walk my dog) but a couple of pictures show them all running loose on what seems to be a sports pitch (there are white lines and goal posts). So I asked is that a football pitch they are on? Another person came on and commented on them being off lead and I said yes and mentioned that I knew that NARPS guidelines recommend a max of 4 dogs to one walker.

The company and one of their clients have both replied accusing me of spreading untrue, negative comments and saying if I had any issues I should have private messaged them. But I made a public comment/asked a public question on their public post in a group I am a member of.

AIBU?

Op so you dont know how many people where behind the camera then?

@Comefromaway

I have since found out that dogs are prohibited from play areas, playing fields and certain church yards in my area.

Why don't you message and ask which playing field they were on? They'll only be banned from council-owned ones

YABU.

It's really unnecessary to post comments like that on social media - if you were genuinely concerned, you could have PM'd them and spoke to the walker privately about it.

You also don't know where the pitch is - many are marked but are part of a larger green space, and therefore dogs are allowed there. It's also possible the waker has an agreement with the owner of the space and is allowed to walk there providing he/she picks up all the mess.

Not that you need to know where they were - you're not going to use them anyway

I used to run a local business. I ran classes for kids. Say I had posted a picture of a class on facebook and someone put. Why are you posting pictures of children I would respond, thank you for asking, only children whose parents have given written permission are used for our pictures etc and we use first names only etc etc.

Or if someone said, that looks like a lot of children in that group I would say, we have a child/teacher ratio of 2:16

All perfectly valid things for a potential customer to ask.

@girlmom21

Not that you need to know where they were - you're not going to use them anyway

I'm not now, but I might have if they had responded appropriately.

Well you wouldn't because I'm against people allowing their dogs to run free on kids sports pitches apparently

But it might not have been a sports pitch. It might be a piece of land that used to be a sports pitch but no longer in use or that is now rented out for other purposes. They only had to say, if so.

Anyway, I am glad I asked as now I know to avoid them so, job done.

It's really unnecessary to post comments like that on social media - if you were genuinely concerned, you could have PM'd them and spoke to the walker privately about it.

This^^ In my experience though the type of people that do this publicly on social media are the type you don't want as customers/clients anyway.

I mean your first question was stupid. Is this a sports pitch? You say yourself there were goal posts what did you think it was, a rose garden? I'd think you had some agenda from the off, people who ask stupid questions with obvious answers usually do.

@Comefromaway

But it might not have been a sports pitch. It might be a piece of land that used to be a sports pitch but no longer in use or that is now rented out for other purposes. They only had to say, if so.

But you don't know that as you jumped to conclusions - it's not necessary.

It really bugs me when people write comments like that on company's social media pages without proof. They don't need to answer to you on their public page, either.

I think it's fine to ask questions, especially as there's so many people setting up as dog walkers these days. There's one in our town that causes chaos by having too many dogs off lead that she can't control.

You posted to show your not quite right knowledge of some guidelines, that yiu thought were rules.

Yes, if you have a concern you should have private messaged them. If you might have used them, depending on their response, the same would have happened in private messages.

I don't see the need to try and make a company look bad. It does come across as though you wanted to prove you knew better. If you think that don't use them.

My walker walks more than 4 sometimes but then has another walker with her. I’d find it a bit off someone random posting on Facebook- why are you walking 5 etc. If you were a genuine potential customer I’d have expected you to message and say how many do you walk, where do you go etc.

This^^ In my experience though the type of people that do this publicly on social media are the type you don't want as customers/clients anyway.

Definitely

OFC YABU to heckle small businesses in public. A business FB page is an advert or directory listing. It isn’t Speakers’ Corner. If you have a query, you phone or PM.

@Comefromaway

Anyway, I am glad I asked as now I know to avoid them so, job done.

I’m sure they feel the same about you.

@coloradoqueen

I think it's fine to ask questions, especially as there's so many people setting up as dog walkers these days. There's one in our town that causes chaos by having too many dogs off lead that she can't control.

It's absolutely fine to ask questions, but the decent thing to do is message the company privately, not passively aggressively accuse them of doing things wrong on their public social media page.

All it takes is one unfounded comment on social media to cause real issues for a small business. Unless you have concrete proof of someone's wrongdoing, don't try and accuse them in public. It's just shitty behaviour.

OP is quite entitled to ask whatever question she likes that is relevant.
If someone is promoting their business and being anti-social by allowing dogs to foul sports pitches they deserve to be challenged.

Why did they post on our local group turn if they didn’t want comments or questions?

I think some people are assuming a layer of subtitle I don’t posess. I’m a very straightforward person. I don’t do ulterior motives or inference.

I asked a simple question. I didn’t get an answer. I then carried on a conversation with
Someone else on the group.

As I said before tue police are involved with one dog Walker whose dogs have attacked several people and other dogs in the past few weeks. I don’t know who that is as the names are not allowed to be published. There are lots of dog walkers and sitters in my area. I want to be sure I use a reputable one.

OP is quite entitled to ask whatever question she likes that is relevant.
If someone is promoting their business and being anti-social by allowing dogs to foul sports pitches they deserve to be challenged

This^

Why did they post on our local group turn if they didn’t want comments or questions?

To advertise, not for people to jump to conclusions.

@Politics4me

OP is quite entitled to ask whatever question she likes that is relevant. If someone is promoting their business and being anti-social by allowing dogs to foul sports pitches they deserve to be challenged.

Of course she can ask whatever she likes, but equally that means people are allowed to challenge her back.

OP also has absolutely no proof the business was doing anything wrong, either. Lots of sports pitches are part of public parks (so anyone can use them) or are privately owned, in which case the company may have permission to use the space.

Op can ask what she wants. And people can also feel whatever the want about it and comment that back to her.

Op asked opinions and people are entitled to feel its bad form to do this sort of thing and could have established the facts in private. We are also entitled to comment that.

Though I really don't get why people post in aibu when they are completely convinced they are being reasonable.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts

Why did they post on our local group turn if they didn’t want comments or questions?

To advertise, not for people to jump to conclusions.

Do you think that we all have to agree with advertisements? Should SM only Be Kind and never critical? If they run a business, they should be an ethical one. If they try and pretend they are perfect they must expect to be challenged. They should respond in a similar way to their advertisement, not go all hurt.