"High Classed" Chris' Tea House and The Importance of Social Media PR - Alvinology

“High Classed” Chris’ Tea House and The Importance of Social Media PR

Beautiful Chris' Tea House (image via their facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/christeahouse)
Beautiful Chris' Tea House (image via their facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/christeahouse)

I have never been to Chris’ Tea House nestled in Upper Paya Lebar Road. After reading the feature article on the quaint little tea house on SoShiok.com, I have not doubt the owner, Christina Lim is passionate about her establishment and had put in a lot of effort to set up the place. I would have love to bring my wife there for a quiet weekend afternoon.

However, I won’t be visiting Chris’ Tea House in the near future, thanks to their hapless social media PR.

Many businesses are quick to jump on the bandwagon in setting up Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and other social network presence. After all, everything online is free.

Lesser realise the importance of quality social media PR and marketing initiatives. These are the stuff that makes a geek like me employable, paying for the daily bread I bring home for my family.

Chris’ Tea House is a good example of how not to communicate to your customers online, calling them “cheapskate” while emphasizing itself as a “high classed (spelling mistake theirs)” establishment (in broken English).

Check out these print screens of Chris’ Tea House’s responses to customers’ feedback on their own Facebook page as well as on Soshiok.com’s comment page:

"What more do you want her to say?"
"What more did you want her to say?"
How to behave in a "higher classed cafe"
How to behave in a "higher classed cafe"

Granted that the owner seems more interested to operate her tea house as a hobby rather than as a commercial venture, I would believe it is still human nature to seek goodwill rather than negativity. On this note, Chris’ Tea gets a big fat F for their social media efforts.

13 comments

  1. The PR solution out now is to pull a Tin Pei Ling – claim that someone had hacked into their facebook account and posted those high classed comments or that the owner’s baby daughter or son or nephew or niece had logged into the account and posted those without her knowledge or approval.

  2. Utter horde of rubbish. This kind of ‘high class’ cafe is bound to close down sooner or later. It will never sustain in the F&B industry with this kind of attitude and poor service

  3. Great read! Was wondering what the fuss was about and google brought your article up first. Terrible terrible way to market a tea company indeed!

  4. imma be a real bitch to ’em crazy bitches at Chris’ Tea House. i know it’s all about “rising above” and “be the better person” but sometimes, it’s fun to be rude to people who do not deserve anything else, anyway.

    CHRIS’S TEA HOUSE. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

  5. Check out the ‘apology’ that’s now on Chris Tea House’s FB page. Obviously they really do not learn. I cannot wait for this tea house to close down.

  6. Well, please don’t think that as long as there’s a business, any body have the right to walk in and demand whatever you want, and when you don’t get what you demand you can come home and post nasty comments on social media. Business or no, the establishment is her property, Mrs. Lim has the rights to do her business with whoever she choose to.
    As a seasoned marketer myself, I wouldn’t believe in just anything an advertisements claim. Same with information from social media, I would read and filter through which are genuine and what are simply rants.

  7. Just went to the cafe today. Was quite curious of the cafe because some of the photos featured the place to be quite nice and the food to be rather delicious. (from food blog and even a online blogshop for clothings) I happened to read the reviews of the cafe too. I tried to be neutral but i have to say that this place is not really worth going. Staff needs alot more training. Was having half a mind to try other stuff but with the first impression ruined, i can’t really bother.

    All the best to closing the cafe to public and only to private event with effect on Jan 2012. I am sure the public can spend their monies better in other places.

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