Imagine my surprise this morning when I got a phone call from a UK citizen asking how our company call ourselves an ecoCompany while we watch a lion in the Kruger National Park being trapped for 4 days and ignoring it. I was shocked to say the least.
Listening to the rest of her story she reveals that the SANParks blog mentioned that our vehicles and driver were spotted around a lion, without reporting the incident for four days. Obviously people were upset, but so was I. Not just because the poor lion had to suffer for 4 days without anyone helping it, but also because our company was being wrongly accused.
Firstly, we are a travel agent and secondly we don’t own any branded vehicles. It was impossible for them to have spotted our branded vehicles in the Kruger. We sell other operators’ products and they do not get onto our website without at least complying to the first 4 of our 7 ecoCriteria (Nature, Ethics, Education, Footprint, Community, Conservation, Empowerment). So I rushed over to the SANParks’ Blog and was shocked by the pictures of the poor lion, a deep cut around his neck, being treated by vets. Reading through the article I noticed that it was true. The blogger was mentioning ecoAfrica as the company involved.
Making a long story short, a couple of phone calls and emails later the story was removed from the Blog and I have received the following response from the Blogger.
“I do apologize if the name of the company was spelled incorrectly…It is in fact EchoAfrica…” ~ Martie Goddard
If anyone of you see this story being spread around the Internet, it would be appreciated if you would correct them or send them over to this post. We have been trying very hard over the past 14 years to build a truly ecoTourism company and it would be really sad that all of this hard work gets undone by one blog post.
Update:
Official apology from the blogger and official apology from SANParks. I have to applaud them for acting so professional in solving this matter.
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ecoAfrica has handled this situation very nobly – I am so glad that you realised that Martie made an honest mistake and was absolutely devastated by her error and you accepte her apology. Shows that ecoAfrica truly does have high ethics and deserves to be supported.
Well done – Jill Masterton – Close Encounters Travel
Well done in the positive manner in which this unsavoury episode was handled.
May you be rewarded for your mature and wise attitude, by tourists seeing that you are honourable.
Wow, ecoAfrica , thank you for the exceptional way in which you handled this crazy mix-up. I know that your gracious comment on the SANParks blog will earn your Company many grateful admirers. All the best for the future.
Well done ecoAfrica!
I hope this whole incident helps to bring the success a great company like ecoAfrica deserves…
Also, well done to Martie for doing all in her power to correct her mistake
Lets hope the lion has a speedy recovery…
Ecoafrica I must applaude you for taking a sensible and positive attitude on this matter, you have a right to protect your good name and did it in a mature manner without tons of blown out of proportion press thankyou. I certainly hope and trust this matter will be allowed to settle into the dust and pass by now the apologies and corrections have been made and there will be no further reprocussions from a genuine mistake.
Cudos to you ecoAfrica, or should that be Kudus to you. Congrats on your handling of this situation. You showed the qualities that will make your company even greater.
Hi Jonathan
I am a regular follower of Martie’s blog (read it almost daily). I would like to personally thank you for your magnanimousness (now that’s a mouthful – and I DID do a spell check on this one) with this whole fiasco.
I do hope that the integrity you have shown in handling the bad publicity this initially brought will be appreciated by your clients. In fact I am sure a lot of us (SanParks) forumites will remember your company name for future reference.
Thank you once again
rusky melbourne australia
Thank you to EcoAfrica for a very professional response. All of us who enjoy reading Martie’s blog are grateful that this was resolved in an amicable manner. I do hope, however, that the real perpetrators, EchoAfrica, will be held responsible for their actions.
Thank you again, EcoAfrica. We applaud you.
Another thank you to Ecoafrica from me as well.
I think a valuable lesson has been learned and also how to correct and deal with it responsibly.
Brenda (Elsa)
Hats off to EcoAfrica – Thank you for your professionalism in the way that you handled the blunder.
Having met Martie a few times I can honestly say that she must have been devestated but the honest mistake.
Wishing you only the best!!
Thank you everyone for the kind words. We just glad everything got sorted without a hitch.
Your upstanding handling of this matter has brought me to your site to view your trips and offerings. I hope others find you and your services and your bookings actually increase due to your example of how to deal with an honest mistake.
Dana (USA)