Facebook Havoc For Yeovil's Premier Cocktail Bar
A beloved cocktail bar located in the heart of Yeovil is facing a customer decline due to an ongoing Facebook glitch. Kazbar Cocktail Bar, situated on South Western Terrace, has been a staple in the town centre for years, offering patrons a vibrant atmosphere and delicious drinks.
However, the establishment has encountered an unexpected challenge as posts from a nearby restaurant, Kaspa’s Desserts, are appearing on its Facebook page.
This mishap has led to bar owner Matt Thackwell receiving messages from frustrated customers, a decrease in business, and an extensive amount of time spent resolving the issue.
According to Matt, the peculiar situation began in February 2022 when someone from Kaspa’s Desserts inadvertently connected their page with Kazbar's page through a Facebook setting. Consequently, Kazbar's contact information, cover photo, and operating hours were temporarily replaced with Kaspa's details, requiring manual corrections by Matt on a monthly basis. Strangely, posts from Kaspa's Desserts are also being shared on Kazbar's Facebook page, resulting in significant confusion among patrons.
He expressed to Somersetlive “My theory is that due to the similarity in our business names and locations, Facebook has linked our pages, triggering some action by their algorithm or an automated process.
“It seems to be a deep-rooted connection within Facebook, which is quite perplexing. One action Facebook took was to restrict others from posting on our page. They guided me through the process and assured me that no one else could share content on our page.
“They assured me this adjustment would prevent Kaspa’s from posting on our page. Unfortunately, the issue persisted, evident when we discovered Kaspa’s ‘Pancake Day’ post at the top of our page the next day. Strangely, as administrators, we can’t see these posts and therefore can’t remove them."
The glitch has not only frustrated Matt but also his customers. They are vexed and inconvenienced by the posts and cross-posting, leading to a loss of business and visibility on social media.
He continued, “The primary concern is that almost all our customers encounter Kaspa’s posts on our feed, which irks them. We receive messages such as 'Are you affiliated with Kaspa's?' and 'Why are we seeing these posts?' We apologize and explain it's equally frustrating for us.
Learn more about Trade Solutions here
"It's not the fault of the Yeovil branch but rather a glitch in the system or some crossed wires. It's not Kaspa’s fault. It's frustrating for our customers because they don't see our posts but instead see irrelevant ones. Additionally, it's frustrating for us because every month or two, we have to transfer our contact information back from Kaspa’s. We're dedicating too much time to this. It's an extremely baffling scenario.”
Despite the glitches with Facebook, regular cocktail lovers in the town, who have noticed the messages appear to still be enjoying the themed cocktail bar.
Darren Laventure, told Yeovil Real News: 'I did think it was odd, ice creams etc popping up, but i've still be able to order their wonderful Tapas and outstanding cocktails, the wife and I love the place, but we do understand Matt's frustration, when Facebook goes wrong, it goes wrong and getting hold of them is virtually impossible unless you have a degree in rocket science!'