If the written material is factual and the opinion left out, it's hard to argue on either side. Posts that run along the lines of 'Don't go to company X 'cos they're a bunch of tossers' is a lot different to 'When company X serviced my car they didn't change the oil'.
It can take companies years to get a good reputation, and minutes for the internet to destroy that.
The phrase 'I wouldn't return to company X' should suffice without discussing detail..
Absolutely. Clearly it is no-one's interests to make unqualified defamatory statements about any individual or organisation, but one can hardly be sued for making provably accurate statements of fact, neither for expressing a personal opinion.
The trick is to understand whether by so doing, one would help either the dealer to improve their service, or the person to whom one is offering the opinion.
It's generally a good rule that unless one can say something positive one should say nothing, but if by so doing it places a friend at risk, is that such a good thing?
For me, I think the best thing to say in this circumstance might be along the lines of "If you are close enough to Mike Duncan, then take it to him, because he's a Morgan man through and through and provides truly excellent service".
