why do they bother posting a fiery review? Some do it because they’re seeking validation from people online. Others do it because they’re seeking revenge, and the public shaming can help them reassert control. Perhaps the biggest appeal of this passive-aggressive route is that it offers a faceless enemy... Customers tend to be far more comfortable fuming online about a “faceless” business, she says, than “aggressively complaining to someone face-to-face who might actually be quite similar to them.”