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The Holiday season is deeply anticipated by all in the marketing community, because for most, it is where numbers are really made. With so many people flocking to places online and offline to buy stuff, it is bound to stretch the system to the max, combine that with aggressive targets being set by retailers and you have the potential for disaster.

Such was the case for PriceRitePhoto.com who unfortunately happened to pick the wrong person to mess with. This individual was trying to buy a camera, the retailer offered the camera with additional extras that the customer made clear he was not interested in buying. The retailer then responded by stating that the camera was suddenly no longer in stock. The customer happened to be a blogger, who posted his story that was then spread virally. It ended with hackers launching a series of attacks on the photo store's website, resulting in millions of dollars of lost business. Lawsuits and all kinds of other shenanigans now ensue.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Gawker Media is launching, The Consumerist a destination site for all those customers with complaints. Its elevator pitch is frighteningly clear.

"Welcome, internet, to The Consumerist, the latest title from Gawker Media. The Consumerist loves to shop, and is reconciled to utilities, but hates paying for shoddy products, inhumane customer support, and half-assed service.

Each week The Consumerist will guide you through the delinquencies of retail and service organizations. The Consumerist will highlight the persistent, shameless boners of modern consumerism and the latest hot deals, discounts, and freebies around.

Join us. You?ll tell us when you've been royally screwed by yet another company, and we'll channel your rage. Together we will storm the revolving doors of faceless corporations to call them naughty words for genitals, and they will begin to fear us.

The Consumerist. Capitalism is broken. We'll help you fix it."

Marketers need to wake up and start dealing with these breakdowns in customer service and product quality. The Internet is now working as a hypersensitive amplifier of the whisperings of consumer dissatisfaction. If marketers fail to deal and manage this, they could end up paying the ultimate price, lost sales, missed targets and no Christmas bonuses to spend on all those nice consumer goods.