Large Russian companies have started monitoring blogs for criticism of their operation. Last week, Alfa Bank dismissed a call center operator for being rude with a client who owed the bank 26 cents under a loan.

The scandal broke out when photographer Irina Vasilivetskaya (user logra) wrote about bank tactics used to demand loan repayment. She said bank representatives would call at any hour and would often speak rudely.

“It is unacceptable to use the services of a bank whose employees call me at 7in the morning on a weekend to rudely demand a payment. I did not respond with a single rough word,” Irina writes in LiveJournal. She also provides an audio recording of the conversation.

Yevgeny Savenko (user ambro76), deputy chief operations officer at Alfa Bank, responded quickly. He asked the girl’s forgiveness and promised to investigate the conflict.

It was later reported that the operator who spoke rudely to the bank’s long-standing client was dismissed. However, this has not calmed the storm.

Vasilivetskaya refused to accept the compensation, saying that it would be better if “the bank changed its policy with regard to its clients.”

LJ users continue to discuss the conflict; the number of commentaries has exceeded 3,000. Some of the users approve of the top manager’s decision, while others denounce Alfa Bank for its attitude toward individuals.

Blogger _kitt_ wrote: “This story proves that it is blogs and not the mass media that are the current Fourth Estate.”

Russian bloggers criticize banks