Racism
Canadian firm mocks Indian customer's surname; offers $10,000 after social media backlash
Dbrand, a Canadian accessories company, faced backlash for its biting and offensive response, deemed racist by many, to an Indian customer, who aired concerns about a MacBook accessory.
Dbrand is known for maintaining a lively presence on social media, frequently adding humour and sarcasm to the mix.
However, Dbrand’s reply to Bhuwan Chitransh, a man from Pune working in the Netherlands, elicited massive outrage, forcing the company to offer compensation, but not without their distinctive style throughout the incident.
It all started when Bhuwan Chitransh expressed his disappointment on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) about the change in colour Dbrand MacBook skin within just two months. He tagged Dbrand and asked, “@dbrand bought this skin a couple months back. Couldn’t even remain the same color after just 2 months. What should I do?”
Your last name is basically shit rash, be serious https://t.co/SmQd5So5bS
— dbrand (@dbrand) April 9, 2024
“It is shameful to see a skins and phone accessories company like dbrand openly making discriminatory and offensive remarks toward a customer who expressed dissatisfaction with their product on Twitter,” commented one user.
It is shameful to see a skins and phone accessories company like dbrand openly making discriminatory and offensive remarks toward a customer who expressed dissatisfaction with their product on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/APYnGhREhh
— Divya Gandotra Tandon (@divya_gandotra) April 10, 2024
“Gosh, dbrand is literally a cyberbully. Horrible racist comments under the original tweet all thanks to a piss poor attempt at humor. Please go to their profile and report the tweet for bullying and hate speech,” said another amidst a flurry of comments laden with criticism.
Gosh, dbrand is literally a cyberbully. Horrible racist comments under the original tweet all thanks to a piss poor attempt at humor. Please go to their profile and report the tweet for bullying and hate speech. pic.twitter.com/CGJ67hJ8Jb
— Sumukh Rao (@RaoSumukh) April 10, 2024
"You've fully crossed the line here mate, no coming back from this," wrote one user.
You've fully crossed the line here mate, no coming back from this
— Deniz.K (@kokipower23) April 9, 2024
Understandably, the online community was unimpressed. Many criticized Dbrand for venturing into racism and cyberbullying territory.
The company only fully addressed the situation when they utilized their main social media handle to acknowledge the post and respond to the criticism.
They started by admitting, “Well that escalated quickly,” terming their initial response as a “huge fumble.” The company tendered an apology to the customer privately and offered $10,000 to preserve goodwill.
Concluding with a witty message, the company continued its humorous tone, stating, “We’ve been poking fun at customers on social media for over a decade now. We’re not going to stop, but maybe next time you’ll be the one who gets $10,000.”
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