Dbrand faces backlash after 'mocking' Indian customer's surname, offers Rs 8 lakh as 'Goodwill'
As the backlash against the company mounted, dbrand issued a clarification about the remark. The company claimed that it had made a "huge fumble" and apologised to the customer directly.
FollowIt has become standard practice for companies to maintain a dynamic social media presence, frequently infused with humor and sarcasm. This strategy, meanwhile, isn't always successful, as the Canadian accessories company Dbrand demonstrates.
After using a harsh and disrespectful tone with an Indian consumer who had worries about a MacBook attachment, they found themselves in a sticky situation. Dbrand offered compensation at the conclusion of the whole event, but not before maintaining their own flair.
It all began when Bhuwan Chitransh, a Pune native who works in the Netherlands, expressed his dissatisfaction on "X" (previously Twitter) over the color change of his Dbrand MacBook skin in 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?”
Dbrand’s comeback was quick but not so classy as it shot back with what seemed like a dig at Chitransh’s last name. “Your last name is basically s**t rash, be serious,” they quipped.
The internet wasn't impressed, needless to say. Dbrand came under fire from the public for straying into cyberbullying and racism.
"How fully grown folks still believe racism is OK in 2024 astounds me," a user said. Another person stated, "Grow up people, you don't have to be a minority to understand common decency."
Another said, "You've fully crossed the line here, mate, no coming back from this."
"Uncool. Making fun of a foreign brand and a global market of more than a billion people who are most likely never going to purchase your goods today," another user added. "Generally, you do excellent marketing. This is not tasteful," said someone else.
However, as the backlash against the company mounted, dbrand issued a clarification about the remark.
The Canadian firm even offered the Indian man $10,000 as a gesture of goodwill. Moreover, dbrand reiterated that they have been "poking fun at customers" on social media for over a decade.
