Phone case maker Dbrand is known for its defiant attitude toward users and tech companies. This time, however, this behavior played a cruel joke on the company and led to the payment of $10 thousand to a customer as an apology for a racist comment about his last name.
It all started when Dbrand reposted a complaint on Twitter on Tuesday from a customer, Bhuwan Chitransh, who said that the cover they bought for their MacBook changed color after only 2 months. Dbrand responded with a rude message that rhymed the customer’s name with the word «rash» («rash»).
«Your last name is basically a shit rash, be serious»
Chitransh later responded by saying that Dbrand’s post reflected its racist view of Indian customers.
The next day, the company said it had made a «big mistake». Dbrand wrote that it had apologized to Chitransh and offered him $10 thousand «as a gesture of goodwill». At the same time, the company said it would continue to ridicule customers.
However, Dbrand did not remove the original post until well-known tech vlogger Marques Brownlee posted a statement that it caused «unnecessary» damage.
«Won’t be working with dbrand at least until this original tweet is deleted», Brownlee said. «You’re allowed to make shitty jokes, but the internet has made it pretty clear what it thinks about it, and there’s no harm in doing so».
Dbrand deleted the post hours later, admitting that she had «created a platform for» to hate. In response, Brownlee, who has worked with Dbrand on a line of badge device covers, said that «is pleased to have you back» after the company removed its offensive post.
Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz said the comment was a «serious error in judgment», adding that Brownlee’s support helped the company «think more carefully about» how the comment created a «platform for vitriol».
Source: The Verge