Canadian company Dbrand faces backlash for rude comment on an Indian customer's name

Dbrand, a Canadian accessories brand, is attracting backlash after replying in a derogatory manner to an Indian customer’s objection about a MacBook accessory.

On Monday (8th April), Bhuwan Chitransh complained on the social networking site X about the brand’s MacBook skin getting discolored after only two months of purchase. “@dbrand⁩ bought this skin a couple of months back. Couldn’t even remain the same color after just 2 months. What should I do?” Chitransh posted an image of the MacBook skin.

Instead of addressing the customer’s complaint, Dbrand then made an unpleasant remark regarding his surname, “Chitransh”. “Your last name is basically s**t rash, be serious,” it captioned the message.

Your last name is basically shit rash, be serious https://t.co/SmQd5So5bS — dbrand (@dbrand) April 9, 2024

Dbrand’s statement drew criticism on X, with some pointing out the racial connotations. Despite the criticism, the accessories firm refused to apologize or eliminate the post. The post has received more than 9 million views on X.

“Wait really dbrand? In lieu of any attempt at customer support, you make fun of a customer’s foreign name?” one of the users wrote. The company meanwhile also refused to issue an apology after one of the users demanded the company to keep the same energy while saying sorry as it maintained while making fun of Chitransh. “No,” the company could blatantly be seen responding.

Screenshot from X

The X users meanwhile also criticized the company for adopting a poor marketing strategy against any customer. The company has not yet deleted the post and also has not yet issued any public apology for making derogatory comments about an Indian customer.

However, the company posted that they made fun of Chitransh’s name only after offering customer support and solving his concern. “Correction: we made fun of his name after the customer support,” it wrote.

The company which has 2.3 million followers on X further justified the comments by saying that it had personally apologized to the customer. It also said that it had been making fun of the customers and that it was unintentional.

“Well, that escalated quickly. Yes – we made fun of a guy’s name. It was a huge fumble. We apologized to him directly and offered him $10,000 as a gesture of goodwill. 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,” the company tweeted on 10th April.

Well that escalated quickly.

1. Yes – we made fun of a guy's name. It was a huge fumble.

2. We apologized to him directly and offered him $10,000 as a gesture of goodwill.

3. We've been poking fun at customers on social media for over a decade now. We're not going to stop, but… — dbrand (@dbrand) April 10, 2024

Dbrand claims to be the “global leader” in the creation, manufacture, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) online sale of customized and impact-resistant goods for flagship electronic devices.

Founded in November 2011, the company is based in Ontario, Canada. Adam Ijaz is the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Dbrand has established a reputation for its outspoken and snarky social media presence, openly participating in conversations with both competitors and its client base.