Canadian brand blasted for racist post on Indian techie's name, apologises

The racist remark caused an uproar on X and the company had to apologise. (Image: @BhuwanChitransh/X)

A Canadian brand, known for providing accessories for electronic devices, came under the internet’s ire after poking fun at an Indian software engineer’s name.

Bhuwan Chitransh, a man from Pune working in Utrecht, Netherlands, took to X to post a complaint about a MacBook accessory by Dbrand.

According to Chitransh, the MacBook skin that he had purchased lost its colour within two months of buying it. @dbrand, bought this skin a couple months back. Couldn't even remain the same colour after just 2 months. What should I do?”

⁦@dbrand⁩ bought this skin a couple months back. Couldn't even remain the same color after just 2 months. What should I do?#dbrandcomplaint pic.twitter.com/3Uyvn0ZO48

— Bhuwan Chitransh (@BhuwanChitransh) April 8, 2024

In response to the customer’s complaint, Dbrand took an offensive tone and mocked Chitransh’s surname. “Your last name is basically s**t rash, be serious,” the company wrote.

Your last name is basically shit rash, be serious https://t.co/SmQd5So5bS

— dbrand (@dbrand) April 9, 2024

Needless to say, the rude retort by the brand caused an uproar on social media and people slammed Dbrand in the comments section. A section of people even demanded an apology and called out the company for being racist.

“Your edgy brand is cool and all but you're literally mocking a customer and being racist about his last name after he lodges a valid complaint about one of your products. Really guys?” one user wrote.

Another user commented, “You've fully crossed the line here mate, no coming back from this.”

“Not cool. Making fun of a foreign name and a market of over 1 billion people who probably won’t ever buy your products now,” a third user remarked.

A fourth user added, "First and foremost. Why would you attack someone's last name like that? Do you want to ruin your reputation? That is terrible customer service! I guess you will find out if you made the right choice with your sales numbers."

The company even clarified to an X user that it made fun of Chitransh's name after providing him with customer support. "Like most surfaces, dirt and grime can accumulate on the surface of a skin over time. You can clean it using a microfiber cloth lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol," the brand had written in a separate tweet in response to the complaint.

However, the backlash against the company mounted so much that it had to issue a clarification about the thoughtless remark. Dbrand claimed that it had made a "huge fumble" and apologised to the customer. It even offered him $10,000 "as a gesture of goodwill".

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

According to the clarification post, Dbrand also reiterated that its known for "poking fun at customers" and has been doing so for over a decade now.