While there’s no better way to satiate your hunger pangs than quickly ordering in some grub, missing items in your order can feel like a bummer. A man based in Tamil Nadu recently experienced this and reached out to Zomato’s customer care service to rectify the matter.
Vikash asked the customer care executive to contact the restaurant and initiate a refund. However, the executive countered that he failed to do so despite repeated attempts due to a “language barrier”.
Ordered food in zomato and an item was missed. Customer care says amount can't be refunded as I didn't know Hindi. Also takes lesson that being an Indian I should know Hindi. Tagged me a liar as he didn't know Tamil. @zomato not the way you talk to a customer. @zomatocare pic.twitter.com/gJ04DNKM7w
— Vikash (@Vikash67456607) October 18, 2021
However, IE reports that when Vikash maintained that the language barrier wasn’t his concern, the executive allegedly said, “For your kind information Hindi is our national language. So it is very common that everybody should know Hindi little bit.”
Vikash also said, “If Zomato is available in Tamil Nadu, they should have hired the people who understand the language.” He complained, “Customer care says the amount can’t be refunded as I didn’t know Hindi. Also takes the lesson that being an Indian I should know Hindi. Tagged me a liar as he didn’t know Tamil.”
His exchange soon went viral online and the app apologised to Vikash for the executive’s conduct and reported that they’ve terminated the agent for his “negligence towards our diverse culture”.
Vanakkam Vikash, we apologise for our customer care agent's behaviour. Here's our official statement on this incident. We hope you give us a chance to serve you better next time.
Pls don't #Reject_Zomato ♥️ https://t.co/P350GN7zUl pic.twitter.com/4Pv3Uvv32u
— zomato (@zomato) October 19, 2021
However, the company’s CEO and founder Deepinder Goyal later reinstated the employee and tweeted that “this alone is not something she should have been fired for.”
On that note, we are reinstating the agent – this alone is not something she should have been fired for. This is easily something she can learn and do better about going forward.
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) October 19, 2021
Having said that, we should all tolerate each other's imperfections. And appreciate each other's language and regional sentiments.
Tamil Nadu – we love you. Just as much as we love the rest of the country. Not more, not less. We are all the same, as much as we are different.❤️
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) October 19, 2021
This incident sparked a debate amid people online where some backed Vikash, while others believed that he had been wronged by the food delivery service. Many debated whether Hindi was the national language or the official language among many others. Take a look-
Agent is not wrong. Hindi is our national language along with other 13 including Tamil. Hindi is not the only national language
— Ravi Soni (@ravvisoni) October 19, 2021
This happened today morning. pic.twitter.com/uYYLkkFLaW
— ராசுகுட்டி🖤❤️ (@veeps86) October 19, 2021
Don't end it with Tamil. Build the app versions for Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali etc. You dont have to wait for an incident to do these 🙂
— Raj Bhagat P #Mapper4Life (@rajbhagatt) October 19, 2021
Dear @zomato please ask your staffs to learn Tamil if you want to run your corporate business here.. this is atrocious to ask a customer to learn Hindi which is not even national language.. do apologize for this or soon you will face many uninstall of app @TRBRajaa @TThenarasu
— sharan (@sharanthangavel) October 18, 2021
@zomato can you look into this, i faced similiar linguistic issue regarding my order last month, left that issue as it could be just a single unfamiliar person who might be new to customer care services, was hearing similiar issues from a considerable number of friends
TIA— Kratos_GOW (@kratos_tamil) October 18, 2021
Here in tamilnadu no one is trying to impose our TAMIL language to those north indian people who working here. Try to respect all the languages… And no one is expecting you to come to tamilnadu. Speak Hindi and stay happily in your State… Don't say what we need to do.
— Raja Subramani (@RajaSub22096535) October 19, 2021
With this logic, you will not travel and if want you are not welcomed to travel to AP and Telangana without Telugu, Karnataka without Kannada, Kerala "our gods own country" without Malayalam, Odissa without Odiya and all other states where you dont know the language.
— Surendra (@surendravarma_u) October 19, 2021
What’s your take on this? Tell us.