‘Miss you, says i-Pill’ Zepto notification to woman sparks outcry on internet
Zepto logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken May 2, 2022.
Bengaluru-based quick commerce platformZepto came under intense firing after one of its customers took to social media to highlight an inappropriate and unsolicited notification sent to her from their application.
The notification under question stated, “I miss you, Pallavi. Says i-Pill emergency contraceptive pill." This message was followed by three teary-eyed emoticons. The customer Pallavi Pareek found the notification distasteful.
Taking to LinkedIn, Pallavi wrote, “Dear Zepto and Zepto Cares team, so many things are wrong about this.”
“I have never ordered an emergency pill from you. Even if I did, you should know that this is not something that should be missing me or I should be missing it.”
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“You want me to have a need for taking an emergency contraceptive? But most importantly, why am I getting this when this order has never been placed with you?” she added.
"Messaging is right only if it is sensitive or humorous or has some logic to it. I draw a line when your notifications are flirty or trying to be sleazy cheesy. But this is a little too much," Pallavi stated.
Here's how Zepto reacted to Pallavi's post
Reacting to the uproar, Zepto replied to Pallavi's post with an apology.
“Hey Pallavi, we messed up, and we're truly sorry. We understand how thoughtless and potentially harmful this was,” stated the company.
"Please know we've taken immediate action: Corrected the issue; Updated our processes; and Retrained our team. This mistake won't happen again," it added.
Here's how social media reacted to the controversy
The post shared by Pallavi led to an uproar on social media.
“100% agree Pallavi Pareek. This is the challenge that happens when companies rely solely on AI. All brands need to have a human presence to monitor this!.” said one user.
“How could this happen? Companies need better training!” another user stated.
“I can't believe they thought this was okay!” said a third user.
“Thank you for speaking up; we need more awareness around these issues,” wrote a fourth user.
(With inputs from agencies)