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Clothing retailer ruffles up social media with outrageously rude customer service

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By John Glenday | Reporter

October 20, 2014 | 2 min read

Outdoor clothing retailer Hawke & Co is making waves on social media by throwing the customer is always right rulebook out the window to actively mock and disparage disgruntled shoppers.

The fracas erupted after Twitter user Christian Conti posted a tweet complaining about a cancelled order and a failure to apply promised discounts. Instead of apologising and offering to resolve the issue the retailer’s social media representative opted to pour fuel on the fire.

Conti tweeted: “Ordered from @hawkeandco and had my order cancelled and they wouldn’t honor the discount on other products. Big fat Do Not Recommends!”

In their unconventional response Hawke & Co said: “@cconti We’re sure your 320 followers will understand.”

Hawke & Co soon deleted the remark but not before a screenshot of the exchange went viral.

In a public apology Daniel Montelongo, Hawke’s director of marketing and branding, said: “I would like to apologize to Christian (@cconti) and to all our customers for the exchange that occurred on the behalf of our brand. The exchange (publicly and in DM) strictly does not express the views or practices of the Hawke & Co brand. We value every one of our customers for who they are, not for their pull or any other attributes, nor do we encourage exploitation for publicity.”

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