Social media can be a great tool for a small business. It can also bring a business down. Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream in Livingston, Montana, sparked a flurry of angry comments on Facebook after it insulted on of its Muslim customers.
The Huffington Post reports that the incident occurred on September 21 when a customer asked about the ingredients in Wilcoxson’s Cookies And Cream gelatin.
The customer asks:
“Hey saw ur cookies and cream has gelatin in it. Does it contain pork? I am a Muslim and love your ice cream and when I read it today I was shocked. I look forward to you writing me back. Thank you. If possible if it does have pork gelatin please tell me what flavors do so I can avoid the. Thanks again.”
That was a very polite question, right? Here’s how CEO Matt Schaeffer responded:
“We don’t deliver outside of Montana, certainly not Pakistan.”
The Huffington Post reports that Wilcoxson’s was forced to shutdown its Facebook page after it was flooded with angry responses. The restaurant’s Yelp page has also been filled with one star reviews.
Schaeffer told the Daily Chronicle that the incident was a simple misunderstanding. Schaeffer claims that the Facebook user had a Pakistan article next to his name and thought that the customer was posting from Pakistan. Schaeffer said that he read the message quickly and misunderstood the message.
Schaeffer said:
“I thought he was making this comment from Pakistan … It wasn’t a racist comment … It was just an honest mistake. I apologize if he took it wrong, that’s not what I meant by it. I guess I didn’t read the whole thing.”
Do you think the comment was an honest mistake?
