Delhi: Google responds to Pixel customer putting up anti-Google posters
What's the story
Google has finally responded to a man from Haryana, Manu Aggarwal, who had been putting up anti-Google posters all over Delhi to protest against the malfunctioning of his Google Pixel smartphone.
Interestingly, the response is a stern one, rather than an apologetic one, and it seems like Google has gone on the offensive against Aggarwal now.
Here are the details.
Protests
Posters and social media rage: Aggarwal's unique way of protesting
The entire episode began earlier this week when Aggarwal, dissatisfied with Google's after-sales service, went around Delhi, putting up posters warning people not to buy Google Pixel smartphones.
Apart from putting up posters in iconic locations like Connaught Place, Aggarwal also put a banner on his car, and even cooked up a social media storm.
In some tweets, he even tagged Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Twitter Post
Aggarwal tags Pichai, Trump, and Modi in a tweet
Why @Google
— Manu Aggarwal (@ManuAggarwall) May 13, 2018
Why @sundarpichai
Why @marioqueiroz
Why @lilianr
Why @GoogleInstantly
Why @madebygoogle
Why @realDonaldTrump
Why @narendramodi
Why @PMOIndia
Power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutelyhttps://t.co/2RnfVZ846khttps://t.co/H4o4ARAQMZhttps://t.co/T7IeAF32BR pic.twitter.com/5x4kaVRcEa
Grievance
What prompted Aggarwal to go on the offensive against Google?
Explaining his actions, Aggarwal, who is believed to have a first-generation Google Pixel smartphone, blamed Google's after-sales service.
He claimed that his smartphone had been accepted by Google's service centers multiple times for repairs, but always returned with the same issues.
Frustrated, he started going around Delhi warning people that Google Pixel smartphones "restart, freeze, and crash constantly".
Twitter Post
Aggarwal claims Google is making a fool of the world
Undoubtedly @Google is making Fool of the World
— Manu Aggarwal (@ManuAggarwall) May 19, 2018
The Fraud of @madebygoogle is Eye Opener@GoogleInstantly @sergeybrinn @sundarpichai are doing Mental Harrassment by Avoiding and Delaying Investigationhttps://t.co/2RnfVZ846khttps://t.co/H4o4ARAQMZhttps://t.co/T7IeAF32BR pic.twitter.com/OchW6aeVov
Statement
Google claims Aggarwal refused its offers to replace the phone
Responding to Aggarwal's statement, Google India's spokesperson told News18 that the tech giant had a "world-class after-sales service network in India".
Google further said that Aggarwal had also been offered "a free of cost repair or a new device" as per the company's warranty policy, but had refused both, choosing to rage instead.
Coercion?
Google calls Aggarwal's demands unreasonable, refuses to give into coercion
The tech giant further called out Aggarwal, saying that the man had tried to take advantage of Google.
Google claims that Aggarwal not only refused the replacement, but also "demanded two units of the next-gen Pixel".
Google called this demand "unreasonable" and said that it would not give into "misuse" of its policy, or "coercion".
Now, it seems like the ball is in Aggarwal's court again.