Zomato has rehired an employee who stated, “Hindi is our national language”

New Delhi: What started as a simple complaint about a meal delivery mishap turned into an unpleasant experience for a Tamil-speaking Zomato customer, who was told he needed to learn Hindi because it was India’s “national language.”

Vikash revealed the incident in a tweet about his interaction with a customer service representative following a misunderstanding about his food order.

He also shared photos of his interaction with Zomato’s CEO, revealing that he was unable to obtain a refund for an order due to a misunderstanding between Zomato and the restaurant from which he had purchased.

The executive blamed the mistake on a language barrier, but when Vikash suggested that they could have sent someone who spoke Tamil, the executive shocked him by saying, “For your kind information, Hindi is our native language.” As a result, it is fairly normal for everyone to know a little Hindi.”

People took to social media after Vikash’s tweet about his bad experience went viral, criticising the meal delivery app for the executive’s blunder.

In response to the backlash, Zomato issued an official statement on Twitter, as well as an apology to Vikash. It also acknowledged that the executive had been fired, while emphasising that the individual’s views on language and diversity did not reflect the company’s.

Deepinder Goyal, the founder of Zomato, also took to Twitter, saying, “An ignorant mistake by someone in a food delivery company’s support centre became a national issue.” Our country’s level of tolerance and chill should be much higher than it is now. “Who is to blame here?”

Goyal later tweeted that the agent had been reinstated, claiming that the incident was merely a learning experience for him and not a reason for his dismissal.

The imposition of Hindi in the country’s southern region has been a major source of concern in recent years, with various individuals emphasising the issue based on personal experiences. Pan-India brands should devote more resources to effectively comprehending the country’s diversity through events like these.