This Brand Trolled Its Customers — & The Internet Is NOT Having It

Sometimes, a snarky remark warrants an equally snarky response. (Just take the piping hot burns served up by Lush and Wendy's recently, all in good fun.) But the latest company to clap back at customers found itself in serious hot water when the "jokes" went a little too far. It all started when makeup brand Z Palette promoted its new product, Z Potter, a heated machine that de-pots eyeshadows for you. Users commented on the post, which is now deleted, complaining about the steep $85 price tag. What resulted was a series of odd replies from Z Palette, that veered into serious bullying territory. Among them: "It's not that it's expensive, it's that you can't afford it," and, "You look like a cheap date, but we're not messing with you."

One Twitter user reposted the deleted comments to Twitter with the caption, "Y'all okay?" If the outburst wasn't strange enough, the brand released a rambling open letter to the public explaining its actions, before quickly deleting that also. (Though Cosmopolitan later found the statement on Imgur.) "[Z Potter] was a personal journey for us; it was a challenge to see if we could help others de-pot easily and safely, and to see if we could build this machine," the letter started. "And so we take it very personally when people dismiss it, or talk badly about it, and treat it as a joke.... We take every comment seriously, like we take our machine seriously. Many times we adopt the face of the 'company:' stoic and implacable in the face of harsh 'commentary.' Sometimes we do not."

Suffice to say, makeup fans were not happy with the "apology," and are calling for a boycott of the brand.

Retailers that carry Z Palette, including Boxycharm and Makeup Geek, have taken to social media to stand up against the bullying. A rep for Ulta Beauty, another Z Palette retailer, tells us: "Putting our guests first is always our top priority and a priority we share with our brand partners. We expect all guest concerns to be taken seriously and addressed courteously. We are reviewing the matter at this time."

We have reached out to Z Palette and will update this story when we hear back.