Turkish chocolate firm CEO resigns after aggressive response to customer

Duvar English

Elif Aslı Yıldız Tunaoğlu, the CEO of the Turkish chocolate firm Patiswiss, on April 22 resigned from her post after her response to a customer stirred a huge reaction on social media.

A Linkedin user complained about a moldy Patiswiss product in a post, saying it was the first time she has seen a “moldy chocolate, of which the expiry date is still far away. There is probably a problem with the storage conditions during the supply chain process.” She also tagged Yıldız and Migros supermarket chain.

In a long comment, Yıldız said “You know these products will never get moldy? Let's say that's true. I think you should urgently check the humidity in your house. And it's a pity you don't have any other content to share on Linkedin. You are up against giant MIGROS and us. Everyone is so behind the product! Good luck to you. Our lawyers will contact you, but I like to solve my own business.”

Her comment stirred a huge reaction on social media on April 20. After the reactions, the Patiswiss issued a statement and said, “We examine all the details with our customer service and related departments and reach a solution in product problems caused by different factors.”

In another statement, Yıldız said she could not stay calm after lots of people called the firm’s products “garbage.” She also said the spelling mistakes in her comment might have led to a misunderstanding. 

After the criticisms, supermarket chains Migros and Carrefour removed Patiswiss products from their stores and websites. 

On April 22, Yıldız resigned from her post “as a reflection of my sincere apology.”

“I have upset one of our consumers, whom I put before everything else, with an erroneous answer. As someone who has made it a mission to increase women's employment every year and to defend their equality in business life, I of course know that there will be no defense for the erroneous answer I gave. I accept that what I did was a very wrong behavior, and I sincerely apologize to her, and then to all our consumers and the valuable public for this unpleasant incident,” she added. 

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