Social media influencer and YouTuber Vaishnavi Shukla has posted a video criticizing BoAt and encouraging viewers to avoid purchasing things from the brand.

In the video, she calls the company a “total scam”, sharing her experiences of using their audio accessories for over two years. She said that she had bought headphones, watches, speakers and other things from them; however, due to their “poor quality”, the products she bought broke one way or another.

Taking it to Instagram Vaishnavi captioned her post, “Boycott boat products until and unless they start acknowledging our reviews and promise to make a change regarding the same! (sic)”. She also shared the video elsewhere.

The video quickly went viral, receiving over 6 lakh views in just a few hours. Netizens also took to social media to share similar experiences with the brand.

I received a duplicate earphone and made a complaint about it, but they refused to return,” a user wrote. “Heard similar views from various users,” another commented. A third user shared that: “”I bought boat headphones three times. They cost me more than 2k each time & did not even last for a year. Worst products ever. I decided never to buy anything from them, not even good sound quality in their headphones @boat.nirvana.” Another shared: “The quality is worse; the headphones are very bad in quality.”

However, some people also defended the brand. “Using boAt for three years now, and their after-sales service rocks! It’s been smooth sailing with them,” one of them wrote. “I’ve been using the boat’s product for a long time. I have not had any difficulty with a warranty claim. They are very supportive in providing support, but your personal negligence of using the product does not prove the company’s irresponsibility,” another commented.

Taking notice of the viral video and the explosive reaction it provoked, BoAt responded to Vaishnavi’s video.

“Hi Vaishnavi, we’re eager to make things right and give you the amazing boAthead experience you deserve,” the audio giant wrote. “We have asked for your contact details via DM. We request you to share the same so that we can get this closed on priority. We truly appreciate your support, and we hope to keep you as a happy boAthead for years to come! (sic).”

However, viewers soon realized that Vaishnavi’s video was no longer available on Instagram. She took to YouTube to explain that the Head of the Communication Department of BoAt had removed her video by reporting it to Instagram and claiming that it supposedly violated their rules and regulations. She showed her viewers proof of the same.

Vaishnavi criticized BoAt’s extreme response to her allegations, asserting that she did not understand what rules and violations she had broken. She maintained that she had simply put forward her “honest review” about BoAt and its products. She also pointed out the double standards of social media, questioning why actual outrageous content on Instagram was often overlooked while her own personal opinion of a famous brand, which she was perfectly justified in sharing, was taken down so swiftly.