dbrand Refunds PS5 Skin Pre-Orders Because 'You ********' Won't Be Able to Apply Them

PushSquare : "Here’s an interesting customer relations strategy from renowned console and smartphone skin slinger dbrand: it’s refunding all PlayStation 5 pre-purchases because “you assholes” won’t be able to apply them properly. In an alarmingly candid Reddit post, the company explained that it has “no interest in selling a product that will generate a dozen customer complaints for every purchase”."

[ziggurcat]

vinyl wraps look cheap anyway - I'd rather install a proper face plate.

[oof46]

Have you seen Dbrand's stuff? They make high quality wraps, skins, etc.

[ziggurcat]

All vinyl wrap looks cheap. Given the choice between a genuine face plate vs vinyl wrap, the genuine wins all day long.

[Computersaysno]

Frankly a can of plastic spray paint and ten minutes would do a better job than any vinyl wrap ever on PS5. Want the panels black? Then paint them black. It's not hard.

[MasterChief3624]

Okay, Linus

[yoshatabi]

I have Dbrand and it definitely looks cheap. All wraps do .

[Sophisticated_Chap]

Use plastidip instead.

[C-H-E-F]

ehh, if you do a bad wrap then yes. quality wrap and application is key.

[jznrpg]

I never liked the idea of putting something that can trap more heat on my console . They look nice but just not something I want to do. I do want custom plates from Sony , Demons Souls is on top of my list . I’d also like some sort of metal/silver plate

[ziggurcat]

Anodized Aluminum/Silver would look awesome, IMO.

And if someone could come up with a real wood face plate set, I'd jump on that in a heartbeat.

[dcbronco]

@JZ

Look. Somebody's thinking.

[RevXM]

@Ziggurcat
I think anodized or brushed aluminum would look awesome. I also think transluscent frosted panels would look dope too. not quite see through, but the indicator LED would shine through a little.

[Kados]

Not all Vinyl wrap looks bad. The stuff Dbrand uses is very thick and high grade. I got a vinyl backing from them to go with a Grip phone case, and it is impossible to even tell that the case has a vinyl backing on it. It is completely seamless and looks like part of the case itself.

[TheScotsman]

DBrand skins are over priced, they don't look great, and they are difficult to apply, even for us non asshole

[monkey602]

Haha thats exactly the kind of response those of us in retail wish we could give all too often 😄

[oof46]

Have you followed their twitter account? Dbrand is known for this brand of humor. I love it.

[RaidenBlack]

This is their recent post after they made the announcement:
https://twitter.com/dbrand/...

[IanTH]

I get you can be brash and be humorous, but these guys are just being rude. I mean, read this comment, and tell me where the humor is:

"Look at it this way: we regularly weigh the possibility of discontinuing AirPods skins altogether for no reason other than that you idiots can't install them correctly"

That's pretty much just insulting their customers. And, as the title noted, calling them assholes. Not "some people", but "you" - directly at their customers. This is bizarre.

[oof46]

@instantstupor: They are not for everyone. Yes, they can be rude and brash, but that is their...brand. They've been in business for a while and have a large, loyal following, so they must be doing something right.

[IanTH]

Edit: I am reading more of their stuff, and...sort of get their humor. I still find it bizarre they call their customers idiots and assholes, but it does make at least a bit more sense in context. It is a weird brand, but it is a brand. They call themselves overpriced, they make fun of people they sponsor...I can see their customers getting called idiots in that context and being fine with it, so at least then the schtick makes sense.
------
Original: I think what they do right is advertise loudly and often. They use the credibility of people on YouTube you like - in my case, MrMobile is 1 example - and sell to you that way. This is the first I've heard of dbrand outside of direct advertisement. Interesting to hear it be this, and more interesting to hear that it is their "brand".

And you can have a good product that people will buy even if you are rude, so long as the good outweighs the bad. So I think that they can get away with acting like petty jackasses without ruffling many feathers, because who gets super invested in a company they just buy a skin from maybe once every couple years when they get a new phone or whatever? If I really liked their product, I'm sure I could shrug off their crap customer relations. But I haven't bought dbrand before, and I'm not likely to start now I guess lol.

[oof46]

@instantstupor: I've seen a ton of their stuff on MKBHD's videos.

I'm not one who is easily offended. They have some really nice skins and phone covers, so their "humor" doesn't really sway me one way or the other.

[SmokinAces]

Humor? Seems like bad PR, imagine if Sony or Microsoft called their customers "idiots" and "a-holes", I dont think people would find it humorous.

[oof46]

@SmokinAces: They are not Sony or MS. They know their crowd and market towards them.

[Michiel1989]

@instantstupor not everyone is a fragile snowflake, as long as they dont go singling out individuals and go after them I see nothing wrong with this. I take this over the corporate BS 99% of the companies release on their social media.

[Hellcat2020]

I need a damn wall mount kit
I'll worry about the faceplates later

[yoshatabi]

Same! lmao

[strayanalog]

I can't not read this title and think this sounds like a condom manufacturer.

[LOGICWINS]

Sometimes you need to be brutally honest with people lol. If you want to apply a screen protector or skin, be prepared to set aside 30-45 minutes, be patient, and read the instructions.

[IanTH]

So that means also calling them things like idiots and assholes? I mean, you can be honest about people's inabilities to install your product as a reason something isn't getting made, but I don't understand the name-callin'.

[MarkyMark89]

This is the way DBrand operates, always has.. probably always will. Don't like it don't buy the products that simple. They don't have to change the way they have operated for years because the PS5 loyalist do not like they way they marketed or commented about a particular product or the products a potential fan base may purchase. The way some of you act, its as if Sony pays you guys monthly salaries its astonishing watching people show so much brand loyalty to a particular company Lol baffles me

[IanTH]

@MarkyMark....What was that? All I said was they don't have to call people idiots and assholes. They aren't singling out PS5 owners as idiots or assholes. They are calling their customers, in general, idiots and assholes. I'm not a PS5 loyalist, I don't get paid a salary. Does one need to be paid a salary to have basic human decency, having the audacity to ask if maybe you shouldn't call people - in this case, your customers - idiots and assholes? What a sad world we live in.

And I've never bought a dbrand skin before, and I will probably consider someone else if I ever do need a skin. The fact this is the way they act all the time is pretty stupid. But I guess edgelords enjoy it.

[gaffyh]

Maybe someone was fired?

[oof46]

From Dbrand? Nah. This is on par with how they communicate. https://twitter.com/dbrand/...

[Masterchief_thegoat]

If Sony, not selling a proper face plate. Or have a official third party partnership with them. I don’t buy them.

[MrGameAndWatch]

No skin and no plate then. I guess I will simply put my ps5 out of sight once I get one :/

[Spenok]

Just get someone to paint it for you.

[eXclurel]

I mean, they are right.

[jznrpg]

Develop a better product ? Why are we the assholes lol . I’ve seen other products available already

[MarkyMark89]

Product is fine..always has been but they sell skins for products which are usually mainstream, equaling to a mass amount of idiots purchasing said product and not reading directions then complaining when it is not installed correctly. Stupid can't be fixed by its manufacturers. Look at iPhone as an example, iOS is one of the easiest operating systems to use, my 5 yo daughter understands how to work it. But Apple still has groups of people ranging in ages, to take free classes at the stores to learn how to work the products they offer. It has nothing to do with the simplicity or ease of use of the product, but more the lack of intelligence and patience of the consumer.

Bottom line most consumers are idiots, think you guys on this forum forget that. Just like you forget people that come to forums to discuss things about any topic, are the minority when you look at the big picture.

[kayoss]

Can these vinyls be applied properly on the matted finish of the PS5?

[IanTH]

So dbrand are d-bags...

[specialguest]

Are they really dbags? Sure their brand of blunt language isn't for everyone, but they did the right thing by canceling all pre-orders knowing the results of the product won't meet people's expectations due to most people's lack of skills to properly apply the skin.

How many third-party companies you know has that kind of integrity and value their reputation on quality control? Most companies would've taken the money from sales and deal with the complaints later. Dbrand basically said, f*** the money, our product for the PS5 face plate won't work. We're doing you a favor by stepping away

[IanTH]

It was primarily an offhand joke, just thanks to the similarity of the name.

However, I did find their language pretty much completely in the realm of dbags, yes. You can very easily say the things you said - stepping away from a product launch for quality and reputation, without calling customers idiots and assholes. One does not necessitate the other.

But I did happen to look more into their whole marketing schtick, and it seems being dicks is kind of their brand. It just seems crass & unprofessional from the outside, but in context it is...not quite that extreme. They make fun of themselves by calling themselves 'overpriced' on their twitter bio, they insult the people they sponsor...it makes sense in the realm of their cultivated persona that their fans/customers might be fine with being called idiots and assholes. I think the article could have done a better job outlining that.

But bottom line is - yes, they are dbags. Their marketing voice is one they have cultivated to be crass and insulting. Most customers who are familiar with them are in on this joke, so that changes the context. But they clearly are dbags, and they apparently relish that lol.

[myfathersbastard]

Give it a few months. Someone will start 3D printing new faceplates and selling them on Etsy

[Miacosa]

Probably for the best with the PS5's angles and rounded trim these look terrible with the white peeking out. These types of wraps work best with a console with right corner angles.

[Critic4l_Strik3]

Ive seen some people painting the plates themselves and i think its much better as it keeps the texture

[BrainSyphoned]

If people dedicated enough to secure a ps5 preorder and are looking to immediately wrap their system aren't good enough for your product then maybe just close your door this gen.

[dcbronco]

Another sign of potential future cooling problems.

[Stanjara]

I love it it black!

[SmokinAces]

Someone seems upset. Not sure the best PR is calling your customers "idiots" and a**holes".

[predex84]

Well, if a company talks to its customers like this.. then no thanks I will not buy anything from dbrand.

[Iltapalanyymi]

absolutely based

[traumadisaster]

I’ve got both sitting next to each other and it’s surprising how big and unwieldy the ps5 looks, especially on its side. I care less if they were both ac units but there is a stark difference.

As far as skins it would be so big like wall picture, I guess a new faceplate that removed the big chunky plastic corners jutting out

[gold_drake]

i get that its their thing to be crass and insulting to their customers but damn lol Humor only goes so far haha.

[dcbronco]

They're not insulting their customers. The PS5, like every console has certain things that make the thermals work. The materials used are carefully chosen. Sony can't guarantee third party materials.

[Aussiesummer]

They are right, any one with a shitty skin on their phone, and/or console look like an instant "assholes".

[QuePasa87]

I'd probably rather have custom painted/printed panels straight from Sony anyway, or end up with that via a collector's edition console

[Spenok]

This is fantastic.