Prateek Tanmay
2 min readNew DelhiJun 21, 2026 12:58 PM IST
A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur recently criticised the grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company for allegedly sending excessive promotional messages on WhatsApp, prompting an apology from the company’s founder and CEO, Shantanu Deshpande.
In a post on LinkedIn, Debajyoti Jena said he was “forced” to block three official WhatsApp accounts associated with Bombay Shaving Company after receiving what he described as relentless marketing communication.
Jena alleged that the company sent promotional messages three times a day from three separate business accounts, totalling nine messages daily. He also shared screenshots along with the post.
Tagging Deshpande in his LinkedIn post, Jena questioned whether the repeated messaging was part of a deliberate customer outreach strategy. “Would you really enjoy if Bombay Shaving Company keeps spamming your inbox nine times in a day?” Jena wrote. He also asked whether the company leadership had instructed its marketing team to repeatedly message customers to increase revenue.
The entrepreneur also tagged members of the company’s management team and urged the brand to stop what he called the “bombardment” of promotional messages. He said the constant notifications had become “annoying and disgusting” and added that businesses should rethink how they engage with consumers through digital platforms.
See the post here:
Bombay Shaving Company CEO responds
Responding in the comments section, Deshpande apologised.
“Should not have happened honestly.. apologies for this.. we’re trying to balance meaningful outreach without annoying customers.. will do better so sorry for this experience,” Deshpande wrote.
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The post has gone viral, prompting a wave of reactions. “Shantanu mentioned on a podcast that a large chunk of their revenue comes from whatsapp and email. So I think it’s part of a larger strategy that even he agrees to,” a LinkedIn user noted.
“Most brands are doing the same thing finance budha, paisa bazaar , handpckd, I am tired of blocking these brands,” another user commented. “I don’t think anyone does it intentionally. Might be a technical glitch,” a third user chimed in.
