Papa John's slammed for 'gaslighting' customer over boneless chicken wings

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The picture of the diner
The picture of the diner's chicken wings was very different to what Leanne Potter was given (Image: PAPA JOHN)

Some companies, it seems, have become very adept at pushing the boundaries between the studio-edited pictures used in their advertising and the reality of what customers are served. And one person on TikTok shared a great example of exactly that when she ordered chicken wings from a well-known fast-food outlet.

Most people will have been enticed by commercials promising delicious, perfectly stacked burgers with just the right amount of ketchup, golden airy buns and a whole raft of mouthwatering dishes from chain restaurants. However, the content creator Leanne Potter (wowthatsrandomofficial), said she was shocked at what was delivered to her when she compared it to the picture on Papa Johns' page advertising their Boneless Wings.

She showed her 10,500 followers the dish she was given and compared it a picture of what she actually got – and the difference between the two was obvious and stark. In the viral clip that has had more than 3.9 million views so far, she says that Papa Johns had tried to "gaslight" her into thinking that the wings she ordered were identical to the ones they were advertising.

In the video, she says: "I think I’ve just been gaslit by Papa John’s," and shows a marketing photograph for the wings, with a side of ranch. They appear to be plump, juicy, served up on a nice plate and crucially, completely coated with a good amount of sauce – in other words, mouthwatering and desirable. She adds in the clip that: "These are the wings I ordered," then her clip flicks across to what she was given, and she states: "These are the wings I got." The difference left a lot of her followers staggered at the difference. She shows a black plastic container filled with dry-looking nuggets that have barely been touched with the oh-so-important barbecue sauce.

Potter decided to contact the restaurant to explain that the wings they had served up were not at all what she had expected, given the marketing picture's dream depiction of them. She continues in the video: "So I decide to send them a message. They told me both pictures are the exact same," while adding a sarcastic laugh, showing off her chat message history with the pizza chain. In it, the TikToker places the same images side by side along with a text that reads: "These are the bbq wings on your page I ordered. The one on the right is what I received."

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To both her frustration and mirth, Papa John’s support wrote back to her: "Good morning, Leanne. Both pictures are the same. Can you resend the picture of the Boneless Wings you received? Thanks!" The comments on the video suggested that this was a big fail for the food chain, with one person suggesting: "Pay with Monopoly money and tell them its the same thing," while another said: "Send back a pic of their logo and a pic of a clown and say 'spot the difference now'."

And it turns out that the negative press surrounding Papa John’s on TikTok as a result of Potter posting this video caught the attention of some more senior managers at the pizzas-plus chain, as the official TikTok account for the company made contact and offered her some replacement wings as a peace offering: “Oh no! We apologise for the mixup. We will make sure you get some new wings!” But the content creator wasn't going to be bought off so easily, as she replied: "Which wings will I be getting?", adding eyes and laugh emojis.

Paul Donald

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