‘Why is language even a barrier here?’—Urban Company cleaners walk out over Kannada request

A Karnataka resident took to social media to express frustration after his bathroom cleaning service, booked via Urban Company, was cancelled simply because he insisted on communicating in Kannada.

According to his post on X, two workers arrived at his home, and he showed them the bathroom to be cleaned. One of them started speaking in a language he didn’t understand. He requested Kannada, but the conversation continued in another language. The second worker also spoke in a different language.

When he repeated, "Kannada, please," they made a phone call to someone who spoke Kannada. That person then told the customer that the workers were uncomfortable because he was speaking only in Kannada. Confused, the resident responded, "I’ve booked a service and shown them the bathroom—they just need to clean and leave. Why is language even a barrier here?"

The workers then contacted Urban Company’s customer care, but the representative also couldn’t speak Kannada. Since the customer preferred to be served in his own language, he ended the call. After some back and forth, the workers canceled the booking and left.

He wrote in his post, "I haven’t asked them to write poetry about my bathroom. Just clean and leave. What’s the issue?"

The incident quickly sparked a heated debate online. One user commented:

"I doubt any Kannadiga will come n clean toilets. May b too much pride. But having said that, bro, those poor fellows came to clean ur shit hole. For once think, wat they will be feeling." [sic.]

To this, the poster replied:

"never expected them to speak my language—I genuinely empathize with them. But the lack of basic gratitude towards the state and the people they serve is worrisome. The least they can do is show some respect. And to be clear, I’m not blaming the workers. The real issue lies with UrbanClap and similar companies that don’t even enable this basic courtesy. Even I address them as “sir.”

Another user shared a similar experience:

“Same experience, but I have always stuck to English and Kannada, and it has never been a barrier. But in hospitals, the nursing staff speaking Hindi is a danger. I have argued with management.”

A third user criticised the company:

"You should have canceled from your end, sir. How dare a service provider blame a person for speaking the local language? Maybe you could try NoBroker next time. They’re better off than Urban."

Responding to the Karnataka resident's post, Urban Company said, “Thank you for reaching out to us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you faced. We would like to assist you with this matter. May we have your registered mobile number or email address via DM to check this further?”

Urban Company Issues Official Statement

Urban Company has now responded to the controversy, issuing an official statement on X. Apologizing for the inconvenience faced by the customer, the company stated that customer satisfaction is their top priority and acknowledged the importance of language inclusion.

They assured that the feedback would be taken seriously and that steps would be taken to improve the quality of service. However, the statement did not specify any concrete measures or policy changes regarding language accommodation, leaving the question whether similar incidents could occur in the future.

The incident highlighted the growing frustration among Kannada speakers who feel their language is being sidelined in their own state. Many commenters argued that companies operating in Karnataka should ensure their staff can communicate in Kannada to provide better customer service.