Telecommunications company Digicel Jamaica is today (October 4) taking a lashing from local Twitter users for ‘shameless’ attempts to get persons to sign up for its BiP messaging app.

According to Digicel, the BiP app is the perfect replacement for WhatsApp amid the ongoing outage of several Facebook-owned platforms including Instagram and the popular instant messaging service, which has affected millions across the world. 

Digicel subsidiaries across the Caribbean, including its largest markets in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, began a virtual assault on WhatsApp on Twitter, however, the Jamaican Twitterati did not take too kindly to the conglomerate’s overt nudging. 

Digicel went as far as blasting thousands of customers via SMS, assuring that BiP doesn’t need WiFi or mobile data to use.

The campaign quickly backfired as Jamaicans described, in vivid detail, the lengths they’d go to not utilise the BiP app. 

“I’d rather send a carrier pigeon, thanks,” said @jahnuaryy in a quote tweet. 

There was enough comedy to dish towards Digicel, as while some Twitter users argued, “WhatsApp goes down probably twice a year”, the company (Digicel) and its mobile data service coverage fails “consistently”.

Others, in reference to the iconic Mean Girls line, pleaded with Digicel to stop “trying to make BiP happen”.

More still were quick to point out that iMessenger and Telegram are still viable communication options and that they would choose them over BiP any day.

More reactions:

After nearly an hour of savage, rib-tickling replies, the Digicel Jamaica’s Twitter account claimed they were only trying to “draw out” users—marvelling at how “easy” it was to do so.

The company later offered olive branches of prepaid credit vouchers to appease the anti-BiP sentiment.