Geely Philippines found itself at the center of a digital storm as outraged netizens bombarded its Facebook page with a deluge of one-star ratings.

This unprecedented flood of negative feedback forced the Chinese-owned company to take a drastic step: removing its ratings altogether.

The controversy began when a frustrated Geely vehicle owner, James Afante, shared his nightmarish experience on TikTok. His two-year-old Geely Coolray had become a source of frustration, plagued by engine issues that left him stranded on the road. Despite his efforts to address the problem, he ultimately sought assistance from a Geely service center in Makati.

Afante’s despair reached new depths when, after five long months, he was finally reunited with his car. What greeted him was nothing short of shocking. The vehicle, once his pride and joy, was left parked on the street, exposed to the elements, bearing water stains, and marred by junk food wrappers scattered across the seats. Even his request to replace the fuel pump had been blatantly ignored.

To make matters worse, Geely employees pointed fingers at Afante, blaming him for using low-quality fuel and attempting to rectify the situation by draining the gas tank and replacing the filter. However, despite their efforts, a mere month later, the car refused to start, leaving Afante once again stranded on the roadside.

The breaking point for Afante was when he felt his pleas for resolution were falling on deaf ears. Turning to TikTok, he vented his frustration and shared his ordeal with the world. “Kailangan pa ba mag-viral para ayusin nyo? Galaw galaw!” (“Do I have to go viral for you to take action? Move!”) he exclaimed in his now-viral video.

Afante’s outcry triggered a chain reaction across social media, with netizens taking to Geely Philippines’ Facebook page to express their solidarity. The company’s rating section soon became inundated with one-star reviews, a clear reflection of the mounting dissatisfaction among consumers.

In response to this torrent of negative feedback, Geely Philippines made a startling decision: they removed the ratings from their Facebook page altogether, effectively silencing the collective voice of their customers. The move was met with mixed reactions, with some interpreting it as an attempt to suppress criticism, while others felt it was a way for the company to avoid addressing the concerns head-on.