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The story
A customer whose McDonald’s order was missing an item posted on X (formerly Twitter) that, despite receiving the missing item, a refund, and even a free fries voucher from the store, there was still “no word of apology.” The post was reposted to 5ch and sparked a wave of discussion.
On the thread, comments piled up like “Demanding an apology on top of the product and a refund sounds like customer harassment (kasu-hara)” and “Sincerity is shown through money, not words,” while others argued “A simple ‘I’m sorry’ should be a given.” The disagreement exposed a real divide over whether compensation and a verbal apology are the same thing. Plenty of posts also questioned whether the story was even true, noting it was spreading widely without any confirmation the employee actually said this.
What people said
Demanding an apology on top of that is basically customer harassment (kasu-hara) at this point.
What more do you need?
Is it just that getting the actual item handed to you doesn't let you flex on people online?
Tweeting about it doesn't solve anything, you know?
Is it just me?
That's plenty of sincerity right there.
This person really can't write clearly.
Probably went: "I couldn't eat it all together, it's cold now, I can't eat it — refund me!" and then "Okay, come back to the store and we'll sort out the refund," right?
They probably turned down having it delivered and asked for a refund instead.
I'd say that's plenty of sincerity already.
Just give me the burger.
What's the point of begging for an apology?
Asking for a refund on top of that — why not just say so on the first call? That's just greedy.
I called and they brought me a replacement, with a normal apology too. I think I got a drink voucher as well.
Same goes for people reposting it without permission — but chatting it up using someone else's unauthorized repost is shady too, honestly like a bunch of thieves.
Eh, who cares, it's fine.
But hey, we all love X anyway.
Normally that alone would settle the whole thing.
Nothing but poor folks spinning tall tales ("Kojiki" — slang borrowing Japan's oldest chronicle to mean a long-winded, self-serving story).
Common pattern is: "While I was waiting my other food went cold, what are you gonna do about it?!" → "We're terribly sorry, we'll refund the whole order" → and then they just let the customer keep the canceled item too.
I mean, it's not like they could resell it to another customer anyway.
No proof, just guessing though.
What even is "sincerity," anyway?
That'd be the Great General, obviously.
Sincerity isn't words — it's the amount of money.
If what they actually wanted was the employee handing it over while dogeza-ing (prostrating on the ground in apology) instead of just saying sorry, then sure, the post makes sense.
They probably expected the entire staff to line up and bow in apology.
They packed it up neatly — digging back through it to double-check would just mess it up.
Background and Key Points of This Story
Some in the thread noted that at major chains like McDonald’s, part-timers handling the rush alone makes mis-packed or missing items more likely. This post originated from the customer’s own writing on X (formerly Twitter), which was then reposted to 5ch — whether the employee actually said “I have no obligation to apologize” can’t be confirmed from the text alone. Multiple replies pointed this out, and a fair number of posters were skeptical about condemning the store based on an unverified, single-source account reduced to a headline.
The debate split over whether financial compensation — a replacement item, a refund, and a coupon — amounts to the same thing as a spoken apology. Those who saw the compensation as sufficient argued “sincerity is shown through money,” while those who still wanted an apology said “a simple sorry should be a given.” Both sides were arguing from guesswork without knowing the actual details of the exchange (whether it happened by phone or in person, or whether an apology was ever spoken) — worth keeping in mind given how shaky that premise is.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G board) thread “[Sad News] McDonald’s Employee: “It Was Someone Else’s Mistake, I Have No Obligation to Apologize” → Backlash Erupts.”
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