Urban Company faces backlash for its ‘15-min Insta Maid’ service; netizens question feasibility and ethics

The race of quick commerce does not seem to end. After quick delivery of groceries and food dishes was made popular, many online sites started their own quick services. Blinkit, online groceries delivery platform, announced 10 min ambulance service and now Urban Company, home services company, has announced “Insta Maids” services that claims to provide maids at “your doorstep” in just 15 minutes. the service offers utensil cleaning, brooming, mopping, cooking preparation among other facilities. The price has also been kept minimal at only Rs 49 per hour.   

What is the ‘Insta Maid/Insta Help’ service? 

The company has started its service in pilot phase in Mumbai and claimed to have recieved positive response. After some experience, it expressed its happiness on X and wrote, “We are thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response to our newly launched service, “Insta Maids / Insta Help”, in Mumbai. Currently, the service is in its pilot phase, and we look forward to expanding it to other cities soon.” The company is hopeful to launch its services in more cities soon.  

One of its advertisements about house help shows a woman struggling with taking care of pets, doing laundry while a pile of work is pending at her home. The woman wishes for a genie to come and just that a woman dressed in Urban Company’s official uniform appears and in minutes completes all her pending tasks. The advertisement claims to complete all housework with one all in one house help.  

However, the newly launched service, just a month old, in Mumbai, has sparked outrage after gaining attention on social media platform X. 

Social media strong reactions against Urban Company’s 15 min house help 

Many social media users have called the service demeaning as they called out the company for its use of the word “maid” which according to them is derogatory and outdated in these days. “Expected better from Urban Company. :/ Has no one told them that the term “Maid" is outdated, gendered and in general derogatory? Also, what’s with the visuals on the ad," observed one user On ‘X’.  

Another social media user angry at the advertisement called it “classist”. Urban Company's approach was criticized for being insensitive and disconnected from reality. Many also expressed apprehensions of entry of illegal immigrants in the country through the system of such applications. “Urban company has launched this in Mumbai. There may be high probability you will find many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Nepal working in this industry.” A user responded to the viral ad by saying the company deserves to completely fail and go out of business.