La queja de QUIMI PORTET a un camarero

July 5, 2016 LINGUISTIC CONTROVERSY Quimi Portet denounces waiter online for refusing to serve him because he spoke Catalan The former member of El Último de la Fila posted a photo of the employee, who claimed not to understand the singer. Baleària apologized and announced it will take action Catalan singer Quimi Portet, former member of the group El Último de la Fila, denounced on Sunday that a waiter on a Baleària ferry sailing from Ibiza to Formentera (on which Portet was traveling) had refused to serve the musician because he didn't understand what he was asking for: a "cafè amb llet" (coffee with milk). The singer criticized the employee's attitude via Twitter, reporting the incident and posting a photo of the waiter who had allegedly refused to serve him. The complaint, which immediately went viral, was quickly answered by Baleària using the same platform. The shipping company subsequently issued a statement assuring that it intends to clarify what happened in order to "take the necessary measures to prevent these situations from recurring." It also considers it "unacceptable" that the company or any employee be "used as a tool." The company further stated that "the ferry waiter should have been more respectful" and that at no point is "the possibility of terminating his employment contract" being considered. "This employee acknowledged his mistake and tried to rectify it immediately," the statement explains, in which Baleària condemns the treatment both the waiter and the company's Head of Communications have received on social media. The incident reportedly took place on Sunday morning, when the former member of El Último de la Fila was traveling by ferry to the island of Formentera to participate in a concert sponsored by the shipping company, the 11th Primavera Cultural Festival. Portet denounced the waiter in a first tweet, posting a photo of him with the caption: Quimi Portet @Quimi_Portet 1/2 Formentera-Ibiza ferry 8:00. @Balearia. This waiter doesn't understand "café amb llet"....... 07:24 - Jul 3, 2016 1,406 Retweets 552 Likes In a second message posted on the social network, the musician claimed that the employee had replied: "Look, I understand you in Galician, Spanish, French, English, and even Italian, but not in Catalan or Mallorcan." This publication contacted the singer, who simply stated that "it's an isolated incident" and that (with the two messages) "I explained very clearly what had happened." In response to the criticism his complaint on Twitter generated, the Catalan singer simply stated that the waiter "wasn't very polite." Quimi Portet @Quimi_Portet 2/2 "Look: I understand you in Galician, Spanish, French, English, and even Italian, but not in Catalan or Mallorcan." 7:24 AM - Jul 3, 2016 1,211 Retweets 466 Likes The message quickly became a trending topic and went viral with thousands of messages both for and against the guitarist. The most significant response came from Baleària, which replied to the singer, “#quimiportet, we apologize for the inconvenience. Baleària does not condone this treatment of any customer. We will take the appropriate measures.” Hours later, the shipping company issued a statement indicating its intention to clarify “the events that occurred between Quimi Portet and the employee” in order to assess “compliance with customer service guidelines” and thus “take the necessary measures to prevent these situations from recurring.” In this regard, the statement emphasizes that the company “will respect and ensure respect for the rights” of both employees and customers. Finally, the company deems it “unacceptable” that the company or any employee be “exploited.” The message sparked a heated linguistic debate online, with many users questioning the singer's decision to publish the employee's image. When asked about this issue, Portet has no regrets and reiterates that "I did what I could do at that time."