Pimax Issues Apology Following Backlash Over Secret Social Media Incentive Program

Man, so get this — brand ambassador gigs and referral craziness, we’ve all seen ’em, right? But oh boy, last week Pimax — you know, the VR headset folks — they kinda stepped in it. They came clean and admitted something a bit shady. I think they were trying to be sneaky and it backfired. So, like, here’s the juicy bit: they were gonna roll out this thing where people got rewards for saying nice things about them online. Yeah, kinda sketchy, right?

So, the drama kicked off when this Reddit user, ‘Mavgaming1′ — no clue how they stumbled on this, but they did — dropped a bomb. Apparently, Pimax hit them up via Discord, trying to rope folks into what’s pretty much a secret fans’ club. Post something nice about us on social — bam, you rack up points! Then, you could score stuff like $5 Steam cards or even steep discounts on more of their gear. The jackpot? A trip to their digs in Shanghai, like some kind of golden ticket adventure.

But hey, you had to earn it. Write something glowing, post it on Reddit or wherever, submit it for a thumbs up, and hope your tweet, or whatever, earns enough love. I swear, the guidelines they cooked up spelled everything out! Like, here’s a tip: talk about your first VR trip with Pimax or give some handy advice on using their gadgets — anything to keep the convo positive about their new tech or whatever. It’s clear they wanted those happy vibes flowing.

Turns out, they were kind of baiting for good comments all over their social feeds. But this wasn’t really about tech love; more like a sneaky attempt to look like people were actually cheering for them. It’s their whole new lineup — the cool Crystal Super and that lightweight Dream Air. It was like a script straight out of a movie, but more awkwardly executed.

And Pimax’s stance? They’re, like, “Oops, our bad!” but swore they weren’t all in on this goofy, behind-the-scenes ploy. They said it’s just some rogue employees going off-script, and they shut it down real quick. They threw in the classic line about never — yep, never ever — paying for good press before. Hmm.

But yeah, Pimax admitted to hitting up nine folks on Discord for this wild plan, with three getting the full fan club pitch. Their PR guy, Jaap Grolleman — he’s been their chatterbox for about three years now — told Road to VR this whole shebang didn’t clear their usual channels. Those messages, he says, were just slipped under the door privately, so to speak.

“We don’t pull this endorsement stunt,” Jaap says — all serious — stressing they never forced anyone’s hand to pen a ‘yay Pimax’ piece. Except, uh, those few sneaky messages around May 22. Bit of a judgment fail, eh? But hey, no reviews got published thanks to this fiasco.

But wait — legal woes peep their ugly head here. Sure, just three got the sales pitch, but dodging shady marketing laws globally could be tricky. Yeah, there’s all that FTC act stuff that screams against this kinda palaver. You can’t go around bribing for cheerleading without light-up signs saying, “We paid for this!” It’s not just sketchy; it could actually break the law.

And, like, the UK’s got their own watchdogs, plus the EU’s waving their don’t-pull-that-here flags with rules outlawing fake grassroots campaigns — what’s often dubbed ‘astroturfing.’

Wild, right? One minute it’s all VR headsets and the next, legal and PR bonfire. I mean, oops doesn’t quite cut it.