[jen_h]

If you're on the right track, competitors are going to rip you off.

If you're on the right track, competitors are going to try to poach your customers.

If you're on the right track, some competitors are going to talk trash about you when they think no one's looking. Or even when everyone's looking! Using profanity in their Twitter feeds, even!

But just because you're on the right track doesn't mean you can't derail; take the high road and let your customers decide. How you deal with unethical competitors is just one mettle-proving battle in a much larger campaign.

I sympathize with Zendesk, but there are times where it's wiser to just let your tongue bleed out. Let that extra salt sustain you for the more important battles ahead.

[omarchowdhury]

How is FreshDesk ripping off or poaching the customers of ZenDesk?

Last time I checked, it was people connected to ZenDesk who are the one's talking trash.

[dangrossman]

> How is FreshDesk ripping off or poaching the customers of ZenDesk?

Read some of the other comments in this thread.

> Ignoring the interface and naming similarities, you can't complain about ZenDesk on Twitter without multiple Freshdesk spammers bombarding you.

[Stormbringer]

Last time I checked, having a feature list where you compare your product with theirs, complete with little green ticks and all, it probably means your software is playing in the same space as theirs. That's the real essence of the "rip off" portion of the accusation.

Copying your competitors features... well, that happens a lot. Copying their name and their features, and then acting surprised when people call you on it? That's pretty much textbook douchebaggery.

But the copying doesn't stop there, because they even copied the pricing structure!

And then they act all upset when they get accused of copying.

As for the racially inflamatory remarks... go check the last big discussion on hacker news about the state of the Indian education system. The Indians themselves say that cheating is blatant and pervasive. So while that kind of strawman argument doesn't do much for the intellectual quality of the argument.... you shouldn't complain about being stereotyped if what you are doing conforms exactly to the stereotype.

In other words, if the shoe fits, wear it. If not, then throw it.

[techhacker]

"The Indians themselves say that cheating is blatant and pervasive." - how does that give one a license to call someone a 'rip-off'. Aren't americans cribbing of 'lack of culture' in America? So shoudl the world start calling them names,. "In other words, if the shoe fits, wear it. If not, then throw it." - But DO NOT throw it on other's face.

[Stormbringer]

You don't get it. That they were blatantly ripping off someone else's software, and THAT is what gives them the right to label them a rip off.

Everything else is just smoke and mirrors, where the Freshdesk guys are trying to pretend that it is all about name calling, it isn't. Based only on what they themselves say, it is obvious that Freshdesk is a copy of Zendesk.