Customer Leaves Negative Review for Coffee Shop... Owner Doxxes Their Personal Information

Coffee Shop Owner Faces Legal Action After Doxxing Customer Over Negative Review

Recently, a resident of Taiwan reported to local media that after leaving a negative review for a coffee shop on a rating platform, the shop owner launched a doxxing campaign—publishing personal information, materials, and photos of her, her family, and her friends online, severely disrupting all their lives.

How the Incident Unfolded

The customer, Ms. Chen, recounted that on the 15th of the month she visited a coffee shop in Taipei planning to relax over a coffee. On entering, no staff greeted her—even though the shop was empty except for two delivery drivers waiting for orders.

She walked up to the counter to order, presenting her own cup and asking for an oat milk drink priced at TWD 140 (about RMB 32). The staff told her the shop had a minimum spend of TWD 200 (about RMB 46). Ms. Chen found that acceptable and immediately added a TWD 60 (about RMB 14) cotton candy cookie to meet the minimum—only to be told the cotton candy cookies were sold out.

The other desserts started at TWD 200 apiece and were quite substantial. Having already eaten lunch and having no one to share with, Ms. Chen didn't want to waste food.

When the staff realized she wouldn't order the pricier desserts, they asked whether she wanted her order to go. She explained that she was happy to follow the minimum-spend rule, but the shop's failure to stock everything on its menu was what kept her from reaching it.

The staff's attitude turned cold. Ms. Chen apologized, said she wouldn't be ordering after all, and left. She later posted a negative review on the rating platform about the shop's service attitude.

Escalation and Online Harassment

After seeing the review, the owner began posting selectively cropped surveillance clips with emotionally charged commentary—even writing, "I've never cared about those broken stars on rating apps since opening."

What truly alarmed other netizens was the owner publishing over 30 posts containing photos of Ms. Chen, her friends, and her family, paired with personally attacking text. Even netizens who defended Ms. Chen had their appearance mocked by the owner.

As outrage spread, the shop's rating plummeted. Some netizens investigated the owner in turn, discovering that the owner had disabled tagging and search functions, changed their account name to Ms. Chen's name, and even appropriated her photos.

Legal Action and Consequences

On the 17th, Ms. Chen reported the incident to the police and decided to sue. She stated that without her consent, the owner had published her personal information and that of relatives, friends, and third parties, along with surveillance screenshots, adding demeaning and insulting remarks to the images and videos.

The acts, she argued, constituted public humiliation, aggravated defamation, and serious violations of privacy, portrait, and reputation rights. She has retained legal counsel and demanded the shop contact her lawyer within three days to explain—otherwise she will pursue both criminal and civil liability.

Netizens later revealed that the owner had also recruited people to attack Ms. Chen and her supporters online—without paying them anything.

Aftermath and Response

The day after the police report, the owner deleted the posts and issued a public apology. The coffee shop remained closed.

The owner claimed they had been abroad and hadn't fully grasped what had happened in the shop. As for the direct public attacks on Ms. Chen and her loved ones, they admitted: "I set a very wrong example, I'm sorry!" They acknowledged the distress caused to their own family and friends, saying, "I will humbly accept all criticism and plead with the public to spare my family and friends."

Ms. Chen, however, noted that despite the online statements, the owner had never contacted her or her lawyer privately—and she will continue to pursue legal action.

Image source: Internet

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