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Ice cream truck trolls influencers with brutal rule

The 'Influencers pay double' policy is making waves online. Photo: Facebook/CVTSoftServe
The 'Influencers pay double' policy is making waves online. Photo: Facebook/CVTSoftServe

An ice cream truck owner has taken a stand against social media ‘influencers’, and it’s going to cost them a pretty penny.

Los Angeles’s CVT Soft Serve truck took to social media over the weekend to send a clear message to freebie-hungry influencers; they don’t care.

“Influencers pay double,” read a sign posted to the company’s Facebook page.

“We couldn’t care less about how many followers you have, and we’re super embarrassed for you when you tell us,” the image was captioned.

The post was incredibly popular among patrons, and was followed up with a more detailed explanation by co-founder Joe Nicchi.

“We truly don’t care if you’re an influencer, or how many followers you have,” the post read.

“We will never give you a free ice cream in exchange for a post on your social media page.”

“It’s literally a $4 item...well now it’s $8 for you.”

Done with the influencers

The sign has sparked mostly positive reactions online. Photo: Instagram/cvtsoftserve
The sign has sparked mostly positive reactions online. Photo: Instagram/cvtsoftserve

The hard-line approach comes after Joe felt burnt out by the volume of requests for free ice creams, part of what he describes as an ‘entitled’ attitude.

“LA is full of so-called 'influencers' with large followings that are actually fake because they most likely paid for likes and follows,” he told Newsweek.

Online the reception was almost unanimously supportive, with praise for the business’ no-nonsense stance coming in thick and fast.

“Love it... Just love it,” one fan wrote.

“Helping to reduce the spread of Influencenza,” another wrote. “Thank you Dr. CVT!”

“Just when I thought I couldn't be more of a fangirl...” one super fan shared.

A real celebrity magnet

The ice cream truck is something of an icon in its star-studded hometown, and has had some prolific visitors in the past, though it’s unclear if the freebie-ban extended to them.

Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, and Bill Murray are just some of the celebs who have popped by for a cone.

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