SINGAPORE — Chinese tech giant Huawei said that it “clearly underestimated” customer demand for its short-lived promotion offering older Singaporeans a heavily discounted smartphone, and is giving some customers a voucher to make up for it.

In a media statement on Tuesday (July 30), the company explained that for the promotion on July 26, it had prepared about 2,000 sets of the Y6 Pro smartphones, to be sold at a discounted price of S$54.

"(We) clearly underestimated the overall customer demand, resulting in a poor consumer experience for those trying to buy the phone," Huawei said.

"We did not carefully consider our customers’ well-being enough and should have been better prepared for this promotion."

The promotion launched last Friday was meant to be a three-day campaign to mark Singapore's 54th year of independence. Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 50 and above as of Dec 31 this year were eligible for the offer.

However, those who queued up for the phone said that each store had fewer than 30 sets of the phone.

A Huawei spokesperson told CNA that the 2,000 Y6 Pro smartphones it prepared for the promotion was determined based on past sales at each retail outlet.

Certain retailers such as Courts and Challenger would have about 100 sets, while stores in heartland areas would have 20 to 30 sets, something the company acknowledged should have been better planned.

It added that “to make things right”, it has identified close to 5,000 registered customers who have shown interest at its stores and will offer them a S$100 smartphone voucher.

The voucher is applicable to selected smartphones such as Y6 Pro, Nova 3i, P30 Pro, P30, P30 Lite, Mate 20 X, Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20.

The company noted that with this voucher, the Y6 Pro, which retails at S$148, would be cheaper than the S$54 promotional price.

Huawei had collected the contact details of those who were still keen on its devices from last Friday and over the weekend. It is aiming to contact them within two weeks from Aug 2, the company spokesperson said.

“The team is working hard to ensure sufficient inventory to accommodate the demand.” 

The company also said that it is working with the Consumers Association of Singapore and the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore to address its concerns, but did not give details. CNA

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