After a great publicity for bringing a smartphone for just Rs 251, things are not going too well for the less known smartphone manufacturer Ringing Bells. After all, launching the cheapest smartphone which is just Rs 251 will raise skeptical eyes and when things are just not going right.
Starting from first:
The site went down even before the booking started and the people took to twitter to react on the failure to book the product.
The site successfully takes you till you add the product in the cart and then returns to the main page. You will then have to enter your shipping address, mobile number and email ID and then tick the terms and conditions checkbox. With the shipping charges, the total price of the phone comes to Rs 291 and not Rs 251. And the delivery of the handset will be received only after four months.
Here are few tweets:
#Freedom251 After all those Try.!!!!! pic.twitter.com/892iNm1hSW
— Rishabh Sharma (@im_srishabh21) February 18, 2016
Anyone booked #Freedom251 ?? ? Hittin refresh button lik anythin goes bak to main page lol it looks like a scam .. pic.twitter.com/XoMLw5u6na — Aishwarya (@ASH54083) February 18, 2016
Notable to order 1 whole unit of #Freedom251
So now trying to order half unit.
?145 only.. #LOL pic.twitter.com/KjX5iLyNxz— Vatsal Agarwal (@ackyvatsal) February 18, 2016
It takes 251 to Fake in India. #Freedom251 pic.twitter.com/gTyZAUmWNz — Shaik Zakeer Hussain (@Zaknetic) February 18, 2016
Dr Kirit Somaiya, member of Parliament has also written to Telecom Ministry and asked the regulatory body to set an immediate study.
The mobile industry body ICA has also raised concerns over this affordable smartphone and written to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying the rate could not be below Rs 3,500 even after a subsidised sale.
The regulatory body also warned senior political and government leadership not to be present at the launch till all the controversies around it are cleared.
