Stung by criticism from its fans, Xiaomi India has clarified that more stock of its Redmi Note 3 is on its way from China to India.
“We are indeed going to bring in the 32GB very soon. Hang in there, the beast is already on its way,” the company said in response to complaints by fans that stocks were really very scarce.
The company has conducted three flash sales in India and going by the number of reviews, only between 2,000 and 4,000 units of its sought-after 32-GB variant has been sold in the country so far.
In comparison, a total of 5 to 10 mln people are reported to be trying to buy these phones.
According to a poll conducted by RTN, 97% of those interested in Redmi Note 3 were looking to buy the 32-GB version and only 2% were interested in the 16 GB version. 1% were okay with both.
However, going by reviews, the sale trends have been in the opposite direction, with about 90% of the stock being 16 GB.
UPDATE: Xiaomi is now saying that 32 GB will be available in April.
This has led to extremely sharp reaction from fans who have accused the company of taking them for a ride and so on.
However, Xiaomi India said stocks were difficult to come because it is “peak season”.
“It’s the holiday peak season now, which is why delivery is rather slow at the moment. Hang in there, we’re working on delivering the phones ASAP (as soon as possible).”
It also allayed concerns that it was playing with fans’ emotions. “We are here to stay in India, and that’s because we love our Mi India Fans. We are doing our best to bring in more units now,” it said.
Mi India did not specifically say whether the next flash sale — scheduled for March 30 — will include the 32 GB version or not.
It is likely that the company is waiting to see if the stocks will arrive in time before committing on whether or not the variant will be included in next week’s flash sale.
Sometimes, it can take days for the customs department to clear a consignment, while at other times port congestion can result in stock deliveries getting delayed.
Xiaomi’s statement that stocks are hard to come by because of it being peak season seems to indicate that even the 16 GB version has not been selling in great numbers. Despite only 2% of the people preferring it (according to our poll), even the 16 GB version has been running out within seconds of the flash sale kicking off.
However, many people ‘booked’ the 16 GB version today, and then cancelled it after changing their minds. As a result, the ‘waitlist’ on Amazon kept oscillating between ‘open’ and ‘full’ for several minutes after the sale started at 2 pm.
The company conducted a ‘Holi Sale’ yesterday, raising hopes that it would make some Redmi Note 3 units available. However, instead of the phone, it sold Note 3 covers on Holi.
This only made fans like Aashutosh angrier.
“Mi India, U launched a product almost after a year but still you are not in a state to sale what buyer wants which you called the beast. Mi India APNE MUH MIYAN MITHU bali adaten chhodiye ye bluetooth speaker ya mobile cover se HOLI manaye nhi jate (Do not engage in self-praise, you cannot celebrate Holi with mobile cover and bluetooth speaker) & give the buyer a option to buy what they wants to not what you want to sale them,” he said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, the company’s biggest rival, LeEco, is gearing up to launch its premium flagship phone Le 2 Pro — with Snapdragon 820 chipset, 5.7-inch QHD display and 4 GB of RAM — in India for a price of Rs 25,000 next month.
Google is also gearing up to release the world’s first truly modular phone from its Ara Project soon, while there are reports that Reliance Jio will launch India’s biggest 4G service this Sunday.
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