LG and Nokia Weekend Sales in Megamall Leave Customers Disappointed

Posted on November 15th, 2010. Written by Rico.

The Nokia C6 and LG Optimus One were sold at crazy low prices last Saturday. The problem was that many buyers-to-be waited hours for nothing due to limited supply—artificial or otherwise.

To take advantage of the pre-Christmas shopping mania, both the C6 and Optimus were made available for sale at ₱6,490.00 and ₱6,450.00 respectively. As news of both promos—limited to a specific time last Saturday—spread online, potential buyers were whipped into a frenzy. Rumors indicate that a few adventurous souls even camped outside SM Megamall as early as 3:00AM.

What Happened

Then the mall finally opened and the lines formed. And the lines were long. One report said that the line for the Nokia Store on the fourth floor of SM Megamall extend down towards the second. If any Nokia and LG marketing staff ever made the trip to Megamall last November 13, they must’ve been pleased with the demand they created. Just look at the pictures taken by GameOps.net!

The problem was that there wasn’t enough supply to meet the frenzy. So many people who spent hours lining up ended up with nothing for their efforts. Jepoy ended up tired and defeated, complaining that only 60 Nokia C6s were available while his friend Siopao breaks his LG experience down, journal style. My friend Mico called me to complain that LG store in Megamall only carried 40 units. Mico’s pain was made more acute by the fact that he was apparently the “first loser”, the person on the line who wouldn’t be getting a phone.

What Could Have Been Done?

If all accounts regarding the November 13 sales are accurate, one must wonder why Nokia or LG failed to either:

• Count the number of available units, count the number of people lining up, then immediately inform those who wouldn’t make the cut that there were no more phones available.
• Scramble to send more units to the stores.

The second option would be difficult to do. It can take weeks—even months—for local retailers and distributors to have new stocks of gadgets shipped to the Philippines. We’re not exactly a global hub, you know? Pulling off last-minute additions to the inventory last Saturday would’ve been a miracle.

The first option on the other hand would’ve left some buyers angry. Many of them camped outside the mall for a chance to spend less of their hard-earned money on a very useful gadget. How dare Nokia and LG tell them that their time was wasted! On the other hand, disappointing people now rather than later is always a better move. Delay the harvest of the grapes of wrath, and you’ll end up with more sour ones.

The supply of any gadget isn’t infinite, and it’s also understandable that both Nokia and LG wanted to attract as many buyers as possible by not revealing just how many phones they were willing to sell at steeply discounted prices. They may have even failed to anticipate the demand their promos generated last November 13. Judging from the number of profanity-laced anecdotes I’ve seen online however, Nokia and LG should have found a way to accommodate the mobs that their respective stores drew.

Maybe they could’ve handed out vouchers to buyers who didn’t make the cut, allowing them to get the C6 or Optimus One at the sale price, once additional stocks were available. Or even a gift certificate for their next purchase. The time and devotion buyers displayed for both brands should have led to a reward of some sort, instead of a feeling of loss and anger.