Chinese tech company Huawei said it is giving customers S$100 vouchers to make up for the recent brouhaha.

It has identified close to 5,000 registered customers who showed interest to purchase a phone at its stores and will offer them a S$100 smartphone voucher.

It had collected the contact details of those who were still keen on its devices from last Friday and over the weekend.

Huawei is aiming to contact these prospective buyers within two weeks from Aug. 2.

The company said the voucher is applicable to selected smartphones.

These include Y6 Pro, Nova 3i, P30 Pro, P30, P30 Lite, Mate 20 X, Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20.

By utilising this voucher, the Y6 Pro would be cheaper than S$54 promotion price as it retails at S$148 now.

“The team is working hard to ensure sufficient inventory to accommodate the demand,” a spokesperson said.

The company also said it is working with the Consumers Association of Singapore and the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore to address its concerns.

But no details were revealed.

Media statement

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

This number was determined based on past sales at each retail outlet.

Certain retailers such as Courts and Challenger would have about 100 sets.

Heartland stores would have 20 to 30 sets.

Huawei acknowledged it should have been better planned.

But it “clearly underestimated” customer demand for its short-lived promotion offering elderly Singaporeans a heavily discounted smartphone.

The three-day campaign on Friday, July 26 to mark Singapore's 54th birthday ended after a few hours.

Thousands of Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 50 and above as of Dec. 31 this year were eligible for the offer but walked away empty-handed, despite waiting for hours.

This is the statement in full:

We want to make it right

We are sorry for the disappointment and distress caused to our customers over the weekend.

We had prepared approximately 2,000 handsets but clearly underestimated the overall customer demand, resulting in a poor consumer experience for those trying to buy the phone.

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

To make things right and show our commitment to our customers, we will reach out to the 5,000 customers that have registered at our stores from 26 – 28 July 2019 with a $100 Huawei smartphone voucher. The team will be contacting these individuals within two weeks from Aug. 2, 2019.

It is our customers’ loyalty and trust that continue to contribute to Huawei’s success in Singapore and we will continue to provide the best products and experience as always.