The makers of Freedom 251, Ringing Bells, are refunding customers who paid upfront for the device after the company came under heavy scrutiny, reports The Economic Times.
The business model and manufacturing, of what the company claims to be the world’s cheapest smartphone, is being questioned, besides allegations of fraud.
The payment portal used by Ringing Bells, CCAvenue, told The Economic Times about the refund of Rs 84 lakh for 30,000 transactions made by about 14,800 unique customers.
Due to negative publicity in media and scrutiny by the government, the merchant has asked us to refund all transactions.Vishwas Patel, CEO of Avenues India, (Parent Company of CCAvenue) to The Economic Times
Congress lawmaker Pramod Tiwari has said that the refunds will be completed by Monday. Tiwari, along with BJP’s Kirit Somaiaya, had alleged that the price offered by the company was a scam in making.
The cash on delivery option, however, is still functional and no refunds will be made on that mode.
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