The company behind Freedom 251 – the Rs 251 Android smartphone – has confirmed that it will continue to operate.
Just like the year, Ringing Bells is apparently also heading towards its end. The company made global headlines in February when it announced the cheapest Android smartphone – Freedom 251 – priced at Rs 251 in India. Following the launch, the Noida-based smartphone maker has been embroiled in a number of controversies and allegations, ranging from duping customers by missing delivery deadlines to allegations of running a ponzy scheme. Amidst all the controversies and reports about the company finally shutting shop after months of false promises, the co-founder and MD of the company Mohit Goel has reportedly called it quits, along with his wife, Dharna Goel, who is the CEO of the company.
Although the chiefs of the company behind making the ‘cheapest smartphone in the world’ have resigned from their roles, the company is reportedly still running. “At Ringing Bells we have our clear business objectives which we have shared earlier with everyone and we are sticking to it. Now Anmol Goel, who is also one of the founder directors, is looking after the affairs of the company and will take forward the company to make it achieve the goals that it has set for itself,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, India Today reports. Meanwhile, Ashok Chadha, will continue as the company’s consulting president.
Recently, reports claimed that Ringing Bells has shut shop and it will be opening a new company with the name of MDM Electronics Private Limited. However, the company had specifically denied the reports saying Ringing Bells “is very well in the market and is operating as earlier. The MDM Electronics Private Limited is a separate entity distinct from Ringing Bells.”
Even as the company has cleared the air about Ringing Bells being still in business, the company’s official website for its infamous Freedom 251 smartphone continues to be down for weeks at a stretch. Although consumers and industry watchers continue to call the Freedom 251 smartphone a fake scheme to entice users into bulk booking the device and later extending delivery deadline, the company behind the cheapest smartphone has claimed that it has managed to deliver around 70,000 units of the smartphone.
The smartphone, when announced earlier this year, was available for purchase online through the company’s own website. However, soon after the announcement, the company’s website went down and users were denied access to order the device. At that time, the company attributed the glitch to a surge in traffic. In a statement to BGR India, the company said, “Ringing Bells has not shut shop and is functioning as earlier.”
Upon asking how can people track their orders placed online for the Rs 251 smartphone, the company said, “People who have registered their requests for the phone will be informed as per the procedure once their turn comes up.” ALSO READ: Freedom 251-maker Ringing Bells reportedly shuts down
As per the report, Ringing Bells has said that it will continue to sell the device but through a different medium. “Delivery of Freedom 251 will be made by retailers who will get the products in turn from the distributors and they in turn from the company as is the standard practice in trade. In addition, as has been underpinned and re-clarified on several occasions, the sales are only on cash on delivery basis. The company is making efforts to deliver more Freedom 251 in recent months,” the company said.
Following the launch of the smartphone, the company reported that about 30,000 people paid for booking the phone and over 7 crore people registered for it. However, it is still unclear how many of those people who booked the device have actually received it and whether it is truly a Ringing Bells-made smartphone or ‘prototypes’ by Adcom, which the company is calling its own. Other than launching the cheapest smartphone, it has also announced series of other devices including feature phones, TVs and power banks. ALSO READ: Where has ‘Freedom 251′, world’s cheapest smartphone, disappeared?