Freedom 251 shifts shipping date from June end to 6 July

Ringing Bells has postponed the deliveries of its Rs 251 smartphone from end of June to July 6. There will be a launch event in Delhi on the July 7. The director of Ringing Bells, Mohit Goel has said that the company would like to remain silent till the phone has started reaching customers, according to a report in the Deccan Chronicle. [caption id=“attachment_300367” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The Freedom 251 sample given to media persons looked like an iPhone Image: The Mobile Indian[/caption] The phones were supposed to start delivering today, devices would start shipping based on a state wise lucky draw . The announcement is no surprise considering a pattern of frequent changes in the delivery dates, number of handsets, and modes of payment to the phone. These may well be the problems a company faces when just starting out, but the extensions are too frequent. The Freedom 251 was launched in February 17  this year. The press were given Adcom devices with the branding painted over and a sticker added on the back as “prototypes” or “samples” of what the final device would be like. The design of the phone has changed since then, a noticeable change being that the iOS styled belly button has been replaced with the more conventional three buttons that Android devices use. [caption id=“attachment_299689” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The Freedom 251 with three physical buttons[/caption] In March, while reacting to the controversy surrounding what looked like an attempt to resell phones from another maker at a discounted price, the president of Ringing Bells, Ashok Chada had said that the deliveries for the phone would happen by the end of April . 25 Lakh devices were to be distributed over a period of two months. Towards the end of April, Ringing Bells had cancelled 30,000 orders it had received through its web site, refunded the money and showed a “bookings closed” status on its web site. There was a promise to send emails to the 25 lakh registrations the company allegedly received. The deliveries of the phones were now to start in May . BJP leader Kirit Somaiya filed an FIR against company president Ashok Chada and director Mohit Goel, under section 420. The Allahabad high court had ruled the FIR as being premature at that time. [caption id=“attachment_299911” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] Mohit Goel, right, Director of Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd., and Ashok Chadha, left, spokesperson, show a Freedom 251 smartphone (AP)[/caption] In the middle of June, the company officials said that the phones will be shipped to the first 30,000 customers starting June 28 . Cash on Delivery was to be the mode of payment for these phones. This was a way for the company to ensure transparency and clear any suspicions people may have had. These suspicions were not alleviated when the number of devices to be shipped, the date of delivery and manner of choosing these customers were changed again just before it was supposed to launch. 2 lakh devices were to be distributed through a state wise lucky draw, starting on June 30 . The state wise lucky draw was introduced to ensure the device would reach all parts of India. The delay was apparently due to the battery. Now the delivery has been again moved to July 6. Do you believe in this commitment by Ringing Bells? Let us know in the comment section below.