By Shubham Verma
Copyright republicworld
iPhone 16 Pro at ₹69,999 could easily be called one of Flipkart’s flagship deals during the Big Billion Days sale until it wasn’t. In what could be an embarrassing episode for the online shopping giant, people who eagerly awaited the sale to begin and placed orders for the iPhone 16 Pro met with disappointment when Flipkart cancelled all the orders.According to several users who claimed to have ordered the iPhone 16 Pro as soon as the sale began, they received cancellation messages from Flipkart hours after booking. Many said they felt as if Flipkart tricked them into buying the iPhone 16 Pro, which was advertised to drop to the “lowest-ever” price of ₹69,900.A lot of users also mentioned that they could not find the deal on Flipkart despite logging in to the website about the same time as the sale kicked off. Screenshots posted on X (formerly Twitter) show the device listed at ₹85,999 and ₹99,999 for the 128GB and 256GB variants, respectively, after discount. That is significantly more than what Flipkart’s advertisement said ahead of the sale.While Flipkart has not acknowledged the discrepancy between the advertised prices and the prices some users claim they saw, the onslaught of thousands of users to the website to grab the deal could have been the reason. Flipkart usually limits the best offer on devices like the iPhone 16 Pro to a few units, after which it applies dynamic prices based on demand. Sure, the price remains less than the original price, but the deal loses its appeal. So much so that people called the deal fake and accused Flipkart of defrauding customers in the name of festival offers.Flipkart’s promise of the lowest iPhone 16 Pro prices was still acceptable to many, but nearly every customer who placed an order, only to see it cancelled, called out the company. “What nonsense is this?” said a user, urging Flipkart to “shut your business rather than scamming us.” According to screenshots showing cancelled iPhone 16 Pro orders, Flipkart has cited reasons like payment failure. But customers claim their payments were successful. Flipkart has also not provided these customers with useful details on when they can expect a refund.With the festive season underway, customers are eager to make new purchases, and smartphones are at the top of their wish lists. But this is also the time when companies are under immense pressure to deliver what they promise, and Flipkart’s fiasco shows that it failed to do so.Read more: India’s Smartphone Exports to US Rose 148% in August Despite Slowdown Concerns
