OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei took to the company’s forums yesterday to apologize for the weeks-long delay in rolling out invites for customers to buy its new handset.
The post seemed to come from a good place and noted the difficulties in running a hardware business, which I can appreciate.
However, the most striking part of the apology is Pei’s offer to make up for the goof: an hour-long open sale either this month or the next for customers who haven’t yet had a chance to buy their device.
It’s possibly the worst way to address a sales issue. As if OnePlus’ invite-based sales weren’t inconvenient enough, customers will now have to wait for an open sale and make sure they’re free during one golden hour just to place an order.
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The invite system isn’t remotely user-friendly; it only makes things easier for OnePlus to gauge interest and pace their supply chain without running into hassles. The proposed sale doesn’t make things easier for buyers either. Does customer satisfaction fit into the company’s plans at all?
While mistakes like these may or may not spell ruin for OnePlus, they certainly shouldn’t be emulated by entrepreneurs looking up to the plucky young company for inspiration.
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