Huawei SG54 promo goes awry angering customers due to oversubscription

Huawei has closed 10 of its concept stores and service centres for "safety and security" reasons after its SG54 promotion went viral drawing in a large base of consumers, resulting in snaking long queues and "overwhelming demand".The promotion, in line with the upcoming National Day celebrations,  saw the Huawei brand rolling out a deal selling its Y6 Pro 2019 smartphone model at SG$54 instead of its retail price of SG$198. The promotion, which was intended to carry on from 26 to 28 July, was cut short after the phone was sold out within hours. The promotion was targetted at consumers aged 50 and above.This resulted in Huawei apologising on Facebook for not being able to provide the promotion to the "vast majority" of interested buyers - especially to those who "showed support from early morning".Disappointed fans took to Facebook to voice their displeasure, with over 800 angry reactions out of 1,700 reactions on the Facebook post. Many had been in line from wee hours in the morning, with an ST article stating that queues started forming since Thursday night.According to the live updates, security issues first arose at its Tampines Mall outlet around 11am this morning, where the Singapore Police Force was called in to manage the crowd situation.[embed]https://www.facebook.com/HuaweiMobileSG/photos/a.276734435670110/2664357670241096/?type=3&theater[/embed]In a media statement sent to Marketing, a spokesperson said that its HUAWEI Y6 Pro 2019 handsets were sold out island-wide due to an unprecedented surge of demand for the handset. "The company would like to thank members of the public for their continued support and regrets for the insufficient supply for the masses. Huawei remains committed to bringing attractive offers to all and will continue to put the interest of customers at the forefront of its business," it said.Huawei has recently been ramping up its promotions. Earlier this month, it gave away free cups of premium tea from homegrown tea joint Partea to thank its customers.  All of these initiatives comes at a time when the brand faces growing pressures from the US government, casting doubt over its future.