Over 97-percent iPhone orders successful; Flipkart draws flak over few failed ones [read now]

Owning an iPhone is a dream for many. And Flipkart's celebrated Big Billion Days sale became a means to fulfil those dreams for a lot of folks, who managed to get a phenomenal deal which wouldn't have been otherwise possible. The sellers on the e-commerce platform offered steep discounts on a wide range of products, but one that particularly stood out is on the iPhone 13.

During the Big Billion Days sale, iPhone 13 was listed for as low as Rs 48,000, which is Rs 10,000 lower than Flipkart's "special price." It is deals like these that attracted millions to the site, who benefitted from the lowest-ever prices on their favourite products.

To give a perspective, Flipkart witnessed the highest-ever number of concurrent users with 1.6 million users per second as it kicked off the ninth edition of its 'Big Billion Days 2022' festive sales, driven by shoppers from tier 2 and smaller cities, yet managed to process orders without major glitches. But some people took to Twitter to express their frustration about not being able to buy the iPhone 13 at its BBD rush hour.

Some iPhone 13 buyers even went to Twitter to express their frustration of not receiving their devices after placing online orders on Flipkart, while others claimed that their refunds were taking a long time on orders placed during the ongoing "Big Billion Day" sale. There have also been some claims that they received fake handsets but their claims could not be corroborated.

So, what's the truth?

Despite the record traffic on the site and orders, Flipkart recorded over a 97 percent success rate concerning iPhone orders. But that's not it. Flipkart sellers also managed to successfully deliver 70 percent of all iPhone orders placed across cities including to some remote locations such as Guntur, Gorakhpur, and Siliguri.

"I had ordered iPhone 13 and received the product on the next day itself, and the offer price was amazing. Thank you flipkart!" Mohammed Zabi, a Bengaluru-based techie shared his BBD sale experience with IBTimes.

With this, Flipkart put smiles on hundreds and thousands of customers' faces. If on one end, there has been criticism, there are those who are completely satisfied by the way Flipkart has handled the orders amid extreme demand.

What went wrong then?

Given the iPhone 13's steep discount, it's natural that there would be a significant amount of rush as every shopper would want a piece of the deal. Though Flipkart recorded a 97 percent success rate, less than 3 percent, a minor fraction of orders, were cancelled by the sellers due to anomalies.

Flipkart sellers already undergo an extensive vetting process. For instance, the Flipkart Assured badge is awarded to sellers who sell high-quality products, have customer returns below a set benchmark and product that enjoys high rating above the set benchmark.

But due to the minor fraction of cancelled orders during the super-busy Big Billion Days sale, customers are venting out against Flipkart, ignoring the fact that more than 97 percent of iPhone orders were successful and 70 percent of those already delivered. It's a remarkable feat considering the busy season.