ZTE Philippines Php 1,999 Grand X2 L Phablet Sale Update : Unexpected Massive Turn-out of Buyers

It was pure pandemonium as hundreds if not thousands of interested buyers lined up earlier today at all ZTE kiosks and stores nationwide to take advantage of the company's very generous one-day-only promo.

Chinese electronics giant ZTE Mobile - in tandem with its official distributor in the Philippines, MSI-ECS - chopped off a whopping Php 10,000 from ZTE Grand X2 L’s introductory price of Php 11,999 to offer the 5.5 inch Quad Core phablet at an unbelievably low price of only Php 1,999 just for today, October 28, 2014, from 2PM to 6PM.

Of course, news of the mega sale really excited and attracted a lot of gadget fans across the country who are looking for a great secondary phone or an affordable primary smartphone that gives great value for money.

To make sure that they will be able to get hold of a heavily discounted unit, some even skipped worked and even school just to be one of the first in line. A lot of them were already in front of the kiosks as early as the malls' opening in the morning.

Here are some photos submitted to be me by some of my TP Friends who witnessed what's now being called 'The Epic #ZTEMegaSale.'

The crowd at SM Southmall patiently waiting for the sale to start. Photo by Junn Emboltura

After a while... no more lines at SM Southmall. Photo submitted by Ronnie Divina

There images, taken by Jeford Vales in Tutuban Center Mall, show that there are lines from the center of the mall where the ZTE kiosk is locating stretching up to the connecting stairs going to the adjacent building.

Another photo of the crowd at SM Southmall by Apollo Manalig:

And finally, a couple of shots from SM Fairview submitted by Jayson Pastrano Dela Cruz:

Just from looking at these photos, it's not hard to imagine the kind of commotion and ruckus this phablet sale was able to stir up. Some buyers messaged me on Facebook and told me that there were kiosks that only had around 30 to 100 units dedicated to this promo while there were at least two hundred people on the queues. Others criticized ZTE's seeming lack of preparation for the event and the massive turn-out of buyers. One - who wasn't able to get a unit - noted, "They said it's a limited time offer and I assumed that they will have enough stocks until 6 in the evening. Obviously, that's not the case. Also, there was no one managing the crowd. I wasted my time and energy for nothing, really!"

The lines were longest at SM North EDSA. TP Friend Mic Jam who submitted this photo recounts his ZTE Sale experience: "Ayun galit na ang mga tao dun, nagsisigawan. One of the guy shouted. 'Ano may unit pa ba kayo or wala na?! Sabihin nyo naman sa amin at nagmumukha na kaming tanga!' Then, marami naring security guards and mga pulis ang nakakalat dahil magulo talaga."

Well, I talked to one of our friends from ZTE's official partner company in the Philippines regarding these concerns and he told me - off record - that this is actually the first time that they mounted a sale on this scale for this handset brand and they really learned a lot from today's experience. Frankly, I don't think they expected such a large turn-out of buyers in all of their stores and kiosks as they merely promoted this event via tech blogs like TechPinas as well their own social networking accounts. I guess - in that sense - they underestimated the power of digital advertising and working with online influencers.

"The goal behind this promo is to let as many people experience the wonders of a ZTE smartphone. We were overwhelmed with the response and we promise to build on this experience to create even grander promotions in the future with more units available to interested consumers and ZTE fans," he shared.