Dubai: An overwhelming run by consumers at etisalat customer care centres for the new iPhone 4S led to empty shelves on Thursday until additional supplies could be delivered.
Since last Friday's official release of the iPhone 4S by Apple as well as telecoms etisalat and du, consumers have swamped some retailers, draining supplies of the smart phone.
Officials with etisalat confirmed on Thursday that it is working to replenish customer care centres and retail kiosks as soon as possible.
"Stock is available," a spokesperson told Gulf News on Thursday. "However, some outlets are sold out due to high footfall."
Replenishing stock
The spokesperson said that he couldn't estimate when empty shelves at some kiosks would be filled, but said stock would be moved to consumer centres. "Too many people are buying, the quantity is finished in some centres," he said.
Gulf News spoke to buyers on Thursday who had visited as many as six outlets across Dubai only to be told that the Dubai International Airport etisalat kiosk was one of the only customer centres with stock remaining.
However, when shoppers visited the airport kiosk, they were told the phone was sold out. Salespeople told buyers to return after 6pm when new supplies were expected to arrive.
Etisalat sales clerks said they couldn't make advance sales of the iPhone 4S because the paperwork couldn't be filled out without the actual handsets. The identification numbers of each phone are needed before the purchase can be completed.
The run on the iPhone 4S may be attributed to the fact that only etisalat is offering price incentives to the general public.
Du offers incentives for premium post-paid business customers, which drastically slash the upfront purchase cost of the phone in exchange for higher monthly data plan payments.
Post-paid etisalat customers, for example, can opt for a free 16GB iPhone 4S if they sign up for a year-long data Plan 3 of Dh449 per month.
By comparison, to buy the same unlocked phone from a Dubai electronics retailer with no year-long contract, the upfront figure being exacted by etisalat's competitors is Dh2,749.
A spokesman for du was unavailable for comment on Thursday.
