Advantage Computers (Adcom) has decided to clear the air regarding its involvement with Ringing Bells and the Freedom 251. The domestic manufacturer claims it has nothing to do with the latter and may sue the company to salvage its own reputation.
To recall, Ringing Bells was accused of repackaging Adcom phones as its own. The company’s President Ashok Chadha had hit back at these allegations by saying that it had only supplied the panels for the Freedom 251 prototype. This may turn out to be a lie, since Adcom now says it had sold phones worth Rs 3600 to the firm.
As per the statement issued by Adcom founder Sanjeev Bhatia, the company was not aware that Ringing Bells was going to re-sell the handsets priced at Rs 251. He promises to take legal action against the second if the fiasco impacts Adcom’s brand name or results in any losses. Bhatia also emphasized that it had played no part in the scam and could not be held responsible in case of any grievances.
This development is just the latest in line for the controversy-ridden Ringing Bells. It’s currently in the process of refunding customers who had paid for the device upfront online. It’s apparently doing so in order to defend itself against the increasing pile of scam allegations that it’s been at the receiving end of.
Also See: DeitY to quiz Ringing Bells over Freedom 251
These customers will now have to pay for the Freedom 251 when it gets delivered. Ringing Bells says it’s going to complete the first phase of 25 lakh orders by June. The company is currently dealing with a wave of investigations from all corners of the government, from Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to the Income Tax Department.