An interesting story brewed over this past weekend, with one group of Android and KitKat-loving customers apparently getting the shaft in a contest that they believed could net them a 2013 Nexus 7. We’re talking about our friends in India, who were treated to the same Nexus 7 contest that folks in the likes of the United States, Canada and across Europe were.
Unfortunately, it appears the contests weren’t as similar as we originally thought. Despite KitKat India advertising a chance to win “the all new Nexus 7 tablet,” complete with photos of the 2013 Nexus 7 all over the promotional images, folks were miffed to find out that KitKat India sent out the 2012 version of the tablet to those who ended up winning. The images you see above and below definitely seem to suggest they were supposed to receive the latest revision.
Many folks have expressed their distaste on Twitter, and KitKat India responded with the following explanation:
We hear you’re unhappy. Winners got the Nexus7 tabs available in India in Sept (contest date). The new version launched only in Nov.
— Kit Kat India (@KitKatIndia) December 7, 2013
KitKat India has not yet followed that Tweet with any other communication. While KitKat never specifically referenced the 2013 Nexus 7 in their official contest language, it’s misleading to use images of one device and deliver another.
This type of bait and switch is something to be frowned upon, and we sincerely hope that this is just one huge misunderstanding on the part of KitKat India. Some folks spent hundreds trying to win, so to be given a year-old tablet that they could have bought for much less than they spent on this contest is surely one disrespectful slap in the face.
We’ll be sending a line in to the corporate team over at KitKat to see if they can help shed some light on what happened. In the meantime, be sure to respond below if you were one of the thousand or so Indians to have received a 2012 Nexus 7 after being led to believe otherwise.
[via ComboUpdates, Tech 2 Yantra, thanks Patanjali!]