The MobilityArena team got another email this morning asking if Zzapo Mobile is a scam. It was a short email: “Hello. Please I want to confirm if the new Zzapo mobile is real and not scam. Please let me know.” My team and I have gotten several requests about this everywhere. Before now, we have received comments, telephone calls, text messages, and WhatsApp messages with the same question asked in different ways.
I understand the doubts about the Zzapo 720 offer. There is a general rule that says if it sounds too good to be true, it is most likely not true. And the Zzapo phone deal sounds too good to be true. A smartphone with a fingerprint scanner, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage for ₦8,000 is an absolutely fantastic offer. There is also a Zzapo phone variant with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage version that the company says goes for a promo price of ₦9,000. They say it isn’t available yet though.
I have followed the development from the time the news first broke out till now, and I have issues with how it has been handled. I have refrained from making any public comments about the promo, but with everyone asking me for what I think, I have no choice but to say something.
First, I must say that I understand the concept of a limited time introductory offer of this sort. It is a great way to generate buzz and publicity for a new brand. And it works. Everyone is searching for information about the Zzapo 720 phone, or saying one thing or the other about it.
But there are bits and pieces of the offer that leaves me with more questions than answers. Zzapo says that the phone sells for ₦8,000 from now till Friday 6th of December and that it will be available at a price of ₦45,000 from Monday 9th.
But then, for a while, they left out the bit that the phone will not be available to those who pay that amount for another 21 days. That made me uncomfortable. I know someone who went to Zzapo’s Ikeja office to get the phone and it was only after getting there that she was told that she would get the phone after 21 days.
In the last 24 hours though, they have published news items on online publications [1] that state this clearly, but as at Tuesday, everyone who was paying was in the dark about that 21-day wait period. People assumed that they would pay and get their phones immediately. Leaving that bit of information out doesn’t look good.
Next up, if the same phone will be available for ₦45,000 from Monday 9th of December, are those who pay ₦45,000 going to get it immediately or will they get a waiting period too? If they are getting it immediately, why make those who take advantage of the early bird promo wait 21 days? What is then the joy in being an early bird if someone else will get the phone before you?
To make it all the more confusing, Zzapo Mobile says the phone costs ₦108,000 originally. But if you pay ₦8,000 now, you can get it. And from next week, it will cost ₦45,000 till the end of 2019. It leaves everyone with more questions than answers.
Is Zzapo 720 phone a scam?
It is difficult to sit at my desk and call someone else’s operation a scam without any proof. It would be a stupid thing to do and I would be setting myself up for legal trouble.
A few things about this offer do not add up. The introductory promo price of ₦8,000 is rather low for a phone that supposedly originally costs ₦108,000. Even for a campaign that is meant to generate initial buzz for a new brand. But I have no access to the workings of their strategy.
I also do not know anyone at Zzapo Mobile. MobilityArena has published specs and info about the Zzapo 720 because it is our job to publish information about mobile phones.
Is Zzapo 720 a scam? I do not have adequate information to confirm that it is or to assure you that it is not. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it is just a poorly executed campaign. Should you buy it? I am also not in any position to tell you to buy or not to buy.
But you cannot go wrong waiting till it is physically available for you to pick up, which means you will likely have to pay ₦108,000 for it (if we are to believe that price). And on this matter I can tell you for sure that the Zzapo 720 phone is definitely not worth that price. Zzapo has been silent about the processor in the phone, only saying it is Snapdragon. Which Snapdragon chipset? 450? 636? No-one has any idea.
In all, they have provided only sketchy specs so far. If you are trying to woo buyers with a promo, I would expect a disclosure of full specifications of the device in question.
There are super awesome smartphones in the market from known brands that have 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for less than that price. And with ₦70,000 or less, you can get great smartphones with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and great performance right now.
If you do buy the Zzapo phone, please do share your experience in the comment section below. We want to hear from you.
January 2020 Update
People who paid a deposit for the phone are still yet to have it delivered to them. However, Paystack, the payment processor used by Zzapo, is now issuing refunds to depositors. A support email sent to a depositor on January 7th, 2020, “Kindly note that we are refunding all the customers that made payments to Zzapo and you should receive this within the next 15 working days.” Some depositors have receievd their refund already.
I am not aware that Zzapo Mobile has issued any official statement since the refunds by PayStack began.
References
- Sponsored publication on Linda Ikeji. LINK.