Gear VR promotion goes viral, Samsung forced to extend delivery times and give $100 credit

Samsung is betting big on Gear VR, and the company decided to include free Gear VR headsets with purchases of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (the company’s latest smartphones). The Korean giant couldn’t have expected sales to be as high as 10 million (we’ve been told this is the approximate number of initial sales worldwide, not final sales), but now, the Korean giant finds itself in another dilemma: it must meet the production of not only its smartphones but also its Gear VR headsets. According to a letter released by tech site TalkAndroid, Samsung is having a hard time meeting Gear VR production and will have to extend delivery times into summer 2016. Here’s the contents of the letter:

Your Submission Has Been Approved!

…Congratulations! Your submission has been approved. You will also find your code below for 1 year of Netflix!

Please note that due to the high level of interest in the Gear VR promotion, delivery times for the Gear VR are now extending into May and potentially Summer 2016. Given this delay, you have two options: 

1. Await arrival of Gear VR (no further action required)

OR 

2. Choose a $100 coupon code towards a purchase at Samsung.com…

Samsung is giving promotion recipients a choice, though we wish everyone who ordered a Gear VR headset would receive them. Samsung’s Gear VR is an excellent product, as we have our hands on one, and we wish that everyone would have access to one. We do hope that Samsung gets production right with the next batch of Gear VR, because it hurts the company’s push into Gear VR to promote it as a great thing, grant it as part of a promotion, then have to renege on delivery or make customers wait — customers who’ve already ordered their smartphones and are already feeling the weight of additional monies on their monthly plans.

At the same time, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some customers may not have wanted a Gear VR headset and will settle for $100 towards a wireless charging battery pack, battery case, wireless charging pad, wireless headphones, or other electronic item.

Have you received a Gear VR promo delay letter from Samsung? If so, feel free to let us know and tell us if you’ve decided to 1) wait for your Gear VR headset or 2) take the $100 credit deal. Tell us also what you plan to do with your $100 credit and what you want to buy at Samsung’s online store.

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