Best Buy cuts ties with Huawei, will stop selling Chinese firm's handsets

[midian182]

It might be the third largest smartphone manufacturer in the world, but 2018 isn't turning out to be Huawei’s year for breaking into the US market. After partnership talks with AT&T and Verizon collapsed several weeks ago, Best Buy has now cut relations with the Chinese phone giant.

According to a CNET report citing people familiar with the matter, the largest electronics retailer in the US is no longer ordering new products from Huawei and will stop selling its products over the next few weeks—a move that will further hinder its US expansion ambitions.

It's unclear whether the move was more to do with politics than profit. “We don’t comment on specific contracts with vendors, and we make decisions to change what we sell for a variety of reasons,” said a Best Buy spokesperson.

A Huawei representative said: “as a policy, we do not discuss the details of our partner relationships.”

Best Buy was one of the few places in the US you could buy an unlocked Huawei phone. Carrier deals with AT&T and Verizon would have helped sales of its excellent Mate 10 Pro handset in the states, but both firms pulled out at the last minute due to suspected political pressure.

February brought more bad news for the firm. First, it was revealed that Huawei had asked people to write fake Mate 10 Pro reviews on Best Buy’s page for a chance to become beta testers. Things got worse a week later when US intelligence chiefs warned Americans not to use Huawei or ZTE devices. Six agencies, including the CIA, FBI, and NSA said using a telecoms device from one of the companies could put you at risk of having personal data accessed or stolen—a result of their close ties with the Chinese government. The warning echoed those found in a similar US House Intelligence Committee report from 2012.

US residents who want to buy a Huawei phone can still purchase them from online retailers such as Amazon, B&H, and Newegg.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/73835-best-buy-cuts-ties-huawei-stop-selling-chinese.html

 

[indiferenc]

"Six agencies, including the CIA, FBI, and NSA said using a telecoms device from one of the companies could put you at risk of having personal data accessed or stolen"

oh you mean like how facebook sold out Americans to Cambridge Analytica to help trump win? yea, im not really worried about the chinese. and screw best buy

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

 

[Panda218]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

To be fair BBY has some decent sales on devices once and a while. My GF got her Galaxy S7 for 1$ last time she upgraded. I also approve of their product replacement plans that they offer on Consoles, cause if it breaks you can walk into the store and out with a new device. No need to send it in for repairs or wait on BS. The service plans are terrible though.

 

[MoeJoe]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

How ignorant can it get.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

How ignorant can it get.

You tell me.

 

[wiyosaya]

I have to wonder about the warning from the US security agencies. Is Huawei really spying - in light of asking people to write fake reviews, I would say that it is likely. However, maybe there is something about using their phones that makes it more difficult for the US security agencies to spy on the users of their phones.

 

[ike301]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

What? A lot of people do, including myself just 2 weeks ago. They have great deals on cell phones, contract and unlocked.

 

[Uncle Al]

A very wise move and you can bet with today's presidential announcement there could be a no holds barred approach to impunning on US sovereignty through all sorts of technological methods .....

 

[mbrowne5061]

I have to wonder about the warning from the US security agencies. Is Huawei really spying - in light of asking people to write fake reviews, I would say that it is likely. However, maybe there is something about using their phones that makes it more difficult for the US security agencies to spy on the users of their phones.

Considering their phones are just rip-offs of Samsung, HTC, Nokia, and Apple tech, I doubt it. Chinese corporate culture has a very low tolerance for risk, so they prefer to copy existing designs whenever possible. Culturally, its viewed as "sharing" and not as "stealing" - "Intellectual Property" was a foreign concept to Chinese markets before they joined the WTO in 2001 and had to accept the global IP protection standards already in place. Even now, they are barely enforced (if at all).

 

[Impudicus]

I have to wonder about the warning from the US security agencies. Is Huawei really spying - in light of asking people to write fake reviews, I would say that it is likely. However, maybe there is something about using their phones that makes it more difficult for the US security agencies to spy on the users of their phones.

I feel like what you say is accurate.

 

[toooooot]

Who buys phones at best buy? Hell, who buys ANYTHING at best buy? I only use them as a guide on TV size.

If US spy agencies dont want us to use these chinese phones, there is a good reason for it, and those concerned over spying practices will buy the chinese phones. Makes me kinda want one, if they ever bothered to make an iphone SE competitor.

I bought a TV at best buy because I wanted an easy return in case it has bad pixels, I bought a laptop because I wanted to make very small payments on it instead of paying at once. Pretty much anything big, I d rather buy locally instead of risking pricey return fees.

 

[captaincranky]

I have to wonder about the warning from the US security agencies. Is Huawei really spying - in light of asking people to write fake reviews, I would say that it is likely. However, maybe there is something about using their phones that makes it more difficult for the US security agencies to spy on the users of their phones.

I think sometimes these op-eds overlook a very plausible possibility that all aspects of the issue could be true. For example:

Hauwei's phones could be "borrowed US tech".

China could be using them to spy on their users

AND, US government agencies could be having trouble "counter spying" on the phone's users.