Xiaomi is a well-known smartphone and TV brand in India, and for the last couple of years, they have been trying to penetrate a few other segments and make a name for their ecosystem products. However, the company’s expansion into the ecosystem products segment has not been as successful in India until now. They have launched air purifiers, water purifiers, lamps, cleaning robots, table fans, air fryers, trimmers, and many other products with fancy features to attract Indian consumers, but nothing seems to be working because customers are not returning to the brand due to one major issue – the unavailability of serviceable replacement parts and accessories!
In this opinion piece, we will explore the reasons why investing in Xiaomi’s ecosystem products “may not be a wise decision” for Indian customers.
Xiaomi is known to launch its products at a very lucrative and competitive price, but is it really true? No, it’s not! Are you even aware of the real cost that you have to pay? Let’s find out the actual cost you are being forced to pay just because of the artificial obsolescence of products that Xiaomi forces on its customers!
Let’s say you’ve bought a Xiaomi Smart Water Purifier, which currently costs around Rs. 13,000, and I’ve bought a water purifier of the same specs from another brand like Kent, LG, or Aquaguard, etc. It’ll cost me around Rs. 15K-20K, which is around 20-30% more expensive than Xiaomi’s water purifier. But when it comes to the availability of serviceable parts, Xiaomi will make the parts unavailable within three years at max, and you’ll be forced to buy a new water purifier after that because what good it will be without the new filters? Whereas the other brands will keep providing you with serviceable parts for the next 10 or 15 years without any issues. So, in nine years, you have to buy three Water Purifiers, whereas I’ll be good to go with the one only. You can do the math on your own. The cost of ownership and frustration is way higher with the Xiaomi ecosystem products.
And I am not making all this up on my own! You can read the tweet made by Mr. Sandeep Sharma who is the Head of Design & Content at Xiaomi India here:
Good evening! Whilst selling the water purifier, Xiaomi never mentioned limited duration support. Or at least I missed it. Buried fineprint? Legacy brands support, over decades. Guessing Android update logic applies to the ecosystem. Even then, out of stock filters, is a shame.
— Vishal Mathur (@vishalmathur85) April 3, 2023
Xiaomi wants you to buy a new water purifier or air purifier or any other appliance every 3 or 4 years, are you guys really up for it? Buying a Xiaomi ecosystem product is really a bad idea!
The biggest issue with Xiaomi’s ecosystem products is the lack of availability of key accessories at the time you need them. Replacement filters for smart water purifiers and air purifiers are often out of stock, making it difficult for customers to maintain and use these products. This is a major inconvenience, as customers have to rely on third-party vendors or go without using these products altogether which is a bummer given the significance of these products in a consumer’s life.
Here’s how upset customers are expressing themselves on social media channels.
The Mi Security Cameras are now useless.
So @XiaomiIndia suddenly stopped cloud services support for Mi360 CCTV and now the whole thing has become useless even though they are saying that we can keep using with SD Card pic.twitter.com/Ny8HD6yp0c
— [email protected] (@nullpointer57) April 4, 2023
This is how even prominent Tech YouTubers feel frustrated. Just think what a common man can do.
I think I added the three filters for Mi Water Purifier last week or so but forgot to order them. It seems Purifier and filter has reached EOL and won't be available anymore! 😭
Will this be available in Mi Home/stores till stock last @XiaomiIndia? pic.twitter.com/jAcNdyAVjK— Nirmal TV (@nirmaltv) April 3, 2023
The frustration of the customers who have trusted Xiaomi is real.
Same thing going to throw this @XiaomiIndia Water purifier out and get a local one which has no shortage of filters foruch cheaper. pic.twitter.com/G2ENcsnfVn
— Chandraprakash (சந்திரபிரகாஷ்) (@frozenprakash) April 6, 2023
Another user warning people about the planned artificial obsolescence:
Xiaomi’s smart home support commitment is not the best, these guys just put an expiry date on the availability of the cartridges of their only water purifier product…on the onset of 4th year i am afraid if air purifiers are next
— ankur (@ankurbhugra) April 13, 2023
Sahil Mohan Gupta – A renowned Tech Reviewer said this:
Yes Xiaomi has been providing terrible customer support for the robot vacuum cleaner that I own, I’m hearing bad things about the water purifier and the air purifier the filters aren’t easily available https://t.co/GJD0sNCqmd
— Sahil Mohan Gupta (@DigitallyBones1) April 6, 2023
The Technology Editor of HT Times, Mr. Vishal Mathur concluded this:
I illustrate reasons why it'll be difficult to trust (or recommend to friends & family) the ecosystem promises by @XiaomiIndia. My nagging suspicion is – a phone maker, always thinks like a phone maker. That is not how an ecosystem works. ✍🏻: @htTweets https://t.co/hZA7MvbI1Q
— Vishal Mathur (@vishalmathur85) April 6, 2023
Conclusion
In light of these issues, it is clear that investing in Xiaomi’s ecosystem products is not a wise decision for Indian customers. The company’s latest erratic decisions, like discontinuing certain important ecosystem products without notice and releasing updates only after being questioned on social media channels, do not add much credibility to its already falling reputation. While Xiaomi’s smartphones may be a good option, the drawbacks of its ecosystem products outweigh any potential benefits. If you’re in the market for ecosystem products, it’s best to look for alternatives to Xiaomi.
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