After a global scare over laptop batteries heating up and catching fire, which led to large-scale battery recalls, it is the turn of mobile phones.

Nokia had recently issued product advisory for the Nokia-branded BL-5C battery manufactured by Matsushita of Japan between December 2005 and November 2006. This product advisory was not applicable to any other Nokia-branded battery.

Nokia had identified that in very rare cases the Nokia-branded BL-5C batteries, subject to the product advisory, could potentially experience overheating initiated by a short circuit while charging, causing the battery to dislodge. Nokia has several suppliers for BL-5C batteries who have collectively produced more than 300 mn BL-5C batteries. This advisory applied only to the 46 mn batteries manufactured by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006, from which there have been approximately 100 incidents of overheating reported globally. Till now, no serious injury or property damage have been reported because of the faulty battery.

According to Nokia, this issue does not affect any other use of the mobile device and concerned consumers can request a replacement for any BL-5C battery subject to product advisory. Nokia 1100, 1108, 7610, 2600, 3100, 6600, and N70 are some of the models available in India that use the BL-5C batteries.

Nokia has received around 50 lakh complaints related to the BL-5C battery, out of which 8 lakh Nokia customers in India are set to get replacements. Till now Nokia has despatched about 95,000 batteries in India. Worldwide recall of the batteries has been around 46 mn.

The cost of a new BL-5C battery is said to be Rs 700, as a result of which Nokia will have to shell out around Rs 210 mn towards, replacements. As of now nothing has been said about whether Matsushita will also bear the cost of replacement.

From the customers' point of view, there is some comfort because delivery of new batteries is done within a minimum of 10 days of Nokia receiving a complaint. But, most customers are not aware that the problem can be solved through the company's website, and there is no need to rush to Nokia outlets. They just need to log on the Nokia website and enter the 26 digit battery identification number. They can get the information on whether their battery needs a change or not. Interestingly, India is the only country where Nokia has set up what it terms 'special services for its consumers' which include a helpline and SMS-based check facilities.

Commenting on the battery fiasco, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO and president, Nokia Corporation, who was addressing a press meet in Delhi said, "We cannot comment on the impact on battery replacement. We have communicated to the consumers in India about the replacement. Matsushita Electric Industrial, our supplier, is responsible for the delivery. We can not give an estimate as to what would be the damage and who will bear the cost."

India is a very important country for Nokia as it is the second largest market for the company. While Nokia has been working closely with operators in India to increase geographical coverage and lower the total cost of owership for cosumers, but as a result of the defective batteries, Nokia's image has definitely taken a beating, but the good part is their concern for customers, which is worth appreciation, since the advisory goes beyond the normal six-month battery guarantee.

Sandeep Budki
sandeepb@cybermedia.co.in

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