Customers throng Nokia centres seeking battery replacement

NEW DELHI: Amid scare of batteries heating up, Nokia mobile phones users on Thursday thronged the company showrooms seeking information and replacement of the batteries covered under the product advisory issued early this week.

The company, however, said that there was a process to identify faulty batteries and replace them. Nokia has set up a helpline and offered an SMS facility to address the issue.

"There has been no complaint from India out of 100 complaints received globally. But supply of BL-5C batteries, covered under the advisory included India, so we have taken all pro-active steps to address customers' concerns," Nokia India Director (Marketing) Devinder Kishore told reporters.

Besides setting up a helpline (080-30303838), Nokia has offered an SMS facility in identifying faulty batteries of BL-5C batch, manufactured between December 2005 and November 2006.

Since last two days, Nokia has received 1.65 lakh SMSes and phone calls out of which of about 4.5 per cent (6498) batteries were found in the batch for which product advisory was issued early this week.

Kishore said customers need not go to any Nokia authorised shop as they can either log on to Nokia website or SMS them at 5555. If their batteries were found to be from the faulty batch, it would be replaced within 10 days and would be delivered at customers' residence.

The BL-5C is one of the 14 battery models used in Nokia products.