Nokia defends defective phone claims in Australia - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Nokia defends defective phone claims in Australia

By Andrew Colley, 0
November 07, 2001
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Nokia-defends-defective-phone-claims-in-Australia/0,130061791,120261710,00.htm

The liquid crystal display (LCD) of a leading Nokia mobile phone model is allegedly defective, according to several users, with evidence supplied to ZDNet Australia seemingly giving support to the claims.

Although representatives of Nokia's -care centres" have refused to comment about the reliability of its popular 8210 mobile handset, a source at a mobile phone service centre which is owned and operated by one of Australia's largest carriage service providers, has shed some light on the situation.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the staffer explained that the service centre had experienced difficulties with an elastomer used to the 8210's liquid crystal display in position on the phone's circuit board, corroborating stories reported to ZDNet, all of which concerned the phone's display.

"We've had some problems with the 8210," said the source.

Several 8210 users have contacted ZDNet Australia complaining of ongoing problems with the mobile phone's display, which they claim intermittently fails to work properly.

"The primary issue with my phone was the display, initially the bottom third of the display stopped working, then eventually the rest of the display went blank too," said one disgruntled owner. "My phone is a constant source of embarrassment. It's not so much as reception problems rather, the display disappears bit-by-bit and I have to tap it repeatedly to bring it back so I can use it," said another.

The service centre staffer was keen to point out that the problem was not confined to Nokia brands and models, but when asked whether it was more common in Nokia 8210's he said it was "more so than others".

Nokia says that the phone maker's own evidence doesn't support claims that the 8210's screen is defective and that over representation of the handsets at service centres should not be perceived as an anomalous.

"Due to the sheer volume of sales of 8210s its natural that a number will come back," said Nokia Australia corporate affairs manager, Anthony Wilson. "The number is not disproportionate with respect to those volumes."