Nokia Australia denies knowledge of handset probe - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Nokia Australia denies knowledge of handset probe

By Andrew Colley, 0
October 10, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Nokia-Australia-denies-knowledge-of-handset-probe/0,130061791,120268973,00.htm

Nokia today said it was "not aware" of a new NSW Department of Fair Trading investigation into alleged display defects in a number of the company's handset models.

NSW Fair Trading told ZDNet Australia that its investigators had yesterday started making enquiries regarding media reports of complaints from Nokia users over their handset displays - however, today a Nokia spokesperson issued a terse statement denying any knowledge of the department's action.

"We're not aware of any investigation, you'll have to talk to [the NSW Department of Fair Trading] about that" said Nokia spokesperson, Antony Wilson.

Early this year Nokia reached an agreement with NSW Fair Trading to compensate Australian consumers that brought 8210 model handsets built using low quality display components that exhibited an unusually high failure rate.

The new complaints concerning the displays of other Nokia models bare strong similarities to those about the defective 8210. A significant proportion of them concern the Nokia 8850 and the model is named frequently in hundreds of complaints ZDNet Australia has received regarding Nokia handset displays.

Indignant response from 8850 owners featured significantly in consumer responses to Nokia's announcement in April that it had entered an agreement with the NSW Department of Fair Trading over the 8210.

"My phone is two years old and has been back for service three times - twice the screen has been replaced," said one reader.

"I have an 8850 and my father has an 8210. My father has had to have his screen fixed twice and I have had mine fixed three times," claimed another.

NSW Fair Trading said it might be in a position to comment further on the situation in around a week.