Buy cheap phone battery? Err... Think twice.

Buy cheap phone battery? Err... Think twice.

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fake cellular phone batteries might be temptingly cheap, but
think twice before purchasing one as it might also put you in
danger.

In Jakarta, fake cellular phone batteries are priced between
Rp 50,000 (US$5.88) and Rp 125,000, while authentic batteries
range between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000.

However, price is not everything. Last week, a young
Vietnamese woman suffered minor burns to her stomach and hands
after her 8210 Nokia mobile phone apparently exploded.

A 15-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman in the Netherlands
also who suffered burns to their legs and face respectively after
their mobile phones exploded.

In both cases the culprit was unauthentic batteries in their
cellular phones.

On Thursday, as quoted by Reuters, the Nokia Mobile Phones
spokesman in Helsinki, Finland, Kari Tuuti, pointed the finger at
unauthorized, counterfeit batteries in the explosion incidents.

"There hasn't been a single case of an original battery
exploding anywhere in the world," he said.

However, commenting on the recent explosions, General Manager
of Nokia Indonesia, Hasan Aula, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday
that the cases were still under investigation.

"The Nokia legal (division) is currently investigating the
cases so we cannot comment any further until we have the
results," he said.

Hasan was not sure when the result could be obtained but
promised to check with Nokia's head office.

In Indonesia, Hasan said a press release for consumers to
avoid using illegal and unauthorized batteries had been released
in February at Nokia's website http:www.nokia-asia.com

"We recommend both retailers and consumers to use only genuine
Nokia products," he said. To verify whether the products sold is
original, Hasan said people could come to the Nokia phone centers
across the country.

He also said Nokia had sent an official letter to their
distributors and dealers to avoid selling unauthorized batteries.

"We can only communicate and educate consumers," he said.