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.