1. I purchased a new Nokia 3120 phone in May in Bangalore. During the guarantee period of 12 months the phone worked well and all the advertised features were functional. About 13 months (one month outside the guarantee period of 12 months), the display and reception signal strength went intermittent (used to frequently blank out).
2. The phone was handed over to Nokia’s service center franchised to HAL Infinity near Commercial Street, Bangalore. The repair center staff was hopelessly inefficient and constant chasing up with frequent visits were required to get the handset repaired. It was evident that other Nokia customers at the service center were also in the same boat. The phone after repairs was handed back after about 15 days, with a repair period warranty of three months.
3. The phone failed again in about 40-45 days (10-15 days outside the repair warranty period). Therefore, it was back to the service center again. This time, it was almost a nightmare trying to get the set repaired. Several phone calls and two visits (each visit with one-two hours of waiting) later, I was informed that the set had been dispatched to Chennai for repairs. Then, I was told that the set could be collected back as it was “beyond repair” as its motherboard circuit had been “tampered with”. Arguments with the staff that the service center had repaired the phone earlier, etc were a sheer waste of time as this was evidently the very convenient legal way out for Nokia.
4. I also learnt that I was not the only customer in this predicament – they were scenes of angry customers having been similarly denied or deceived. Most models being sold in India are made in China with shoddy quality and reliability of the hardware. I would strongly urge prospective customers to visit Nokia’s service center to witness the chaos and anger there, before deciding to purchase their handsets. Nokia’s motto should be changed to “CONNING PEOPLE”!!!
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