Jan 15, 2008 12:23 PM
5723 Views
(Updated Oct 10, 2008 10:08 PM)
I purchased this product on Gandhi Jayanthi of 2007 from Reliance outlet in Vijayanagar, Bangalore. I was in need of a replacement since the LG CDMA B&W handset I owned for the past 6 years was running out of charge more frequently. The person who explained me about the product showed a catalog on his computer and what was catchy to me was 90 minutes of voice recording and the reliable battery power of Nokia. There was another LG product available but I chose Nokia primarily for its look, voice recording feature and reliable brand for battery power.
The first shock was when I went through the product manual and realized that the voice recording is only for memos of 90 SECONDS and notMINUTES.!
The product
The features were good and the sound quality was good. The font size of text is so small and so close to the edges that it is very difficult to read SMS messages. There were standard Nokia features and nothing special worth mentioning. But within a week of purchase, I realized that the battery is lasting not even for 24 hours..!
Finding the right place to service
I checked with the Reliance outlet and they advised me to switch off the phone in the night and keep it in charge all through the night for 8 days. I did this exercise but saw no improvement. When I approached Reliance once again, they asked me to go to Malleswaram Nokia Care Center. I went there and after about one hour of waiting, Nokia care center told me that they do not service CDMA phones in that center and asked me to go to Jaya Nagar center. It took me a month before I could make time to go to Jaya Nagar center. After one hour of waiting, again I was told that if they send it to their head office in Chennai it may take 15 days to come, so it is better for me to check with their Gandhi Bazaar center so that I may get it in 2 to 3 days. I thought it is a better option and went there. I had a tough time with the security as he wouldn't let me in although the lunch hour was 15 minutes later. I called up the Nokia Care Center helpline and complained that I have been shuttled despite being an unhappy customer after which I was let in.
The service
The story is not yet over but has just begun. The Gandhi Bazaar Nokia Care Center got the phone and said they are helpless and have to send it to Chennai. This was on November 17, 2007, 46 days after my purchase. I agreed and they sent the phone to their Chennai head office. I got it back after many followup calls on December 10, 2007. I realized that nothing has changed within a week's usage, and went back to Nokia care center. This time again, I was given no spare phone to use my SIM card even after many requests but was ripped off my handset for service. This was given on December 20, 2007 and I got a call on January 9, 2008 stating that my handset needs to be replaced and they will do it after January 21, 2008 since they do not have stock.!
*Extended Warranty? Don't ask
*I asked them what if the new replacement also gives the same trouble and whether I will get a warranty of 12 months for the replaced product but they refused to give that. The phone has been with Nokia care center for more days than it was with me. After paying Rs. 3750/-, you only have to run from pillar to post to get your problems resolved or get a replacement(no question of refund), and you miss all the callers who try to reach you for more than a month.! No spare handset is available. The brand Nokia is leaving a bad impression in my mind and now I am seeing Sony Ericsson for my mobile needs.
*Update(Oct 9, 2008):
*A spare phone was made available after sustained request. I got the mobile phone replacement on Jan 21 as promised. and this time it was a new piece which did not give me any trouble ever since. The battery charge is also lasting up to 3 days. Other than the negatives of service slowness and other issues mentioned above, it has worked well.
