With reports of some cellphones not functioning properly while getting charged or during thunderstorms and unsafe batteries being recalled by one of the largest cellphone manufacturer, Nokia, the grey market of duplicate batteries has taken a hit.
"Earlier, we had brisk sales of duplicate cellphone batteries which used to cost much cheaper than the original ones but now because of the Nokia controversy, the sales have dipped," says Pintu, a shop owner in Gaffar Market, one of the biggest grey markets for cellphones in the capital.
While Nokia may have issued a warning about a batch of defective
cellphone batteries offering free replacements, even grey market buyers have now become smarter.
"We usually have different range of cellphone batteries catering to all kinds of people. Since, the controversy, the demand for lower end batteries has dropped considerably," says Tarloch Singh, another cellphone shop owner in the capital.
Even though duplicate battery still sells, it is the better ones with a higher price than local batteries are in demand. According to Indian Cellular Association, of the 45 million replacement batteries in the Indian mobile market, about 80 per cent are counterfeit and unsafe, he said.