Nokia 7210: Charger exchange programme starts

After detecting a manufacturing defect in a charger meant for Nokia 7210 handset, Nokia on Monday announced an exchange programme for the charger in the Indian market.

Consumers, who own the chargers manufactured by a third-party supplier, are recommended to exchange these chargers for free, the company said.

Asked whether the company detected a major fault in these chargers, Nokia said, "During a routine quality control process, we identified a potential product quality issue with certain chargers manufactured by one of its third-party suppliers.

"The plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electric shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket," the company said.

Nokia, however, asserted that no complaint has been registered so far globally or in India and it was detected only through its internal quality control test programme.

Ambrish Bakaya, director, corporate affairs of Nokia India told PTI, "As a responsible corporate citizen, and the most trusted brand in India, we have pro-actively initiated this exchange program to safeguard consumer interest."

In August 2007, Nokia had offered replacement of some of its 'BL-5C' batteries after scores of complaints about overheating.

The company said only one model of charger - AC-3E - manufactured by a third-party supplier between June 15 and August 9, 2009 falls within the scope of the latest global exchange programme.

Hence, the replacement will cover only chargers bought along with Nokia-7210 handsets after June 15, 2009.

Asked about the supplier of these chargers, officials declined to comment. Sources, however, said that the supplier was a Chinese company.

"Nokia is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to these chargers," company officials said.