November 14, 2003
Cell-phone maker Nokia has launched an offensive against unsafe, low-quality counterfeit batteries. The company said that tens of thousands of counterfeit products have been seized in recent raids in Belgium, the UK, and other European countries.
"I want to stress that consumer safety is our top concern," said Janne Jormalainen, Vice President, Mobile Enhancements, Nokia Mobile Phones. "We believe consumers are unknowingly being fooled into buying unsafe, low-quality batteries and we are actively taking measures to combat the illegal counterfeit operation at the root of this problem."
More than 5 million counterfeit products have been seized this year and Jormalainen says that investigators have gained valuable leads into the counterfeit network.
So far there are no reports of counterfeit batteries reaching the U.S. but some authorities said it was only a matter of time.
Consumer groups have also been misled by the counterfeit batteries. Test-Aankoop, a Belgian consumer group, acknowledged their recent test results which led them to announce Nokia batteries were unsafe were "most probably unreliable" due to the inclusion of counterfeit batteries in their test sample.
The company said it will post illustrations on its Web site to help consumers recognize the most obvious examples of counterfeit batteries.
"We are dealing with a very sophisticated enemy who has become very adept at manufacturing products, which to the average consumer appear to be Nokia original accessories," Jormalainen said.
