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Faulty phone: Nokia forced to pay up $778


User12343
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This should serve as a wake up call for Nokia who provides farked thup services, consumers aren't to be pushed around. [thumbsup]

 

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ST 25/2/2008

 

Customer turned up with bailiff to enforce Small Claims Tribunal ruling

 

EARLIER this month, Ms Tan Geok Hoon marched into Nokia's office, brandishing court documents and threatening to seize the assets of the cellphone giant.

 

A bailiff stood at the side of the 43-year-old sales manager, ready to take over the company's things.

 

Ms Tan was enforcing a Small Claims Tribunal decision that ordered the world's largest cellphone maker to pay her $778 for a faulty cellphone she bought last year.

 

The moment, which Ms Tan recalled recently, marked the culmination of a seven-month David-versus-Goliath battle.

 

The story of one woman's fight against a mighty firm made the rounds in several online forums last week, casting the spotlight on how the world's top phone maker handled unhappy customers.

 

It all started in August last year, when Ms Tan bought a Nokia E61i phone from a StarHub store.

 

Ms Tan said the phone would not power on in the first week, but a Nokia service centre refused to exchange it for a new one.

 

Frustrated after sending it for repairs several times, she turned to the Small Claims Tribunal in November.

 

At this point, Nokia tried to settle the matter privately. It offered to exchange Ms Tan's phone for a new one, or to refund her $388 - the purchase price that came with a two-year StarHub subscription.

 

She rejected the offer, looking instead for $778 - the full retail price of the phone.

 

Ms Tan told The Straits Times: 'I didn't claim for more than what the phone cost because I'm not greedy for Nokia phones.'

 

There were two consultations and one hearing before the Small Claims Tribunal. Nokia missed the last two sessions, claiming the relevant department had not received the notice on time.

 

As a result, the company was ordered on Dec 18 last year to pay Ms Tan $778 within 15 days.

 

But it did not.

 

Said a furious Ms Tan: 'I gave them warning at every turn. I gave them time to respond, but nobody called me or discussed it with me.'

 

So she turned up at Nokia's Alexandra Road office with the court order seeking payment.

 

This time, the company agreed to pay up, but only if she signed an acknowledgement form that had a clause preventing her from discussing the matter further.

 

She said 'no' and left. When she returned on Feb 11, she had a writ of seizure in hand and had a bailiff to force Nokia to pay up - with no strings attached.

 

In the end, the cellphone giant coughed up more than $1,000, including bailiff fees and transport charges.

 

Nokia spokesman Foo Wen Dee said this was the first such incident and it regretted the matter was not settled amicably.

 

She added that the company was investigating why its officers had not resolved the issue earlier.

 

Ms Tan shared the victory on online forums here, and Nokia drew flak for the way it handled the case.

 

'I want to let people know that sometimes there's no point talking... if one side doesn't respond, then we have to take action,' she said.

 

Since the postings appeared in the past week, netizens have asked if more electronics firms should allow exchanges if a product fails shortly after purchase.

 

Some firms do so on a case-by-case basis, while others offer it for certain products like hard disks.

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wah...lucky i didn't have to go to such extends when my newly purchased samsung phone was not working well. but must say dis woman is [thumbsup] .don give chance to dis big companies. must really learn her bang table tactics. [laugh]

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Posted by one new member on 20/02/08 at the Complaint thread title : Nokia. [;)][;)]

 

The reply received from one member by the name of "Lendevear" who wrote her experience and the story is exactly what it was written in press. [sly][sly]

 

Could this "Lendevear" our Ms Tan as interview by the press...... [scholar][scholar][scholar]

 

 

[gorgeous][gorgeous][gorgeous]

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I can imagine the motto for the servicing centre.

 

"We dun care, we just want your money. Muahahaha..."

 

I think they should remedy such issues with the customer promptly. Imagine buy new phone cannot use. If no other phone to use it's like communication kenna crippled. Questions and pleas falls on deaf ears, the frustration is understandable.

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Nokia have remove the "1 to 1" exchange policy quite awhile ago.

 

If the phone you bought got problem, you'll have to go to the service centre.

 

Personally, I've stopped using Nokia phones since 2000. I must say that back then, Nokia phone is really [thumbsup][thumbsup] .... but now .... SonyEricsson is [thumbsup][thumbsup]. But personally ... I go for PDA Phone.

 

I only have a simple Nokia which cost <$100 for another business line.

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