Issue of some non-functioning non-working Moto G smartphone resolved
Over the
last couple of days, the issue of some non-working Moto G smartphones was discovered.
Motorola Mobility said it has resolved this issue and apologized for what it
called was a “one-off error”. Motorola’s retail partner Flipkart offered a
monetary credit and a full refund if a customer wished to replace the faulty
handsets.
Motorola
(US based smartphone maker) had informed customers over the last two days that
some of its best-selling Moto G handsets shipped into India did not have
registered and verified International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers,
which rendered the devices useless. An IMEI is a 15-digit unique code that
helps cellular networks to identify valid phones. It is the unique identity
number of each device, which is used to track it when stolen or misplaced.
The devices
with IMEI numbers beginning from 3533 and that with 16 GB memory versions were most
likely facing connectivity issues. This came out when Motorola communicated with
some of its customers who were facing problems. "This particular issue is
now resolved and the affected Moto G devices have been registered with all
network operators. All impacted customers can activate their phones
immediately," a Motorola Mobility spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Motorola
said that as a goodwill gesture to those affected,the popular e-commerce
website Flipkart - the handset maker's exclusive retail partner - has credited
Rs 1200 into Flipkart wallets or accounts of impacted customers for any
purchase. That apart, Motorola has offered to replace the faulty handset or
fully refund customers who did not wish to wait for a replacement.These steps
were taken as an apology for the glitch.
The
number of complaints received or the number of devices that were replaced or
cases in which it refunded customer’s money were not revealed by neither
Motorola and Flipkart. India is
the most critical geography for Motorola, where the smartphone market continues
to be one of the top growing ones and is expected to cross 80 million units by
end of the year.
The
company's international come back started with the Moto G launch in India last
year and it strengthened its position in the consumer's mind with the global
launch of Moto E here, which has been sold out since it was put on sale on
Flipkart.com. The US-based company had wrapped up operations in India in August
2012, but has chosen the online-only strategy on its come back into the India
market since late 2013.
Motorola
Mobility, which is in the transition phase of being transferred to Lenovo from
Google, said that verification of IMEI numbers with Indian mobile operators was
carried out at the back-end. It added that the problem emerged in a single
batch due to a 'one off error' and that "measures have been taken
internally that can't be disclosed."
Analysts
are divided on the impact of this situation on Motorola with some of the view
that it may create a chink in the company's online-only strategy with others
highlighting that the incident was a small one-off.
"It's
good that Motorola acted proactively and offered either to exchange the devices
or refund the money which would help them pacify the consumers to certain
extent," said Gartner's principal analyst Vishal Tripathi. "But
somewhere, this situation will shake consumer's confidence and would impact a
bit of brand value".
A
Delhi-based industry watcher said that despite having a retail presence only
online, the device maker has offline service centers and a call centre for
resolving any issue faced by its customers.
"The
company has taken responsibility and owned up immediately. Moreover, such a
problem occurs very rarely and it's a small issue," the person said.
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