ALKHOBAR: The latest notebook battery recall has been launched by several IT vendors. About 100,000 lithium-ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell notebook computers are part of the recall. The batteries were sold worldwide, both with the machines and separately. Many of these batteries would be in older laptops. These batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers. The batteries were manufactured by Sony Energy Devices Corporation, Japan. There have been 19 reports of the batteries overheating, including 17 reports of flames/fire, 10 resulting in minor property damage. Two consumers experienced minor burns.
To determine if a battery is safe, remove the battery from the notebook computer, and check the following online resources for guidance: HP — www.hp.com/support/BatteryReplacement; Toshiba — www.bxinfo.toshiba.com; Dell — www.dellbatteryprogram.com. Serial numbers and other details printed on the battery determine if it is one of those in the recall. If a battery cannot be replaced in a notebook because it has been recalled, consumers may use the AC adapter to power the computer until a replacement battery is available.
Note that in the Kingdom there is a serious and growing shortage of replacement batteries for notebook computers. Many retailers are demanding that consumers pay in advance to order genuine laptop batteries, and the battery may not be made available for a month or longer. Arab News has found that some genuine batteries are being sold for nearly SR1,000 for PCs that are just two or three years old and in many cases the replacement battery sells for at least a third of the value of the notebook. To minimize battery replacement hassle, one Middle East consultant who depends on his laptop heavily, advised Arab News that he always purchases a spare battery at the time of buying a new notebook. He keeps the spare stored in a cool location to use as a replacement when the original fails.
In desperation, many consumers are turning to cheaper priced cloned, remanufactured or refurbished batteries to power their machines. Be aware that use of such batteries voids any warranty on the notebook. Even if the warranty has expired, it's best not to resort to such power sources. These batteries carry an increased risk of overheating or even catching fire compared to vendor authorized batteries. Plus, these often poorly manufactured batteries tend to deliver inadequate performance and rarely last more than a few months. The wiser course of action is to source genuine batteries from other markets through family and friends.
It is long past time for the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce to join forces and require vendors and distributors of mobile devices such as laptops and mobile phones, to stock adequate supplies of batteries or find their equipment banned from import to the Kingdom. Batteries are not accessories - they are essential to the function of mobile devices. It is criminal that this hardware is being sold in Saudi Arabia with the knowledge that once the battery needs replacing — often within the first year after purchase — that the device will be useless or that the consumer will be forced to pay an exorbitant amount for a new battery.
Consumers do not be fools! Before purchasing any mobile product ask about the cost and availability of replacement batteries. Additionally, thoroughly investigate how well the brand is being managed in the market in terms of spare batteries. One way to do this is to go online and select an older model of a notebook or mobile handset. Choose something at least two years old. Most manufacturers' sites will give details of the batteries required for the devices. Then visit that vendor's Saudi service center and request a replacement battery. If it's available, compare the manufacturer's suggested price online and the Saudi market price. For digital devices where there are no batteries available or the distributor is hiking up the price of replacement batteries, reconsider your purchase or investigate sources outside the Kingdom for battery replacement.
This is just one more instance of how a lack of consumer protection and awareness in Saudi Arabia is benefiting some international vendors and their local partners whose sole goal is to dump products on the Saudi market with no interest in developing in-Kingdom spare parts warehousing or first-rate after sales service.
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