Substandard smart-phones

FE Team | Published: June 04, 2018 18:14:08

With the option of downloading and using thousands of free and paid apps available at the Google Play store, the emergence of affordable android smart-phones had really helped the mobile telecommunication sector. Smart-phone models from a number of international brands became very popular in Bangladesh when they were initially launched around early 2009. Given the burgeoning market for smart-phones in Bangladesh, other brands from neighbouring India, China, Taiwan and other countries also entered the market since 2013. Unfortunately, the strong demand for smart-phones has also driven a group of unscrupulous traders to import counterfeit sets and sell them at same prices as the original products, as has been reported by the media. Unsuspecting customers often buy these sets and face various problems within a few months after purchase. When they go to the customer care centres or after-sales service centres to repair these, they are often told that their phones cannot be serviced as these are counterfeits. It would be helpful for smart-phone buyers if the government authorities come up with a guideline that will ensure import and sale of original smart-phone sets in the country.
Nazia Amin
Baridhara, Dhaka