I recently run into a store and purchase a Nokia 1280 for urgent use. I had just lost my phone but still wanted to communicate. So I bought this gadget on a temporary basis. At first the phone worked very well (for 2 days) only for it to start automatically changing the language and being very slow in execution of commands! on the 4th day It stopped working. When I went to the store, I was told that it had a fake hardware thus begging the question; How does one detect a fake phone with specificity to Nokia?
I've never heard of a fake phone before, and frankly I wouldn't know how to spot one either. I'm guessing you should look at the type of store you bought it from, and that could give you a clue as to what the problem could be. If you bought it from a shady looking no name retailer, then chances are it's a bootleg phone. When I buy cellphones I make sure to buy directly from the vendor, and not mom and pop shops.
Did you return it to the same store? If so it shouldn't matter, if you have a receipt then it was their fault for the faulty piece and you have proof they sold it to you. If not, do what I just mentioned instead of bringing it to a different store... You'd detect it by opening it up and having enough knowledge to recognize if everything is in order. Not something any sales person is likely to let you do before buying it new.
Didn't you get a guarantee card? Most branded products come with a warranty so I think you should contact the manufacturer directly and wait for their response. Also I am surprised to hear about the reply from the store, it doesn't sound professional at all. If I was in your place, I would have gone there and created a scene until the store promised to look into the matter.
Fake Nokia? It's quite hard to know one I suppose. Make sure the seller provides you with warranty when you purchase one. I remembered that there was a way to know, by inputting some code and referring to some numbers, but I can't seem to find it through Google. I'll update if I can find it.
I think there are millions of fake phones on the market. I know if you put in your phone #06# and hit send an identity number for your phone should appear. I read this on wikipedia. I tried it on my phone but it came up "unknown application". My phone is probably 6 or 7 years old so this may have been implemented after this code became available. I would not buy a phone from store that is not a carrier like AT&T store or a US Cellular store. At least you have your receipt and they will stand behind your purchase.
Was the phone purchased from an authorized Nokia seller (like a wireless provider) or was it just at a small store? I usually buy my phones on ebay so I guess there is no way that I would know if it was fake or not either.
There was a warranty. The problem is that the sellers didn't know that the hardware was fake. Very tricky world indeed!
My friend are you serious that you haven't heard of a fake phone before? There are thousands of fake phones from around the world (with all due respect to all countries)and many people have been conned into buying them or deliberately buy them because they are cheap!
Seems odd that a faked phone could activate itself to the network so easily. Maybe it had a cloned SIM card?
Maybe it was a reconditioned phone gone awry. You should have asked if the phone was covered under warranty. Most shops offer that when you purchase any electronic item, even if it was just a cellphone battery. I have never encountered a fake Nokia phone before, but there are lots of reconditioned ones that are being sold.
I think it is pretty easy to detect fake nokia phones if you already have used an original nokia phone once. I have seen some chinese made fake nokia phones and their UI is terrible. The screen is pixelated. You can;t also changed themes and the overall quality is just awful.
