Maintaining Product Safety

DOCOMO works together with handset manufacturers to develop products that incorporate safety considerations every step of the way. We do not simply rely on the manufacturer's design standards. Rather, we proactively provide the manufacturer with a list of our own safety standards, run safety tests on electrical properties, durability and other areas during product development and check the product's safety up through its market launch.
In addition, we have repair and service centers throughout the country to respond to any problems with our products once they are on the market. We also lend out replacement handsets when phones go in for repair. In other words, we make every effort to avoid inconveniencing our customers. In the event of a major malfunction the Handset Action Committee, chaired by the vice president, is convened to identify the nature the problem, isolate its causes, and rapidly determine the appropriate action.

When problems occur in the software used by our mobile phones, we publish software that corrects the errors and ask customers to update software of their phones. This solves any problems without the customer having to take an extra trip to a docomo Shop.
In addition, all our newer models—starting with the 905i Series released in 2007—come equipped with a function that automatically updates the phone's software with the latest version. There is no need for the customer to do anything, meaning no operations are required. The function ensures that your handset is always running on the most up-to-date software.

docomo Shop staff are trained in helping customers who bring their phones in for repair. We make sure they know the repair process in and out—from how problems are identified to how functionality is restored—and possess adequate knowledge of after-sales service. And, staff members who meet certain standards are certified by an in-house certification program.
In addition, we train select staff members to be repair service leaders at the shop level through a training and certification program. These measures ensure repair request are handled appropriately and raise the skill levels of repair service staff. We will continue conducting training and certification programs in an effort to further raise the customer service quality of staff at nationwide docomo Shops and establish even more consistent levels of service.

Software bugs were found in the docomo Smartphone LYNX SH-10B, originally launched on the market in July 2010, so sales of the phone were temporarily suspended as of September 9. The problems were fixed, and sales recommenced on October 2.
The following two errors caused the sales to be temporarily suspended.

1) There was the potential for third-parties to acquire a record of the customer's keystrokes if a malicious application had been installed on the phone.
2) If a comma was used in names registered in the address book, it would sometimes be the case that the send mail may be sent to another person registered in the address book (the person with the same registered name before and after the comma).

We also contacted people who had already purchased the phone (a total of approximately 7,000 phones had been sold as of September 8, 2010), and provided software to solve the first error by September 13 and the second error by September 24. Products with the updated software were ready and nationwide sales were recommenced.
We sincerely apologize to our valued customers for the trouble and inconvenience this incident caused. We will continue working to improve our service. Your kind understanding is appreciated.