Sources inform ''Globes'' that the State of Israel does not appear in the list of service centers in the brochures accompanying Motorola (NYSE: MOT) devices sold in Luxembourg. The brochures were published by Motorola Belgium. Jerusalem's 02 area code is depicted as a Palestinian number.
The brochures did not mention Israel, even though Motorola has been operating its Motorola Israel subsidiary since 1964. Motorola Israel is managed by Elisha Yanay, and currently has 5,000 employees.
The matter was discovered following a complaint by a customer who bought a Motorola device in Luxembourg. Through his attorney, he submitted a complaint to the Motorola offices in Britain and The America-Israel Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Motorola stated in response that the decision about whether to establish a service center is made by the local office of the company. There is, in fact, no service center in Israel, since customers receive support from the cellular operators. Furthermore, the company will revise its brochures to clarify the point, as a result of the customer's complaint. Motorola apologized for the misunderstanding that could arise from the list.
The customer's attorney responded to Motorola's response, "The matter cannot be passed off with a technicality. There should be an investigation to determine whether political factors were a motive. How can Motorola give the 02 area code, which is the area code of the Jerusalem telephone system, and call it Palestine? The Belgians ignore Israel, and prefer referring to a country that does not exist, and to provide that country with the area code of Jerusalem, which is part of the State of Israel."
"Globes" found that nobody answered the phone at either of the two "Palestinian" numbers. One number has a 02 area code; while the other is a 1-800 toll free number.
Motorola Israel spokesman said in response, "The number listed as Palestinian is the number for the distributor in Ramallah, and was not presented as an alternative to Israel. There was a misunderstanding arising from a business decision initiated by the company, without any discrimination or political bias of any kind by Motorola."
"Motorola does not have a nationwide service center in every country, and does not have one in Israel, for business reasons. This is because the company does not sell directly to consumers, but through operators: Pele-Phone, Partner Communications, and Cellcom, which provide services."
"Nevertheless, in light of the misunderstanding, in a few weeks the number of the computerized center in the Tel Aviv area will be published, which will answer any questions and direct the caller to the appropriate operator. That operator will be listed in the brochures that accompany all devices produced by the company, and it will be listed (as being in) the State of Israel."
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 17 December 2001