Hi mad_hotrod. If those are asian copies, and not official versions, the problem may just be that they weren't built right. As was discussed with jubily_ above, his game couldn't save either (and it was also a fake).
Some GBA games don't even use a battery to back up their games since they have some kind of flash chip. I would suggest trying to open up the games and if they have a battery you could check its voltage and replace it if it is dead. If that doesn't work, I guess you should just go buy a real copy.