Once caught twice shy - be careful

[AMX]

If it hasn't been very long make a claim with ebay for "not as described" then they have to take it back or ebay will refund your money. I am not sure how this wasn't taken care of already.

[GoneDiving]

Ive always gotten what Ive paid for on ebay: dirt cheap knockoffs for non critical uses or OEM name brands when I've paid for it.

On the very rare times when there has been a problem and I have promptly notified the seller, its been replaced or credited without dramas. Having said that, finding a fault after accepting delivery and giving positive feed back has been less successful but I've accepted that as my problem for waiting too long to actually use the purchase.

Cheap knockoff batteries are notorious for counterfeits or poor quality. For a $35 item, ie ~20% of OEM pricing, I'd try to get my money back then get on with life. My time has a value and amortising that $35 over all my successful purchases is nothing compared to the cost and convenience savings over working with bricks and mortar stores.

PS I'd agree that Amazon isn't very effective in Australia. Not sure why. AliExpress is my second choice

[sloopguy]

The fix for dodgy sellers is simple for me....my purchases using paypal run through my citibank credit card. If the item isn't received by the time the cc bill comes in I don't pay for that item. I also don't pay for the item if it is defective or is in any way not as advertised. I simply dispute the charge/refuse to pay. I try to buy only from sellers that pay to return ship the item. G.L.

[roverhi]

The cheap tool batteries available on eBay are not a great bargain. Capacity is often much less than a genuine battery, don't fit the tool well, and die prematurely. I've got a collection of Milwaukee 12v tools that I've mostly bought as bare tools without batteries. Bought after market batteries from eBay and have been sadly disappointed. The case moldings are so bad that they either have to be forced into the tool or are so misshapen that they won't stay in contact requiring constant reseating. The capacity of the batteries is seriously questionable as they don't last as long as the similar OEM battery. Worse, out of the 4 after market batteries two have failed after very limited use. Don't be misled y their attractive price.

At least for Milwaukee am sticking with their batteries even though they almost twice as expensive.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by coopec43

I don't know why you draw that conclusion?

I tried to recharge it the day after I received it and when I tested it with the multi-meter I realised it was stuffed and emailed the seller immediately.

I've returned a number of items and didn't have problems but this seller was obviously dodgy as he was selling batteries which he knew were faulty

The seller dragged you along with promises to rectify the situation, more than likely knowing that once a particular period of time had expired neither eBay nor PayPal could take action. He then offered a ridiculous refund ($5.00) knowing that you would reject it, which then also has PayPal wash their hands as you refused attempts at remediation (regardless of how ridiculous).

Caveat Emptor. Read the reviews of products and sellers. Don't buy from people without an established history. Not much sense in disparaging an entire continent of people over a lack of due diligence.

[letoile]

Forget the positive comments/feedback from past customers... go straight to the negative for the dirt and full picture. Too bad you don't have good Amazon service in Oz. It is my go to it Canada with 100% satisfaction and service on the minimal returns I have had.

[CarinaPDX]

First, when it comes to Li-ion batteries you must always buy from trusted sources - which most emphatically does not include eBay, Amazon, or any Chinese source not backed with a long track record. I buy lots of inexpensive things from China, and only occasionally get burned by a dishonest seller. But when it comes to Li-ion batteries the odds get really bad. The things to know about Li-ion batteries are that 1) the good ones are made in Korea and Japan (Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic); the "quality" Chinese ones (18650) top out at about 2100mAh, not 3600mAh, and 2) the Chinese love to strip old battery packs for cells, then repackage them with new shrink wrap labels (look around and you can find bulk sources for branded shrink wrap) which is why so many don't last long, If you have one go bad then cut off the shrink wrap, remove the exposed terminal plates and you may see signs of previous spot welding. Also, check the printing on the cell and you may learn who manufactured it - you may buy seemingly identical batteries and find they come from different manufacturers - a sign of dodgy stuff. But Amazon is in a class by itself: apparently they commingle batteries (and other things) from different sources into a single bin. Or at least the reviews are binned together, so good reviews don't mean much. (The odds of getting out-of-date coin cells are through the roof.) The only batteries that I buy from Amazon are "Amazon Basics" brand, because there is just one reliable source. If you want to buy Li-ion cells then buy domestically; I use Battery Junction and Illumn. For tools buy the packs from reliable sources like Home Depot or Lowes.

As for Chinese sources be aware that sites like Banggood only allow 5-star and a few 4-star reviews. I have tried to post 3-star reviews and they never get published. Sometimes 5-star reviews are actually quite negative (before they get pulled down). From what I can tell all of the Chinese sites "curate" the reviews (i.e. remove ones they don't like, but then so does Amazon to a lesser extent.) So don't trust the reviews to save you. And yes, some companies run out the clock and you're screwed. It is clear that some vendors are created for the express purpose of dumping defective products, then are closed, so look for manufacturers' stores that have been around for years. Chinese internet retail is definitely the Wild West.

Greg

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Pete7

From your first post:

"I waited and waited and then contacted him again"

I commented:
"I bought a battery and used it once but then it wouldn't take a charge. I lodged a complaint with the seller and was pleased when he said he had sent a replacement."

Once the seller said he had sent a replacement I waited for it to arrive.Anything sent from Asia takes around six weeks to arrive in Australia.That is why I said "I waited and waited and then contacted him again".

Of course I am aware that it is important that you report a fault as soon as possible to maximize the chances of a refund or replacement.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by bobnlesley

- it's apparently a criminal offence in both NZ & the UK at least to 'ship a lithium battery which is 'known' to be faulty'; there's too big a fire risk.

A little off-topic but noteworthy.

I still use flooded-cell batteries for the same reason. When a lithium battery develops a fault there seems to be a high risk of explosion and fire. Not an event I want on my vessel.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by AMX

If it hasn't been very long make a claim with ebay for "not as described" then they have to take it back or ebay will refund your money. I am not sure how this wasn't taken care of already.

I've bought over 800 items on eBay and have never had "issues" before as the sellers have remedied the situation almost always (otherwise eBay has sorted it out)

I bought the battery in October 2020 and had a choice of many Asian sellers. eBay/PayPal rejected my claim in Dec 2020. Now (as of Jan 2021) I can't buy a 18v battery from any Asian seller (they are simply not listed)

But as I said before Asian sellers are not now listed for a whole lot of other "things" as well on eBay. I am bewildered . Maybe one of the outcomes from Donald Trump's anti China trade policy? I dunno......

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by GoneDiving

Ive always gotten what Ive paid for on ebay: dirt cheap knockoffs for non critical uses or OEM name brands when I've paid for it.

On the very rare times when there has been a problem and I have promptly notified the seller, its been replaced or credited without dramas. Having said that, finding a fault after accepting delivery and giving positive feed back has been less successful but I've accepted that as my problem for waiting too long to actually use the purchase.

Cheap knockoff batteries are notorious for counterfeits or poor quality. For a $35 item, ie ~20% of OEM pricing, I'd try to get my money back then get on with life. My time has a value and amortising that $35 over all my successful purchases is nothing compared to the cost and convenience savings over working with bricks and mortar stores.

PS I'd agree that Amazon isn't very effective in Australia. Not sure why. AliExpress is my second choice

You've hit it right on the head!

I received the item, gave it positive feed-back and then found there was a problem the next day.

I think the seller had such a good rating is because the 29+ buyers of dud batteries had given positive feedback before finding the problem.

I'll look at AliExpress. Thanks

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Shrew

The seller dragged you along with promises to rectify the situation, more than likely knowing that once a particular period of time had expired neither eBay nor PayPal could take action. He then offered a ridiculous refund ($5.00) knowing that you would reject it, which then also has PayPal wash their hands as you refused attempts at remediation (regardless of how ridiculous).

Caveat Emptor. Read the reviews of products and sellers. Don't buy from people without an established history. Not much sense in disparaging an entire continent of people over a lack of due diligence.

Yes, I'm sure you are right regarding his promises and promises biding for time " knowing that once a particular period of time had expired neither eBay nor PayPal could take action"

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by letoile

Forget the positive comments/feedback from past customers... go straight to the negative for the dirt and full picture. Too bad you don't have good Amazon service in Oz. It is my go to it Canada with 100% satisfaction and service on the minimal returns I have had.

I think that is very wise advice. If I had looked at negative feedback in this situation I would never have been caught.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by coopec43

You've hit it right on the head!

I received the item, gave it positive feed-back and then found there was a problem the next day.

I think the seller had such a good rating is because the 29+ buyers of dud batteries had given positive feedback before finding the problem.

I'll look at AliExpress. Thanks

If you want Chinese sourced stuff Aliexpress beats eBay hands down. Still need to be on your toes though.

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by Shrew

The seller dragged you along with promises to rectify the situation, more than likely knowing that once a particular period of time had expired neither eBay nor PayPal could take action. He then offered a ridiculous refund ($5.00) knowing that you would reject it, which then also has PayPal wash their hands as you refused attempts at remediation (regardless of how ridiculous).

Caveat Emptor. Read the reviews of products and sellers. Don't buy from people without an established history. Not much sense in disparaging an entire continent of people over a lack of due diligence.

Well I can't buy from a China seller these days apparently.

But it makes sense to buy from Australian sellers as we are protected by Consumer Protection Legislation so we don't have to rely on eBay or PayPal.

As I have previously commented I did check the Feedback Score which was 99+ and I was happy with that so no one can accuse me of lack of diligence.