37x4H0nUPx0s@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 14 Jun 02:54
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This is for only one item:
Anker has issued a recall for its PowerCore 10000 power bank (model A1263) due to a “potential issue with the lithium-ion battery” that could pose a fire safety risk. The company has received 19 reports of fires and explosions
The recall covers about 1,158,000 units that were sold online through Amazon, Newegg, and eBay between June 2016 and December 2022. The affected batteries can be identified by the Anker logo engraved on the side with the model number A1263 printed on the bottom edge. However, Anker is only recalling units sold in the US with qualifying serial numbers.
I feel like every year Anker is recalling one of their power banks. Couple of years ago I had to return one of mine, but I have two other Anker models. Does Anker do more recalls than other brands?
I haven’t paid much attention, but I had some myCharge units I bought at Costco last year get recalled. I suspect a lot of these have cheap batteries from suppliers that don’t put much effort into consistent quality. That’s “okay” with alkaline batteries where the worst that happens is they leak and maybe ruin the device they were in. Have poor quality with a lithium battery and you get a fire or even explosion. I suspect with Anker or some of the other brand names at least you’ll actually get a recall if there’s a problem. A lot of the other no-name, fly-by-night brands on Amazon or elsewhere probably don’t even give you that.
The recall process is kind of annoying, but it seems fair if it works. They gave me the option of a $30 Amazon gift card (which is more than I paid for it), or a replacement/updated charger.
They insist you take two photos, and one of them has to include the serial number. The serial number is incredibly small, and it’s very low contrast on the black version of the charger. Getting a photo that actually shows the number was nearly impossible. They also require that you affirm you will “safely dispose of the device” per their instructions.
I’m still waiting to hear if they approve my request, but it’s only been a day.
swampdownloader@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 14 Jun 04:22
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It’s nuts how companies get to pass on the disposal costs of a defective product to the consumer. “Contact your local municipal waste handler” as a million batteries get thrown in the landfill.
triptrapper@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 05:24
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I agree that this is a sickening amount of e-waste, and companies should be responsible for processing/recycling their own waste, but what’s the alternative in this case? Mail the faulty batteries back to Anker?
swampdownloader@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 14 Jun 11:58
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Yes, because mailing would be dangerous and they’d be forced to collect in an expensive way. Maybe they’d be more careful about generating faulty products then.
rob_t_firefly@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 13:55
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Many places have ways to drop off a bit of e-waste for free. In my area electronics manufacturers who sell their products in the state have to facilitate free recycling of e-waste. In practice this means pretty much any large electronics shop has a bin somewhere you can freely leave stuff to get recycled.
swampdownloader@lemmy.dbzer0.com
on 14 Jun 15:27
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Yes but for this recall it’s not traditional e-waste.
From their website below. The onus of safe disposal is entirely on the consumer:
How to Safely Dispose of Your Power Bank
Do not throw this recalled lithium-ion battery in the trash, in the general recycling stream (e.g., street-level or curbside recycling bins), or in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. Recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire. Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery for disposal. Before taking your battery to a HHW collection center, contact it ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance.
BromSwolligans@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 03:54
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This is wild. I mean, it isn’t surprising conceptually, but like…I got my first ever Amazon recall notice about this, and it is for something I surely bought between 2016 and 2018. Thing’s just sitting in my basement wishing it was getting charged and used. I guess I’ll need to run it to the dump.
Tikiporch@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 04:27
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helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 13:58
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I’ve been very happy with UGreen as a replacement to Anker, after the Eufy thing. Have not tried a power bank yet, but the charger and cables have held up so far.
A few years ago they were saving footage from peoples’ cameras in the cloud without consent.
helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world
on 14 Jun 15:08
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I suggest you look it up in detail, my memory on the details are not only hazzy, I never looked that deep into it, beyond “well thats shitty, rip Anker”.
but the TDLR;
A few years back Eufy (owned by Anker), they didn’t tell anyone video was stored on the cloud, and then it turned out the live video stream was exposed to the open web.
Initial response was lack-luster and Anker didn’t own up to anything.
Its been a few years, possible things are different. Also possible initial issues were blown out of proportion, and I never heard any of the “corrections” no one ever makes.
It’s in its early days, but consumerrights.wiki has potential to become a very valuable place to check before buying anything. The summery there is much better.
On top of what the other comments said, they did facial recognition with tracking. They created an id that was attached to a certain person. When the unit was reset, the same id was applied. People didn’t know this happened, because supposedly nothing went to the cloud or something.
I have a Reolink that is completely offline, but they also are under scrutiny for having Chinese backdoors in their newest models.
An other alternative is Ubiquity, but they are expensive. They used to have a completely offline offering, but I started looking at Reolink because Ubiquity started with cloud logins. Things may have changed, so look up more recent, non anecdotal, information.
threaded - newest
This is for only one item:
I feel like every year Anker is recalling one of their power banks. Couple of years ago I had to return one of mine, but I have two other Anker models. Does Anker do more recalls than other brands?
I haven’t paid much attention, but I had some myCharge units I bought at Costco last year get recalled. I suspect a lot of these have cheap batteries from suppliers that don’t put much effort into consistent quality. That’s “okay” with alkaline batteries where the worst that happens is they leak and maybe ruin the device they were in. Have poor quality with a lithium battery and you get a fire or even explosion. I suspect with Anker or some of the other brand names at least you’ll actually get a recall if there’s a problem. A lot of the other no-name, fly-by-night brands on Amazon or elsewhere probably don’t even give you that.
I got my dad an Anker Bluetooth speaker a year or so ago that was subject to a recall due to the rechargeable battery inside presenting a fire hazard.
Fortunately, by way of the serial number, his was not one of the effected units, but I had the same question you did when I saw this article.
The recall process is kind of annoying, but it seems fair if it works. They gave me the option of a $30 Amazon gift card (which is more than I paid for it), or a replacement/updated charger.
They insist you take two photos, and one of them has to include the serial number. The serial number is incredibly small, and it’s very low contrast on the black version of the charger. Getting a photo that actually shows the number was nearly impossible. They also require that you affirm you will “safely dispose of the device” per their instructions.
I’m still waiting to hear if they approve my request, but it’s only been a day.
It’s nuts how companies get to pass on the disposal costs of a defective product to the consumer. “Contact your local municipal waste handler” as a million batteries get thrown in the landfill.
I agree that this is a sickening amount of e-waste, and companies should be responsible for processing/recycling their own waste, but what’s the alternative in this case? Mail the faulty batteries back to Anker?
Yes, because mailing would be dangerous and they’d be forced to collect in an expensive way. Maybe they’d be more careful about generating faulty products then.
Many places have ways to drop off a bit of e-waste for free. In my area electronics manufacturers who sell their products in the state have to facilitate free recycling of e-waste. In practice this means pretty much any large electronics shop has a bin somewhere you can freely leave stuff to get recycled.
Yes but for this recall it’s not traditional e-waste.
From their website below. The onus of safe disposal is entirely on the consumer:
How to Safely Dispose of Your Power Bank Do not throw this recalled lithium-ion battery in the trash, in the general recycling stream (e.g., street-level or curbside recycling bins), or in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. Recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire. Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery for disposal. Before taking your battery to a HHW collection center, contact it ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance.
This is wild. I mean, it isn’t surprising conceptually, but like…I got my first ever Amazon recall notice about this, and it is for something I surely bought between 2016 and 2018. Thing’s just sitting in my basement wishing it was getting charged and used. I guess I’ll need to run it to the dump.
www.anker.com/a1263-recall-form
In case you want to check your PowerCore 10k.
I’ve been very happy with UGreen as a replacement to Anker, after the Eufy thing. Have not tried a power bank yet, but the charger and cables have held up so far.
What Eufy thing? I’m curious because I was about to pick up a security system from them.
A few years ago they were saving footage from peoples’ cameras in the cloud without consent.
I suggest you look it up in detail, my memory on the details are not only hazzy, I never looked that deep into it, beyond “well thats shitty, rip Anker”.
but the TDLR; A few years back Eufy (owned by Anker), they didn’t tell anyone video was stored on the cloud, and then it turned out the live video stream was exposed to the open web. Initial response was lack-luster and Anker didn’t own up to anything.
Its been a few years, possible things are different. Also possible initial issues were blown out of proportion, and I never heard any of the “corrections” no one ever makes.
It’s in its early days, but consumerrights.wiki has potential to become a very valuable place to check before buying anything. The summery there is much better.
On top of what the other comments said, they did facial recognition with tracking. They created an id that was attached to a certain person. When the unit was reset, the same id was applied. People didn’t know this happened, because supposedly nothing went to the cloud or something.
www.theregister.com/2023/03/17/eufy_lawsuit/
I have a Reolink that is completely offline, but they also are under scrutiny for having Chinese backdoors in their newest models.
An other alternative is Ubiquity, but they are expensive. They used to have a completely offline offering, but I started looking at Reolink because Ubiquity started with cloud logins. Things may have changed, so look up more recent, non anecdotal, information.
Thanks man! Really appreciate the type up! Have a great weekend!