Jim Rossman: A battery problem with a happy ending

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I had an email exchange with a reader over the last week or so that I think everyone could stand to hear.

The reader had purchased a magnetic power bank that I had recommended from a recent gadget roundup, but when it arrived at his house, it was non-responsive. It didn’t light up when he pressed the power button and it didn’t show any signs of life when he plugged it in to charge.

He’d reached out to the company four times over a few days and they didn’t respond.

The reader was understandably upset, so he emailed me to let me know a company whose product I’d recommended wasn’t impressing him with their customer service.

I put him in touch with the company’s PR person, but before the PR person could respond, the reader heard back from the company and they’d agreed to refund his money.

The PR person then chimed in to mention it was a bank holiday in England, where the company is located, which may have explained the slow response.

The company sent a replacement battery, but the reader told me it was also dead and he was ready to give up on this particular brand.

I messaged back that before he gave up, he should try a different USB charger.

In my decades of gadget reviewing, I’ve come to understand that gadgets can be fussy about the amount of power you feed them. USB ports all look alike, but they can vary the amount of power they provide.

These days, to save money, many gadgets don’t include a USB charger. You get a USB cable, and you’re expected to find your own charger.

This isn’t a problem, as most of us have a charger around the house for our phones or tablets or laptops.

I explained to the reader the charger he was using might be too powerful, and he should try another.

The reader reported back that he’d dug up an old USB charger and the power bank lit up when he plugged it in. Crisis averted.

I’m going to suggest to the company they include a note with their documentation about the specific voltage requirements for charging the battery. It could head off some potential problems.