Comment on Anker is recalling over 1.1 million power banks due to fire risks
spizzat2@lemmy.zip 6 days ago
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 6 days ago
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 6 days ago
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 6 days ago
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 5 days ago
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 5 days ago
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.