I only a Motorola V3c razr cell phone. I decided to do some shopping on eBay and purchased a desk top battery charger and battery since I’m awful at keeping my phone charged. The charger and battery arrived today and everything looked compatible. I decided to do a test run so I inserted the new battery into my phone (same size and specifications, the new battery was even a Motorola just like my current one.)
when I turned my phone on…everything worked fine except there was a message displaying “you are not using a correct battery” (something along those lines,but not the exact wording) however, the phone worked fine.
Before I tested the new battery my phone, I plugged my old battery and the new charger. the LED light did not indicate that it was being charged. Obviously incompatible as well.
now I’m faced with the question of whether or not to return it. It was shipped internationally so shipping it back would be my responsibility for the payment. I only paid about $10 for it so I don’t know if it’s even worth it. I doublechecked and the eBay listing stated that it was compatible with my exact phone model…
however, further down, there is a clause which places the responsibility on the buyer for return shipping if the item does not work (in exchange for a replacement).
so what’s the deal? what is the worst that could happen? is it safe to use this new battery despite the message? (bear in mind that the phone worked exactly the same)
Batteries are tricky. They store a large amount of energy in a fairly small place. If the electronics are not done right the can over heat and cause injury. There have been reports of aftermarket batteries in phones injuring people.
I would return it or dispose of it. Counterfeit cell-phone batteries are a major safety problem. Just because it looks like an OEM battery, doesn’t mean that it is one. Because of the safety issues with counterfeit lithium batteries, many newer devices are designed to detect the use of counterfeit batteries. These batteries can catch on fire or explode if improperly handled or charged.
Buying a battery from some random person on eBay is a good way to end up with a counterfeit battery.
I decided to e-mail this company about the battery saying that after inspection the battery is obviously counterfeit. They wanted me to pay for shipping to return the battery in exchange for another. They are in China! It wouldn’t be worth my time money or effort to wait weeks for the exchange of the cheap battery. basically I told them it wasn’t worth it and I would leave neutral feedback after hearing back from them. I received an e-mail back within an hour that is obviously a stock e-mail that I’m sure was sent to many many people… Here it is:
*“We have just been informed by our supplier, that due to a product labelling error during while picking our bulk order, there were some 20 batteries which we received in our most recent shipment of batteries from the manufacturer, which could have been mislabelled and sent to us as a different model. This could result in a battery compatibility problem due to the error. Since we ship out items as soon as payment is received, we are unable to determine which recent shipments of mobile batteries/chargers may have been effected.
Thus, as proactive, responsible sellers that we are, we are resending ALL RECENT SHIPMENTS of mobile battery/charger sets AGAIN, 100% verified just to confirm and to eliminate the possiblity of any errors… just in case your shipment was one of the few which may experience this problem. This, of course is COMPLETELY FREE, NO COST TO YOU, and you may keep the first set of Battery you received as well whether they are the right ones or not, no need to return anything. Furthermore, we will also include a FREE BONUS “Flashing LED mobile phone toy” as a toke of our appreciation of your cooperation and patience, as well as for any inconvenience this may have cost you, if you happen to be one of the buyers who received incompatible battery.
Thank you kindly for your purchase and support, and please email us if you have received a product that is not compatible… also please rest assured that we have already sent out a second set for you, as you will be forwarded the tracking for the second shipment in the next day or so. Thanks!”
I guess we will see how this turns out. If worst comes to worst, at least I will have a “Flashing LED mobile phone toy” !!!
yeah I knew it was from China. It was a gamble, I knew it. But it was a cheap battery. The listing stated that it was the same one in the picture.
What it was… but the specifications on the battery itself seemed to printed on shrink-wrapped paper opposed to the real one that I have which has specifications printed directly on the battery.
it wasn’t expensive and I’m usually skeptical so…
does anyone want to buy a Motorola battery for their cell phone? It’s cheap!
/small print: no refunds available, ever