Dodgy Charger (12v 1A)

[scozz76]

Has anyone come across one of these? (hopefully the pic is attached) I'm currently having a dispute with the Ebay seller regarding safety.

The 12volt output is via an IEC plug with the same wiring standard for 240v. My concern is how easy it would be for someone not in the know to accidentally plug a 240v lead into the charging port for an SLA battery.

**edit**
This is the charger as part of a rechargeable garden sprayer.

[Halcyon]

It doesn't comply with Australian safety standards. Although there is a metric shit-ton of cheap Chinese garbage sold in ebay which can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

However I'm not sure how successful your dispute would be as I don't know of anything specifically prohibiting the sale of that particular product. Was it as described/pictured? If not, you might be able to use that to get your money back. You could possibly argue that the product was "faulty" due to it being "non-compliant" but it seems like a bit of a grey area. If the seller is overseas, even though they are bound by Australian Consumer Law, good luck enforcing it. A dispute through ebay or Paypal may be your only option.

A consumer making a poor choice or changes of mind aren't valid reasons for a refund/return. If it was bought at an auction, consumer rights do not apply.

[scozz76]

It doesn't comply with Australian safety standards. Although there is a metric shit-ton of cheap Chinese garbage sold in ebay which can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

However I'm not sure how successful your dispute would be as I don't know of anything specifically prohibiting the sale of that particular product. Was it as described/pictured? If not, you might be able to use that to get your money back. You could possibly argue that the product was "faulty" due to it being "non-compliant" but it seems like a bit of a grey area. If the seller is overseas, even though they are bound by Australian Consumer Law, good luck enforcing it. A dispute through ebay or Paypal may be your only option.

A consumer making a poor choice or changes of mind aren't valid reasons for a refund/return. If it was bought at an auction, consumer rights do not apply.

No, the ad' only shows the charging port on the sprayer which gave me the impression it had an internal charging circuit.

Seller is in QLD.
Attached picture is from the advert.

[scozz76]

It's a common practice in China to charge batteries through IEC C13/C14 connectors. 9 out of 10 eBikes sold in China do this.
If you want to sell a 2HP BLDC eBike with 20 mile worth of battery and charger for $300, you have to compromise safety.

I they want to blow themselves up in china, go for it. 

[Halcyon]

So you ordered a sprayer and it came with the charger?

[scozz76]

yes. Now I know you're probably going to suggest "well, it said it had a charger".... But we are aware of the current outcome. Prior to that my assumption, going by the pics and specs, was 12v battery and charger. I've never encountered a 12v IEC configuration before so I assumed the charger was internal as they didn't show images of the charger.

You may say "bad luck pal" though my concern isn't the purchase but safety. Now I'm aware of the 12v IEC in this situation and will replace the low voltage connection if I can't return the items. Another buyer may be easily fooled and cause serious bodily harm.

The first thing I did was measure the output pins - I wouldn't mind if they used the neutral and earth pins for the low voltage, but they've used the live - neutral pins.

[Cyberdragon]

It's a common practice in China to charge batteries through IEC C13/C14 connectors. 9 out of 10 eBikes sold in China do this.
If you want to sell a 2HP BLDC eBike with 20 mile worth of battery and charger for $300, you have to compromise safety.

I they want to blow themselves up in china, go for it. 

But look, there's an absolutely pointless overvoltage indicator on the front.

[scozz76]

Sellers way out of a claim... "Did it show overvoltage?"..... "Ummm, briefly"

[Cyberdragon]

Sellers ways out of a claim... "Did it show overvoltage?"..... "Ummm, briefly"

Yes, it lit up very brightly!

[Halcyon]

yes. Now I know you're probably going to suggest "well, it said it had a charger".... But we are aware of the current outcome. Prior to that my assumption, going by the pics and specs, was 12v battery and charger. I've never encountered a 12v IEC configuration before so I assumed the charger was internal as they didn't show images of the charger.

You may say "bad luck pal" though my concern isn't the purchase but safety. Now I'm aware of the 12v IEC in this situation and will replace the low voltage connection if I can't return the items. Another buyer may be easily fooled and cause serious bodily harm.

The first thing I did was measure the output pins - I wouldn't mind if they used the neutral and earth pins for the low voltage, but they've used the live - neutral pins.

No, not at all, I just got the impression from your original post that you ordered a power adapter, now I understand it's actually part of a product you purchased.

I completely agree with you, if I saw an IEC socket on a product, I would assume it accepted 110/240VAC straight in. I'd be equally as confused if it came with the power supply you showed us (why would a mains powered product need a plug pack if it's just mains voltage in?).

It seems like you're actually protected under Australian Consumer Law in this instance. The law states that a product must be of "acceptable quality" which includes being safe. I would be arguing that the product is not safe and can put the user at risk of serious injury or death, not to mention a fire risk, if you were you plug it into a 240V outlet.

If the seller won't remedy the issue, lodge a dispute through ebay or Paypal and obtain a full refund. If the seller would like the item back, they are liable for return shipping, not you, as it's deemed a "major failure" because it's both unsafe and you wouldn't have bought it if you knew about the issue in the first place.

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/repair-replace-refund#what-is-a-major-problem-

[scozz76]

I completely agree with you, if I saw an IEC socket on a product, I would assume it accepted 110/240VAC straight in. I'd be equally as confused if it came with the power supply you showed us (why would a mains powered product need a plug pack if it's just mains voltage in?).

I first thought "maybe it's a line filter... but why?". Then I saw the label.

[MrMobodies]

I have one of those blew up in front of me. It was bundled with a hard drive usb to sata interface adaptor some years back. I opened it up and the soldering looked sloppy and it had burn't tracks. Now I am so paranoid about power supplies they bundle in I research it and most of the time I order one that I know is going to work that I have already opened up.

[SeanB]

I did that to make a car mounted battery to use as jump starter. Used a C13 socket on the box, a 12V SLA battery and a salvaged Shottky diode from a dead PC PSU. The lead was from the same PSU, connected to  a 12V power line in the car, so it was charged when key on, and to keep it safe I just shorted line and neutral together, and used that pair as positive, and the negative was the earth pin. That way anybody plugging this into an IEC connection with mains applied would get a brief pop and then the mains would be tripped off.  It did get quite a bit of use as well, amazing just how often small recreational batteries are flat when you take them out after being unused for a period in winter.