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Thread ID: 122669 2012-01-06 02:05:00 Blew up cell ph with cheap trademe car charger, what to do? forrest44 (754) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1252407 2012-01-06 02:05:00 Hi all,

I just bought a USB car charger off trademe
Plugged it into my cell phone, started car, took off down the road... 1 minute later, I hear a pop, and now my cell phone is dead

What to do?

I specifically bought the charger because in the photo it was a brand which is sold at retail stores in the US, but unfortunately the charger I received was not the same brand at all, but a knock-off with packaging and styling similar to what was in the photo. I was scared of it killing my phone, but thought ahh well it can't be that bad... then plugged it in and... haha should think more next time

Phone is worth about $120 odd
The seller has about 26k trades and 98.8% feedback so I'm guessing my chances will be slim of getting any recompense

Any input would be appreciated
forrest44 (754)
1252408 2012-01-06 02:25:00 Is it the whole phone, or just the battery that's gone pop? Chilling_Silence (9)
1252409 2012-01-06 02:29:00 I'd say its the battery gone pop (which means you might be lucky) not many of the components (such as capacitors) on a phone are large enough to go "pop" audibly.

Try borrow a battery, if you are lucky then the phone may still be good. If phone still works you could try sending it back under warranty and say the battery failed, in fact that could be a genuine possibility.

Can you post specs of car charger (voltage etc) and the genuine wall charger?
The Error Guy (14052)
1252410 2012-01-06 05:22:00 Here's the auction:
www.trademe.co.nz

Here are some pictures of what I actually got:
imgur.com

Clearly the bang was from the capacitor in the charger exploding

The phone seems dead, I tried charging normally with no battery in, which would usually bring up an image on the display, but nothing.
Battery seems dead too, it is not measuring as it should on a multimeter (at first when I was measuring, it would be the correct voltage for 5s, then drop out, now nothing)
forrest44 (754)
1252411 2012-01-06 06:27:00 The one on Tademe is black and the one you got is white which the seller says so. Can't see any differance.
:)
Trev (427)
1252412 2012-01-06 06:36:00 hehe look at the brand in the top left corner forrest44 (754)
1252413 2012-01-06 07:26:00 Suck it up

You saw that it wasn't what was being advertised; and yet you used it anyway
As soon as you realised it was the wrong item you should have informed the seller that you were buying the brand in the picture... not the brand you received

Yet you plugged it in anyway....

And you paid $2.50?!?? You get what you pay for
Myth (110)
1252414 2012-01-06 07:33:00 Do some digging. Give him a phone call. icow (15313)
1252415 2012-01-06 07:40:00 1 minute later, I hear a pop, and now my cell phone is dead

What to do?

Learn from this lesson, never buy cheap PSUs of any kind ever again!

This is why cheap PC PSUs are worse, because instead of a $120 phone you have $1200+ PC hardware, don't trust your phone to a $2 PSU, don't trust your PC to a $20 one.


I'd say its the battery gone pop (which means you might be lucky) not many of the components (such as capacitors) on a phone are large enough to go "pop" audibly.

Silicon can go 'pop' pretty nicely if you abuse it the right way...
Agent_24 (57)
1252416 2012-01-06 08:21:00 hehe look at the brand in the top left corner
That means nothing. It could of been made by the same people for differant companys and sold under there own brand name which I think has happened.
:)
Trev (427)
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