Customer Service from Duracell -or maybe not.

browneyedbazzi

Torkijo wrote: »

Your right, but the mixed packs bit makes me wonder how your supposed to power some remote control cars etc that require 6 batteries when unless you go to a supermarket most shops only sell them in packs of 4

Buy two packs of the same type of battery? It doesn't say anywhere in their response or the FAQs that the batteries need to be from the same pack - I really don't know where you got that idea from.


You mixed two different types of battery - yes from the same manufacturer but one manufacturer makes several different types of battery.

Torkijo

BargainGalore wrote: »

I am sure I seen it on packs of batteries not to mix them before

Duracell do state on there web site not to either.

http://www.duracell.co.uk/en-GB/faqs.jspx

• Q. Can I mix different battery types?
  
  A. No, different batteries are designed for different purposes. Mixing a lithium battery with an alkaline battery will not improve device performance. In fact, it will reduce performance and may even damage your device or cause battery leakage or rupture. As well, do not mix different battery brands within a device. Doing so will reduce overall performance and may also cause battery leakage or rupture. We recommend using the same type of batteries within a device.

Doesnt say on all there packs about not mixing batteries as i have since checked one - which according to a lawyer friend means technically, under UK law i have legal redress

Torkijo

browneyedbazzi wrote: »

Buy two packs of the same type of battery? It doesn't say anywhere in their response or the FAQs that the batteries need to be from the same pack - I really don't know where you got that idea from.


You mixed two different types of battery - yes from the same manufacturer but one manufacturer makes several different types of battery.

I got it by them not specifying what i am mixing, different 'types' of batteries usually means by size or lithium vs alkaline in the opinion of most people i asked on receiving this response from them, only 1 out of 6 thought it obviously meant different models of Duracell batteries

shaun_from_Africa

Torkijo wrote: »

under UK law i have legal redress

Any redress you have will be against the retailer and not Duracell themselves.
Would you be able to provide proof of when and where you made the purchase, how long they had been fitted, and more importantly, that the leakage was due to faulty manufacture and not simply because discharged batteries had been left in the camera?

A couple of months ago, I had a similar problem with a leaking Duracell battery in an expensive pair of Bose headphones so I contacted P&G.(The owners of Duracell).
They sent me a postage paid packet for the headphones and the battery.
Below is a copy of the e-mail that I received after they had examined the battery and headphones.

Hi Shaun[FONT=Arial, sans-serif] and thanks for your patience while we looked into your [/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]query.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I would like to confirm that we have received the device, batteries, and receipt you kindly sent into us and as a gesture of goodwill I would like to arrange [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]some reimbursement for you to the value of £191.39 by Bank Transfer. I hope that you will accept this with our compliments and good wishes. To enable us to do this, please call our freephone number below to provide us with your account number, and sort code. Once we receive this information, the transfer takes about 5 working days to reach your bank. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You can contact us on freephone 0800 358 0696. Please also quote your case ref. which is (XXXXXXXXX).[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Kind [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]regards, [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Heather[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Consumer Relations [/FONT]

Torkijo

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Any redress you have will be against the retailer and not Duracell themselves.
Would you be able to provide proof of when and where you made the purchase, how long they had been fitted, and more importantly, that the leakage was due to faulty manufacture and not simply because discharged batteries had been left in the camera?

A couple of months ago, I had a similar problem with a leaking Duracell battery in an expensive pair of Bose headphones so I contacted P&G.(The owners of Duracell).
They sent me a postage paid packet for the headphones and the battery.
Below is a copy of the e-mail that I received after they had examined the battery and headphones.

Its refreshing to know mine isnt the norm.

Apparently because i mixed the batteries its my fault as they asked about if i could return the camera etc but then came back with the email above.

I genuinely didnt know it made a difference if you had 2 different models of batteries as long as they were both Alkaline and same size - i presumed it would work until the lesser powered ones ran out as opposed to causing a leak and destroying the camera, have mixed and matched my rechargeable batteries for over 2 decades and never had this problem

George_Michael

Looking at the photo's, I would be of the opinion that the leakage was caused due to totally discharged batteries being left in the camera rather than it just being due to a problem with them.

DIscharged batteries can often leak which is why they should always be removed when flat, and as it looks like the camera in question has 2 separate battery compartments, what are the chances of 2 lots of good batteries leaking at the same time?

Torkijo

George_Michael wrote: »

Looking at the photo's, I would be of the opinion that the leakage was caused due to totally discharged batteries being left in the camera rather than it just being due to a problem with them.

DIscharged batteries can often leak which is why they should always be removed when flat, and as it looks like the camera in question has 2 separate battery compartments, what are the chances of 2 lots of good batteries leaking at the same time?

Should batteries discharge in 5 weeks as they were not in for more than a week before it was last used?

George_Michael

Should batteries discharge in 5 weeks as they were not in for more than a
week before it was last used?

They could totally discharge in a day if the camera was left turned on or if the "auto off" (if there was one) failed.
As I said earlier, this is far more likely to have happened than for 2 separate battery compartments to have had leaking batteries at exactly the same time.

ThumbRemote

George_Michael wrote: »

Looking at the photo's, I would be of the opinion that the leakage was caused due to totally discharged batteries being left in the camera rather than it just being due to a problem with them.

How does leakage look visibly different between discharged batteries and mixed batteries of different types?

George_Michael

ThumbRemote wrote: »

How does leakage look visibly different between discharged batteries and mixed batteries of different types?

There wouldn't be any difference to look at.
There are a couple of reasons why I think the problem is due to discharged batteries being left in the camera rather than anything to do with the mixture of batteries.

1/. Of the 4 batteries, 3 are the same type and as the photo shows that the batteries are installed in pairs, only 1 of the pairs would have had a mix of types yet all of the batteries appear to have leaked.

2/ Irrespective of what the recommendations are on the packets, mixing battery types doesn't often cause problems provided that they are the same voltage. (ie, don't mix alkaline and ni-cad).
Even if the mix of batteries were to cause a problem, this will only happen when current is being drawn and as the OP has stated that the camera was only in use for a week then stored, the batteries would only be getting discharged if the camera was left on.