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Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

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Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#301

Post by thescriptkiddie »

DiabloD3 wrote: post #66

I see no reason why to buy anything but Anker. I once tried to purposely destroy an Anker MicroUSB cable (bought a 5 pack that had three 3ft, one 6ft, one 1ft, didn't need the 1ft), by grabbing the head of it with clamping pliers and yanking the fuck out of it with the cable wrapped around my hand, and bending it to near 180 degrees repeatedly for about 5 minutes. I could not kill it without straight up taking wire c…

Interesting. I bought an anker wall charger that blew up the second I plugged it in, and an anker car charger that is so noisy it kills FM reception when it's plugged in. I had assumed that they were just another shenzen shit factory at that point. Maybe both items were fakes?

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#303

Post by bkmartin »

ColinDabritz wrote: post #273
keithrl wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lawyer here. Pure speculation/not legal advice: Theoretically, people who purchased complain to their state attorney general or report the manufacturers to the FTC. There might be some recompense under consumer fraud laws. If enough people had bought them, there might be enough people to form a class action (doubtful though). The problem is that amount of $ involved here is just not something anyone is likely to get…

It's $5 for the cable, but you could potentially damage the USB C port on a laptop, and some rather expensive fruit branded laptops now charge solely via the USB C port, which you could argue destroyed the value of the laptop. That sounds like it might make a small-claims-court case sensible to me. (I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice.)

I was thinking the same thing. And some of these guys would not be able to capably defend very many small claims suits at one time. I always wondered what would happen in that case.

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#304

Post by IE6 »

mathewpeterson wrote: post #131
DiabloD3 wrote: post #66

I see no reason why to buy anything but Anker. I once tried to purposely destroy an Anker MicroUSB cable (bought a 5 pack that had three 3ft, one 6ft, one 1ft, didn't need the 1ft), by grabbing the head of it with clamping pliers and yanking the fuck out of it with the cable wrapped around my hand, and bending it to near 180 degrees repeatedly for about 5 minutes. I could not kill it without straight up taking wire c…

Just keep in mind that all these products are mass produced and are subject to imperfections. Really, the only thing that matters is how good their customer support is and Anker is probably better than most but they still have a long way to go. I say this because I had one of their USB power ports that my children use to charge their iPads (2x 4th gen) that overheated and burnt up[1]. I completed the contact form on…

IMHO there is no reason to ever be loyal to a brand anymore. Brand names are sold, the same two products are built or assembled by different subcontractors, the same two products contain bits and pieces manufactured by different companies at different times... There really is no reliable way to choose the best product without doing some research and often times you have to rely on enthusiasts or experts since frankly it's impossible to know everything about every product...

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#305

Post by mathewpeterson »

saluki wrote: post #211
mathewpeterson wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just keep in mind that all these products are mass produced and are subject to imperfections. Really, the only thing that matters is how good their customer support is and Anker is probably better than most but they still have a long way to go. I say this because I had one of their USB power ports that my children use to charge their iPads (2x 4th gen) that overheated and burnt up[1]. I completed the contact form on…

Wow, scary picture, nice tweet to get their attention (love the coloring page in the background). After a tweet like that I would expect any company to quickly refund your money and send you four apple lightning cables along with two of their top of the line power ports. Just to make up for that issue and keep you a happy customer. And possibly get a positive tweet from you.

Yeah, I agree. They had a many good opportunities to resolve the issue but failed to capitalize. But instead, I get to share my story with everyone who brings Anker products up.

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#306

Post by mrb »

The most shocking is that some vendors or manufacturers are blindly criticizing and rejecting Benson's reviews, completely ignoring his technical analysis. This makes me never want to purchase anything from "Cable Savage" for example:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2DQ7OH7PQG24F/ref=cm_cr_rev_de...

"""

Benson I can say with confidence this cable has been tested and can provide up to 3AMPs of power. Since you are supposedly on the google team, then you will know that the Pixels original OEM charger actually has an output of 5 AMPS. (What 3rd party charger were you using to attempt to charge a pixel with a 3AMP cable, when the pixel demands 5amp output?

These cables have been confirmed and work great with the Nexus 5x and 6P. It even can replace the 12" macbooks charging cable with a proper walll charger. The power output is relied on the actual wall charger. The cable with be able to provide ample power given that the wall charger is correctly powered. Also please note, that batteries charge at different mAh intervals depending on the percent full the battery is at.

Our cables can charge the 5x and 6P units at the same speeds as the stock oem cables.

"""

Benson's counterreply explains that 3 A is actually a violation of the spec, and that the Pixel charger never outputs 5 A, etc.

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#307

Post by [deleted] »

saluki wrote: post #211
mathewpeterson wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just keep in mind that all these products are mass produced and are subject to imperfections. Really, the only thing that matters is how good their customer support is and Anker is probably better than most but they still have a long way to go. I say this because I had one of their USB power ports that my children use to charge their iPads (2x 4th gen) that overheated and burnt up[1]. I completed the contact form on…

Wow, scary picture, nice tweet to get their attention (love the coloring page in the background). After a tweet like that I would expect any company to quickly refund your money and send you four apple lightning cables along with two of their top of the line power ports. Just to make up for that issue and keep you a happy customer. And possibly get a positive tweet from you.

[deleted]

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#308

Post by joshvm »

chedabob wrote: post #228
SixSigma wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One problem I have with Amazon reviews is this type : "Just got the product, arrived really quick. It worked when I tried it a minute ago, 5 stars."

I have a feeling there's some kind of reward system in place for reviewing products and answering questions. There's so many answers to fairly simple questions that are along the lines of > will this HDMI cable connect my laptop to my tv? > i don't know but it sends a good signal from my xbox to tv They help nobody and just clutter up the actual helpful answers

You get imaginary internet points and if you do it enough, and well enough, you can get into the top X reviewers which earns you a badge. The real lure is Vine Voice where Amazon sends you stuff for free in return for a review.

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#309

Post by digi_owl »

Must say it strikes me crazy that they put anything at all into the cable.

How hard would it be to carry the existing A port charging spec forward, so that if a device detected the A form it would go no higher than 2.1A?

Frankly cables should be as dumb as you can make them.

Re: Google engineer writing Amazon reviews on USB-C cables that don't work

#310

Post by stygiansonic »

mathewpeterson wrote: post #131
DiabloD3 wrote: post #66

I see no reason why to buy anything but Anker. I once tried to purposely destroy an Anker MicroUSB cable (bought a 5 pack that had three 3ft, one 6ft, one 1ft, didn't need the 1ft), by grabbing the head of it with clamping pliers and yanking the fuck out of it with the cable wrapped around my hand, and bending it to near 180 degrees repeatedly for about 5 minutes. I could not kill it without straight up taking wire c…

Just keep in mind that all these products are mass produced and are subject to imperfections. Really, the only thing that matters is how good their customer support is and Anker is probably better than most but they still have a long way to go. I say this because I had one of their USB power ports that my children use to charge their iPads (2x 4th gen) that overheated and burnt up[1]. I completed the contact form on…

Yikes, that is scary. I have read a few stories about USB chargers burning up like this. Was this one UL/CSA/ETL certified? Thanks for your story; hope you and your kids weren't hurt by the defective unit.
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