Am I SOL with Failed Ego Battery 2 Months after Warranty

MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 13:54

I purchased an Ego mower back in Dec 2019, and a few months ago the battery was showing no charge (Red when button pressed) but when I inserted it in the charger, it showed full bars and didn't charge. But after blowing at the connector, it started working again. But tried charging yesterday, same issue and have done the resets and taking it on and off 10x, didnt work.

Ego have come back saying 'warranty period has passed', am I SOL as its 2 months past? The annoying thing was that if I didnt 'fix' it the first time, that would still have been just within the warranty period. Just feel that its super crappy that a $450 battery fails just after the warranty period. Have seen a fair few posts about the battery problems as well. It was working fine before, no weird discharging or overheating, didnt leave it to drain or anything.

Would 2 months past warranty be an acceptable extended expectation if I go quoting the ACL?

TIA

Home & Garden EGO Tools Rechargeable Battery

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 14/02/2023 - 14:00
    +2

    Batteries are a bit of a grey area due to the degradation of it over time - least you could do is try and email them and ask what's their stance on batteries and ACL / reasonable expected lifetime of batteries.

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 14:01

      I did submit a warranty claim as I kinda forgot we are in 2023 lol and this is all they've said

      "We would like to inform you that the warranty period for batteries is only 3 years and your battery is already out of the warranty period."

      which kinda sounds like too bad so sad.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 14/02/2023 - 14:17
        +1

        Sounds like it, but many times the people that man the emails are often not even in Australia so all they know is to go off scripts.
        Customer retention / satisfaction is often not really a KPI.

        I personally would have just bought a new battery and be sure to claim any issues asap within the warranty period.

  • JimB on 14/02/2023 - 14:10
    +7

    For the benefit of others. I googled SOL- means Shit Out of Luck.

    • MS Paint on 14/02/2023 - 15:26
      +6

      Welcome to 2006.

      • barge-in hunter on 14/02/2023 - 18:43
        +1

        I think that was figjam’s year

        • azonki on 15/02/2023 - 09:24
          +2

          Love FIGJAM!

    • Jugganautx on 14/02/2023 - 15:39

      Fubar

  • pjetson on 14/02/2023 - 14:13
    +2

    If you "go quoting ACL", do it repectfully and calmly. Go at them hard, and you'll likely fail. How often do you mow? Every week for 3 years charging it each time is only 150 cycles. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to get at least twice that from premium lithium batteries (which they must be at the $450 price point), maybe three times (ie 300-500).

    Anyway, if you don't get anywhere, have you thought of having the battery pack rebuilt/refurbished? There seem to be plenty of companies doing it, and probably for a whole lot less than $450. You might also be able to find a battery on eBay/Gumtree/Facebook Marketplace.

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 14:21

      I would be worried about the failure happening with a refurbished as I've looked at a fair few Reddit posts of the batteries failing, most of them were lucky that it was within the warranty period.

      We have 3 batteries in total so my husband cycles between them, but we've recently let my dad use the mower so he has another one of the same battery. My husband would mow at least once a week during hotter periods, slightly less in cooler. But we have the whole Ego ecosystem so the whippersnipper, blower etc. But I would say we would need to charge it once every 2 weeks or longer?

      • RockyRaccoon on 14/02/2023 - 14:47

        So how old is your dads mower and batteries?

        • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 14:51

          we passed him the mower + 6v batt. so we have a 2.5v and a 6v ourselves. Bought all the Ego stuff in Dec 2019 since there was the battery promo at the time

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 15:28
      +2

      ok so i've sent off what i thought was pretty calm

      "Hi XX,

      Can I ask what the reasonable life cycle of the battery would be? We cycle between our batteries and estimate that we charge it once every 2-3 weeks. That would be an average of 52-78 cycles. For a premium lithium battery, wouldn't there be a reasonable expectation that it would last at least 3-4x that amount? We have invested in the whole Ego ecosystem and it is quite disappointing to have a failure just outside the warranty period and to not have assistance.

      Are there any troubleshooting methods that I can try?"

      and this is all he said

      Hi,

      The life cycle of the battery is at 6-8 years with proper storage and use.
      Kind regards

      wtf!!

      • Gotchas on 14/02/2023 - 22:45
        +3

        Sounds like the warranty is also 6-8 yrs

      • PVA on 14/02/2023 - 22:58
        +8

        Seems like it’s reasonable for ACL I think. The manufacturer even said 6-8 years.

  • kale chips suck on 14/02/2023 - 14:16

    I've had a few Ego batteries fail. It's never the small 2AH ones, it's always the larger capacity ones. All have been out of the warranty period, so I've not bothered to try to get them to replace them.

    If you do get it rebuilt, can you post back here with the cost and the result?

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 14:32

      Yeah its the big one , thats why im annoyed as we got a small one too and now I don't want the other big one to fail down the line as well..

      Just looked up the rebuild and saw a US based site for $170-220 USD so might as well just get another…

      • kale chips suck on 14/02/2023 - 14:56
        +1

        I assume the big ones fail more frequently because they have more cells in them, and if any of those cells fail then the whole battery fails.

        I just realised someone I know used to work for a battery rebuild company; I've messaged her asking if they do Ego batteries. If so, I'll post their details here. This would be a Melbourne-based company.

      • kale chips suck on 14/02/2023 - 15:53

        The company is HBPlus. I just called them to see if they do Ego batteries and they don't as yet, but happy to take a look.

        03 9770 8235. Speak with Chris, Andrew or Daniel.

        Couldn't offer a price guide without having pulled one down to see what is involved.

        • stumo on 15/02/2023 - 09:55

          I've pulled one down, and compared to others like Ryobi its bit of a mission. Ego also use a phase change sleeve around each cell. That cannot be replaced you would need to order special cells with that material on them if you wanted to rebuild like for like.

  • stumo on 14/02/2023 - 14:32

    I've had a repeated failure of one of my 5Ah packs. It started off as a NOS that had sat on the shelf for a year and a half from the Blackwoods blower kit clearance deal. That battery started playing up after about 6 months. I got a shiny new replacement under warranty. But that one died after 1.5 years. So I'm on another shiny new replacement but I only have 1 year warranty left on it.

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 14:36

      I did read on a Reddit post that Ego said the warranty period is only from date of purchase, not date of new replacement. But its most likely US so they dont have the ACL on their side

      • apsilon on 14/02/2023 - 14:53
        +2

        Warranty period doesn't reset after replacement under ACL I believe.

        • aoeueoa on 14/02/2023 - 15:35
          +2

          it doesn't and it shouldn't.

      • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 15:38

        oh right yeah i keep forgetting its 3 years , so hopefully if it dies it ll be still within your warranty period

  • brendanm on 14/02/2023 - 14:36
    +1

    I've had similar failures, not ego though, where it is one cell that has dropped below minimum. This causes the battery monitoring system to refuse to charge. I've had success opening up the batteries and charging the low cell up to the same level as the rest, then putting it back together and putting it on the normal charger.

    • aoeueoa on 14/02/2023 - 15:36

      That's probably the issue with OP's battery but it requires a bit of digging. And if you aren't confident then working with lithium batteries can be pretty dangerous. The way they catch fire is pretty violent.

      • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 15:41

        Aha yeah, i watched an ego battery repair youtube video but i dont think my husband has a lot of the tools and that multimeter thingy. also worried it might blow up in his face. I guess im going to try clean the connectors a little better rather than just blowing on it lol

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 14/02/2023 - 15:56
          +3

          multimeter thingy

          Just stop now and probably try to begin accepting a new battery will need to be the go…

          • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 16:00

            @Jimothy Wongingtons: I dont mind for a cheap Ryobi, but a $450 replacement is a bit stinging

            • Jimothy Wongingtons on 14/02/2023 - 16:05

              @MeesusEff: big diff in overall product between cheap ryobi and high end ego…

              to clarify - i would be spewing too..but what are you going to do? You're very invested in the ecosystem already…

    • JIMB0 on 14/02/2023 - 17:06

      IMAX charger? You can top each cell up to the same level depending on the battery circuitry.

      https://www.skyrc.com/Charger/b6v2

      • brendanm on 14/02/2023 - 17:11

        Yes, very similar.

  • aoeueoa on 14/02/2023 - 15:39

    OP may or may not be useful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NESKJ0beAc

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 15:43

      thats the video i flicked through just now haha. i wouldnt know where to start, do i just get the battery from batteryworld or something?

  • jv on 14/02/2023 - 16:38
    -1

    if I go quoting the ACL?

    3 years would be exceed what is reasonable from a rechargeable battery

    iphone batteries are less than that.

    • Gotchas on 14/02/2023 - 22:50
      +1

      iPhone batteries are like $50-$100 to fix though

      • jv on 14/02/2023 - 23:54

        $160 for mine from Apple

        Only 12 month warranty

        • Gotchas on 15/02/2023 - 08:13

          Warranty or guarantee?

  • Tomcruise on 14/02/2023 - 17:17

    I have all the EGO crsp. Multiple batteries and chargers and they have all been replaced. Will be out of warranty shortly and as they are used so infrewuently, it's difficult to detetmine if the battery is on the way out as the RUN time varies so much depending on conditions.

    Never again.

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 17:19

      Yeah, now i cant remember if the battery that i 'fixed' a few months ago is the same one, or if its the 2nd one thats completely carked. which means theres $900 in battery replacements soon, could buy a new lawn mower for that!

  • Ocker on 14/02/2023 - 17:59
    +1

    A brand new EGO 56v 5.0 Ah battery can be bought for under $A350.00 locally - a damn sight less than the $450 OP quotes.

    • MeesusEff on 14/02/2023 - 18:33

      This is the one that I'm referring to
      https://www.tradetools.com/ego-56v-7-5ah-lithium-ion-battery…, my bad I meant 7.5ah not sure why I kept typing 6v

      And that's the cheapest I've found. If you can find that for under $350 in Perth please let me know where.

      Also, the 5ah one is the one that has a lot of issues when I've done a search. Whether it's resolved since then, I don't know but cbb with another meh experience

  • lew380 on 15/02/2023 - 15:26
    -3

    Yes, apart from scummy threats just accept that you just got a bad unit or unknowingly did something bad to it. Own it.

    • MeesusEff on 15/02/2023 - 19:36

      Nothing to own up to, that battery has never been abused or overheated and kept inside the garage which doesn't get that hot. Never let it drain completely etc. Yeah sure you'd let that one go without trying 🙄

      • lew380 on 16/02/2023 - 09:57
        -2

        You signed up to that warranty, your not entitled to a free replacement.

        • MeesusEff on 16/02/2023 - 13:10

          If something is defective then just because we find out 2 months after, too bad then? Yeah unlucky AF but that doesn't mean it's right either. So better for me if we just abused it at the start and claim it before it expires then.

          A simple google search will show you that there have been many people who have problems with the battery and Ego has replaced them, they were lucky to catch it early but if something is defective from the manufacturer then the time frame shouldn't matter as much

          • lew380 on 19/02/2023 - 09:59
            -2

            @MeesusEff: You seem to feel very entitled. You are not entitled for a refund outside of warranty period, you can cry to some manager over the phone and truck him into relenting but the rules were clear, no matter how unfair you believe the world is to you.

            • MeesusEff on 19/02/2023 - 10:55

              @lew380: If i seen to feel entitled then you are definitely a dimwit. In case you live under a rock, this is Australia and there is something called the Australian Consumer Law to protect consumers from exactly this situation. Why don't you go educate yourself on the matter instead of making yourself look even dumber 😊

              • lew380 on 19/02/2023 - 11:03

                @MeesusEff: Straight to insults, super entitled. Grow up kid.

                • MeesusEff on 19/02/2023 - 21:46

                  @lew380: Nah, just stating facts since you clearly either can't read or just spout nonsense without research yet claim I feel entitled. Someone in this thread has gotten his replaced after 4 years since the brand makes the claims of 6-8 years/900 charge cycles behind their product. Mine has lasted half that time or less than 10% of that usage, so if you feel I'm entitled then I do feel that you are dumb.

                  Like I said, you can easily search and find MANY people who have had battery issues which Ego replaced, clearly there is a defect or a faulty product yet you think it's entitled that I don't want a shitty product? If you bought a new TV and 2 years 3 months later it doesnt turn on, do you just dump it? Go back to the bridge you crawled out from trololol.

                  • lew380 on 19/02/2023 - 23:37
                    -1

                    @MeesusEff: Like I said, have a cry and call the manager, good luck to you honestly. Being an entitled little kid sometimes works, as you have pointed out.

        • ColtNoir on 20/02/2023 - 11:38

          You need to learn that this isn’t America and the 2 year warranty period in this instance is the ‘voluntary’ period that the manufacturer guarantees. This period does not preclude their consumer rights in Oz.
          Under ACL it’s all based on what is a reasonable period of time for this item to last. 2 months out of the explicitly warranty period isn’t reasonable. If they go fair trading/tribunal they’ll get a refund/replacement if they put a decent argument forward.

          It wasn’t that long ago that phone manufacturers selling $1000 phones only had an explicit period of 12 months. That worked out well for them…

  • Prickles on 15/02/2023 - 17:24
    +1

    A similar thing happened to me.

    So I called EGO as a potential buyer who was a bit hesitant due to possible issues in the long term re: battery life etc. I made sure I recorded the date/time of the phone call and asked who I was speaking to. I asked them about the quality of their batteries and asked them what the expected life of a battery was. I wrote all of this stuff down.

    They said their batteries are extremely high quality compared to other brands (which generally also have a 3 year warranty, go figure) and you should expect 900-1200 charging cycles (IIRC). That's basically one charge per day for the 3 years. Most home users probably charge it once per week….

    Anyway, I then emailed EGO outlining this conversation (and likely combined some ACL stuff) and they said they would have someone check the battery. I sent it off and had a new battery arrive a week or two later.

    • MeesusEff on 15/02/2023 - 19:33

      Is it possible for you to send me the email which you sent to them? The past 4 years of being a SAHM has turn my corporate language to mush lol 😓 bit ridiculous that this battery can die after less than 10% of their claimed cycles

      • snuke on 04/12/2023 - 18:33

        How did you go with this, get anywhere given what they told you about length of life and this documented converation?

  • Cam imbesi on 15/02/2023 - 18:33

    You should never let lithium batteries drain completely, especially when not being used for long periods. Always make sure they have a full charge over winter and recharge them when they get to half charge if they drain on their own.

    • MeesusEff on 15/02/2023 - 19:38

      Nah we've never let it slow drain down, my husband does use them at least once a week, big ones for mower and small one for blower/whipper. Then charge when low, but I always turn off the charger when it's done as well.

    • aoeueoa on 15/02/2023 - 23:35

      this is actually wrong advice. Lithium batteries should be stored at about 3.7-3.8v which is about 60-70% capacity. Full charge storage is actually not what you want.

      https://ehs.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lithium_Batte…

      • Name on 16/04/2023 - 20:08

        While looking into my dead ego battery (failed after 2 years) I actually discovered that the ego batteries will go into "sleep mode" if they aren't used for 1 month. They self discharge to 30/50% and then go back to sleep.

  • ColtNoir on 17/02/2023 - 16:24

    Go fair trading route and there’s every chance you’ll get a replacement. Do you think it’s reasonable that a $450 battery dies in 3 years 3 months, no? I don’t either. That’s our ACL.

    For $450 I’d be willing to go to the tribunal over it.

  • Name on 16/04/2023 - 20:13
    +1

    Did they end up replacing thr battery?

    • MeesusEff on 17/04/2023 - 14:25

      I actually managed to get the battery 'semi' working but it's definitely on its way out. Can't remember the order but I would hold down the button when I charge it, unplug and replug, slot it in and out, pray to some gods and leave it in to trickle charge even though the light is red. Then after an hour I'll reslot it in and it starts charging. But it lasts a very short time and then same thing when I try to recharge. My dad says the other 7.5ah battery (same age) is also having charge issues. The 3.0 one is completely fine though even though it gets the same usage

  • Daniel Plainview on 17/04/2023 - 12:50

    This is the big hidden cost for many folks with battery power garden equipment - none of the costs associated with petrol BUT unless the product comes with good cells & you know how to maintain the packs between uses you'll likely be up for a very expensive new battery every 3-5yrs - which often times will make the overall setup uneconomical i.e better off buying a whole new device than just the replacement battery pack.

    • Name on 17/04/2023 - 16:58

      Possibly - think it depends a lot on how much you use it and what the device is. I got the "lawn mower and 5ah battery kit" for $1250 and I use it on average weekly. New battery is $350 (So I'd only replace the battery), if it fails at 3 years (when warranty runs out) works out about $2.20 per use. Cheaper than petrol and anything beyond 3 years is just making it cheaper again. But I also use the same battery on my blower, chainsaw, whipper snipper, hedge trimmer and polesaw - so it gets it fair share of usage.

      My shed runs on solar - so it costs nothing to recharge (I DIY'ed the off-grid solar setup using some solar panels a friend was throwing away and a solar inverter I use for camping).

  • Mozzmanau on 21/08/2023 - 13:29

    I know this is an older post but fyi, ego batteries are junk. I store mine indoors and treat them with respect but have had 4, 7.5ah, yes 4 fail within 2 years.

    • MeesusEff on 21/08/2023 - 14:36

      Yeppp, we dont use the 7.5ah ones that much anymore as we've passed the mower on to my dad. the 2 7.5ah ones are dodgy AF and needs a lot of fiddling for it to 'charge', yet the 3.5ah one which gets more used and stored the same is perfectly fine.

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