Duracell batteries ruined my voice recorder

Yes disappointing, they say on the battery leak proof, but I have seen many devices damaged by leaking Duracell batteries.

Ron more the point is that you are asking the official local distributor to warrant a product that they did not sell or profit from in the first place
Fair enough in my book

In this day and age who knows where batteries are comming from.

In the past the australian market was dominated by two dry cell battery brands duracell and Eveready.......

The supermarkets where always the majority volume sellers of batteries and it was and still is near impossible for anybody to get a decent deal on duracell or energiser in this country appart from the major supermarkets.

These days there are SOME generic products that are every bit as good as the two major players, particularly in the AA and AAA products that represent the majority volume in the market.

Both players have sold "industrial batteries" branded "not for retail sale"...... but the only reason they are cheaper wholesale than they could be purchased in the supermarkets, is that they are not blister packed.......they are the same product with a different paint job.

There are also a couple of other brands that have previoulsy not had a great deal of volume in the market such as Varta and Panasonic showing up in certain chains.

Considering the two major supermarket chains would have by far the majority volume in the dry cell battery market....they would have enormous leverage under threat of supporting one of the other world brands...and may have indeed bypassed the local distributer.

All the batteries I buy come are paralell import thru one of my wholesalers..and at well below the cost, that I could possibly manage thru the "authorised distributer chain".

The duracell 9 volts that I get are clearly branded as US product and the paint job differs from those seen in the supermarkets.

The wholesaler I use, used to bring in their own branded batteries, which where everybit as good as the major brands...these days they are supplying panasonic and duracell at similar prices.
It is my guess that dropping parelell import restrictions has allowed them to do this.

If the major supermarkets have back doored the local distributer...I am not surprised they may be a bit narky...they will be left with nothing more than the scraps of the market.

cheers

cheers

Yes and the fine print on batteries or their packaging says that if not being used for any length of time the battery should be removed from the appliance.

Garry

I have seen the results of them leaking when the device is in daily use, device working ok suddenly stops working you open up the battery compartment and the battery contacts are corroded and there's crystals on the battery terminals. Or the device is still working and you find the batteries have been leaking and corroding the terminals.

HAHAHAHA...I,LL PAY THAT ONE.

That's naughty! But if OP bought the batteries from Coles, surely they are not dealing with parallel importers!

Of course, ANY battery will leak if allowed to sit in hot conditions for months, or in super cold conditions for months, or even "normal" temperatures for months on end! Could be that you have only yourself to blame?

Propper use of batteries would be in line with the manufacturer recomendations which are



To find out how to get the best performance out of your Duracell batteries, as well as how to properly recycle or dispose of them when they've been depleted, follow the easy battery care and disposal tips below.

Tips for proper battery care and use

Use the correct size and type of battery specified by the manufacturer of your device.

Keep battery contact surfaces and battery compartment contacts clean by rubbing them with a clean pencil eraser or a rough cloth each time you replace batteries.

Remove batteries from a device when it is not expected to be in use for several months.

Remove batteries from equipment while it is being powered by household (AC) current.

Make sure that you insert batteries into your device properly, with the + (plus) and – (minus) terminals aligned correctly. CAUTION: Some equipment using more than three batteries may appear to work properly even if one battery is inserted incorrectly.

Store batteries in a dry place at normal room temperature. Do not refrigerate Duracell batteries; this will not make them last longer.

Extreme temperatures reduce battery performance. Avoid putting battery-powered devices in very warm places.

Do not attempt to recharge a battery unless the battery specifically is marked “rechargeable.”

Some dead batteries and batteries that are exposed to extremely high temperatures may leak. A crystalline structure may begin to form on the outside of the battery.



SO...did you comply with the above.

cheers

"At our option". What a cop-out. I could drive a Mack truck through that clause.
It means they reserve the right to refuse all claims for collateral damage. It means you would have bugger-all chance of getting your damaged item replaced.
"Operator misuse" is the standard excuse they use.

Read the whole sentence..."repair or replace at our option"..is a standard consumer law phrase....no you could not drive a truck thru that one.

The one you can drive a truck thu is

Damage due to a battery defect.

and you could drive a ocean liner thru

Duracell may deny claims of damage caused by misuse or modification of the batteries or device.


So in basic tems the written guarantee give no more rights than standard australin consumer law.

AND most importantly......if you left the batteries in the device...they went flat and leaked......its your fault.

cheers

I wouldn't worry about it if he got a replacement voice recorder he probably would have smashed it anyway and the issue was the batteries makes ya wonder.

I have heard of people getting things replaced by battery companies.......but never actually seen or touched a device that has been replaced.

cheers

The Voice Recorder was ruined when I smashed it. I got tired of having a dud device sitting around. It was junk.

As to the batteries going flat then leaking, they are guaranteed for seven years and in journalism one uses voice recorders at short notice so to expect a person to remove the batteries after each use is probably unreasonable, certainly impractical.

As to heat getting to them that is an issue we all face. Kept under cover in a hot car is impossible to avoid if you're travelling on the Tanami Road in summer. But my problem was that it happened in a house, out of the sun, in a city.

Whatever, the corporate attitude of Duracell was deplorable. Simply wasting my time and stringing me along.

Hi
Perhaps that 7 years is being misunderstood
They may have a 7year shelf life, but once they start to be used ,the outer metal casing starts being consummed [part of the chemical reaction that produce the electricity]
As the battery become flatter more & more casing is consumed
IF left in the device for long periods in that condition the corrosion continues, until pin holes develop which then leak electrolyte
Best to always take the batterries out of ANY device if it is not intended to be used for some time...
THe higher the current demand for the battery type, the more casing consumed
Alwats use the correct battery for the device.

If someone depends on battery powered equipment for their livelihood......like I do.....one is wise to replace the batteries regularly regardless of need.

Last year I would have gone thru somewhere in the reigon of 200 AA and AAA batteries.
Some devices go thu batteries quite quickly....I have test equipment that will flatten 8 x AA batteries in the matter of 2 hours.
Other items like remote controlls will often take years to flatten their batteries.....I carry a bag of arround 40 remote controls.

My hand made cable checker I have got over 5 years out of a 9 volt alkaline battery.....but I have twice had to replace the battery including the battery clip because it was all a corroded mass...no matter I designed this machine to tolerate battery leakage with minimal damage.

Let me tell you if you leave batteries in a device long enough they WILL leak......Guaranteed.

I own something around $5000 worth of battery powered equipment.....battery neglect is simply not an option.

Mostly I change all the batteries in the arround 20 small pieces of test equipment I carry every year without fail in January.


Sometimes that just is not enough.

A lot of modern devices do not have a positivie acting power switch......they have some sort of soft power switch....as a result they continuoulsy apply a small drain on batteries.
Once a battery is near flat it may leak...and in a matter of months.

The batteries in my digital vernier calipers will not last a month without use if left in the instrument.

I can not tell you how many times I have had to repair or write off equipment someone has put away with the batteries still inside.

It is a fact of life that batteries will leak if they and the equipment they are in is neglected.

I replace batteries in radio microphones before every important show...regardless of condition.....I know broadcast users who as a matter of routine replace batteries half way thru a day knowing their batteries should run 8 hours in that radio mic product if left on continuously.

If you have a device that must be ready and you depend on it......you are a fool if you do not replace the batteries regularly.

I would have thaught a journalist would have had the comprehension skills and the street smarts to understand the limitations of a guarantee.

AND what the phrase " defects in materials and workmanship" meant.

This case is not a case of defects in materials and workmanship...it is clearly a case of equipment neglect.

cheers

Oh, and you might find this article helpful

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_battery

It explains exactly what causes batteries to leak.

That is alright, Kelpie D.

The Bantam is a professional and doesn't tolerate amateurs well, but wouldn't make a great diplomat.

He has provided some very good information so I appreciate this.

Not sure I'd like to be stuck in the middle of the Great Sandy Desert with The Bantam though.

HI MIck
Cannot post them, BUT, many smiles!

PeterQ

Can't help you there Mick T3,

Maybe in your next life you might opt for an apprenticeship instead of a university degree in journalism. Or maybe you could get a job as a journo for a science or electrical magazine.

I wont go near the desert...just to be on the safe side :)

Well, you did have a choice...You could have bettered yourself by doing an apprenticeship and becoming a professional. But no, you had to better Australia by going off to university and becoming a journalist ;)

How selfless of you !