Apple charger - small claims?

[orangeslemons]

I have a relatively old (2011) MacBook Pro that takes an old-style Mac charger, and I'm having problems with that charger.

I've had lots (perhaps 6+) chargers for this laptop. They all break in exactly the same way: the part that connects to the computer frays, the metal lining comes out, and the charger stops working. At £79 a time, that's a problem.

I bought the last charger in July 2016 from Maplin, and it's just stopped working in the same way. I went to the Apple store to make use of the one-year warranty and was told they wouldn't help as it "wasn't a manufacturing fault". Maplin has just said the exact same; that it's 'wear and tear', and I need Apple to admit it's a manufacturing fault before they'll do anything. However: take a look at the online reviews, and a huge number of these chargers break in exactly the same way. What's more, a class action suit in the US found this to be a manufacturing issue, and forced Apple to offer free replacements. I therefore maintain that it is a manufacturing fault, and nine months of absolutely normal use isn't reasonable 'wear and tear'.

But: what can I do when no-one is prepared to help? Would I have any success with small claims given the US precedent (not to mention my own precedence with these chargers)? Or would they just find an expert to say it was 'wear and tear', or at least that I couldn't prove otherwise?

I appreciate that it's silly to even think about small claims over £79 - but this has gone on for so long, there are no alternatives, and, yes, £79 is a lot to spend every nine months.

Anything I can realistically do?

[seduraed]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

Sale and supply of goods act comessage to mind. I would argue that they are not fit for purpose or of mrrchsnotable quality. Also report to trading standards I think has to be done via cab now. With all the evidence.

[warwick65]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

In reality anything that is sold should be fit for purpose so the fact it is 9 months old seems irrelevant to me

Are you saying it frays near where you attach it to the Mac or where the thin cable comes out of the transformer?

If it is the latter do you use the 'wings' to wrap round it - no use now I know but might help in the future

I am on my 2nd cable for a Pro 2014 but was covered by AppleCare thank god.

[Crazy council]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

Just keep something in mind.

If its fault fraying near the power input connector on any high power device, be carfull, I dont have any c-apple stuff, but lappys usualy input 19v at 3 to 4 amp , if its fraying becuase of bending at that point in the wire, it could be due to poor insulation on the wire. not ware and tear.

Point being, that ampage is super dangerous, blowy fingers off type, not shocky type, never mess with frayed cables from powerpacks. Even phone chargers nowday kick out over 1 amp

If your describing the part am thinking ( metal lining ) , you shouldnt really plug that power pack in again, sometime metal lining ( tinfoil ) in cable is just shielding ( audio,video ), but in powerpacks it can be the return, or backup return, or will be live anyhow if any of the wire shielding has failed. Power packs hold a high charge for a few seconds even after unplugged

[ostell]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

Sorry to contradict you Crazy but you need volts to get the amperage through you to cause the damage. Admittedly a supply capable of high current can harm if it shorts out against a ring or similar, much like arc welding . The body is about 100Kohm resistance (as long as it's not wet) and the current that would flow, in the case of your laptop connector would be 19/100,000, that is 0.19mA, or 0.00019A. Might just get a tingle. Up to 50V is considered safe.

Mains lead broken:- Fix it straight away.

[Crazy council]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

hi

you need volts to get the amperage through you to cause the damage. Admittedly a supply capable of high current can harm if it shorts out against a ring or similar, much like arc welding .

that why i said,

blowy fingers off type, not shocky type,

but am fairly confident 65 - 90 watt ( 19v at 3-4 amp ) at the discharge rate through faulty powerpack wireing would burn through anything touching it, before any diodes or protection built into the pack kicks in. The power has to go somewere and when it cant flow, it generaly heats up.

[ostell]

Re: Apple charger - small claims?

A supply rated at 90 Watt means nothing, that's just the maximum it will supply. If you touch 19V you may feel a tingle, for a real tingle you need more current to flow, to get more current to flow you need a higher voltage. Just 'cause your power supply is rated at 3-4 Amps doesn't mean it will provide that current, only if the resistance it is feeding is low enough. In this example approx 5 ohms, a bit different to the 100,000 ohm of the body. The power doesn't have to go somewhere, it just stops. Where does the power go when you turn of a light switch? If a power supply heats up then that is just the heat from the circuit losses within the supply, not the power going somewhere. So it's basic Ohms law stuff V = I x R, I = V/R, R = V/I, W = V x I, W = I x I x R

If the output cable is damaged then the danger is burns as the cable catches fire. Not a shock danger unless the insulation to the mains input has broken down.

I have seen the damage done when someone forgets to take off a ring when working within a computer and shorts out the 5V supply, one that is capable of 100's of Amps.