Banggood lipo battery - warranty issue

[Jake4k]

Hi guys,

Stupid reading, no fun, and not worth your time – but I would really appreciate your thoughts!

I am currently dealing with my first Banggoods warranty, and I am having a hard time convincing them that there is a problem with the 4 pcs lipos I just bought.

I am hoping that you guys will help me with the correct argument / or let me know if I am simply wrong! I can live with the loss (very cheap lipos), and I should have moved on much sooner, but the answers I receive from them is simply not okay. E.g. they keep insisting that I should ‘try to fully charge the batteries‘ (losing my mind!).

I need to find out if this is normal / what to expect from Banggood. I also feel like I need to inform you guys, so you won’t find yourself in the same situation.

----------

Products I bought: 4x zop 3s 6000mah lipos from Banggood. https://www.banggood.com/ZOP-Power-...-p-1653139.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search

Problems I am experiencing when driving: The batteries have only 6-7 min of total run time before LVC ((2x3s) Kraton 6s, BLX185)) Also, when full throttling on asphalt they will very often go LVC and I have to shut off ESC and power on again (I can then run again). I normally experience double the run time (or more) with my other batteries which are lower-rated mAh.

Problems charging (SkyRC D100 v2, 2x 100W): When I received the batteries, 3 out of 4 were not at storage voltage (they were sub 20%). Maybe this is why they are acting up?
When I charge from low voltage (10%, 3.65v) the charger shows that 2800-3100 mAh have been added. The end voltage is 12.6v and the charge time is approx. 50 minutes (5A). They keep asking me to prove that the batteries are fully charged, my argument is a picture that shows two batteries connected to the charger showing 12.6v, 3000mah added and a charge time of 50 minutes.

When fully charged the resistance is: 12, 12, 15 and 7, 8, 13 (that’s on two of the 3-cell batteries). I use XT60 to IC5 adaptors – I don’t know if these adaptors could cause the high resistance? I have no issues with my other batteries using the exact same adaptors though...

My argument is that these batteries are faulty. They are too far off their stated mAh rating which was 6000mAh and the resistance is too high for new batteries.
I am very aware, that these ZOP batteries are very cheap and by no means a premium battery. Still, they should not be this far from what they are marketed as? Also, I have other batteries, including 3x other ZOP batteries (2x 3s and 1x 6s). I have never had problems with the other ZOP batteries, and the mAh added is way higher even though they are only rated for 5000mAh.

Am I wrong? Are these numbers normal to you guys? Banggood saying, that all the above information is not enough to prove that they are faulty. They just keep insisting me to try to charge them fully :/

I have shown them the same pictures that you can see here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TJSwgsm4nqQgh3Y2A

Again, I should have moved on much sooner, but I am losing my mind about the way they just ignore my answers. I realize that the outcome will likely be that they want me to return them (which is expensive, and will take forever), but it is just not about that anymore! I am having a hard time just bending over

 

[dk3000]

My 1st question to you is do they balance charge to 4.20 volts all cells?
My initial guess is they are labeled higher mah then they are. And I have no info on why they would cut out and or hit lvc. Also they can't be returned that's why you are getting a run around, don't give up

 

[Grimbles]

Hi guys,

Stupid reading, no fun, and not worth your time – but I would really appreciate your thoughts!

I am currently dealing with my first Banggoods warranty, and I am having a hard time convincing them that there is a problem with the 4 pcs lipos I just bought.

I am hoping that you guys will help me with the correct argument / or let me know if I am simply wrong! I can live with the loss (very cheap lipos), and I should have moved on much sooner, but the answers I receive from them is simply not okay. E.g. they keep insisting that I should ‘try to fully charge the batteries‘ (losing my mind!).

I need to find out if this is normal / what to expect from Banggood. I also feel like I need to inform you guys, so you won’t find yourself in the same situation.

----------

Products I bought: 4x zop 3s 6000mah lipos from Banggood. https://www.banggood.com/ZOP-Power-...-p-1653139.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search

Problems I am experiencing when driving: The batteries have only 6-7 min of total run time before LVC ((2x3s) Kraton 6s, BLX185)) Also, when full throttling on asphalt they will very often go LVC and I have to shut off ESC and power on again (I can then run again). I normally experience double the run time (or more) with my other batteries which are lower-rated mAh.

Problems charging (SkyRC D100 v2, 2x 100W): When I received the batteries, 3 out of 4 were not at storage voltage (they were sub 20%). Maybe this is why they are acting up?
When I charge from low voltage (10%, 3.65v) the charger shows that 2800-3100 mAh have been added. The end voltage is 12.6v and the charge time is approx. 50 minutes (5A). They keep asking me to prove that the batteries are fully charged, my argument is a picture that shows two batteries connected to the charger showing 12.6v, 3000mah added and a charge time of 50 minutes.

When fully charged the resistance is: 12, 12, 15 and 7, 8, 13 (that’s on two of the 3-cell batteries). I use XT60 to IC5 adaptors – I don’t know if these adaptors could cause the high resistance? I have no issues with my other batteries using the exact same adaptors though...

My argument is that these batteries are faulty. They are too far off their stated mAh rating which was 6000mAh and the resistance is too high for new batteries.
I am very aware, that these ZOP batteries are very cheap and by no means a premium battery. Still, they should not be this far from what they are marketed as? Also, I have other batteries, including 3x other ZOP batteries (2x 3s and 1x 6s). I have never had problems with the other ZOP batteries, and the mAh added is way higher even though they are only rated for 5000mAh.

Am I wrong? Are these numbers normal to you guys? Banggood saying, that all the above information is not enough to prove that they are faulty. They just keep insisting me to try to charge them fully :/

I have shown them the same pictures that you can see here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TJSwgsm4nqQgh3Y2A

Again, I should have moved on much sooner, but I am losing my mind about the way they just ignore my answers. I realize that the outcome will likely be that they want me to return them (which is expensive, and will take forever), but it is just not about that anymore! I am having a hard time just bending over

Mate i have some zops with 5200 printed on them which never take more than 3000. How did you pay - I always pay with credit card so i can initiate a chargeback for this sort of thing. Chargeback requires you to document your claim BUT places the burden of proof onto the vendor. If bought on credit card, call your card issuer and initiate a chargeback (this is UK terminology, if you live elsewhere it may have a slightly different name).

 

[ph47mf]

• You said when you first got it it wasn't at storage charge, what was the voltage to start with?
• I have the same charger, the charging time seems to be about the same
• When you charge the lipo from storage, it doesn't add 6000mAh into the lipo as it already has some so the charger adding another 2000-3000 mAh is normal
• my money is on your adaptor being faulty, have you tried another?

 

[Jake4k]

My 1st question to you is do they balance charge to 4.20 volts all cells?
My initial guess is they are labeled higher mah then they are. And I have no info on why they would cut out and or hit lvc. Also they can't be returned that's why you are getting a run around, don't give up

Hi dk3000, thank you for getting back so fast!

When I did the first charges I had to stop the charger due to 'OVER TIME LIMIT' (set at 90 minutes!) and restart the 'balanced charge' again. It would hang at the last percentages. The values would be somewhere around 4.16, 4.16, 4.20 (two of the cells would hang). Eventually, the last two cells would reach 4.20 and the charge would finish (this was the case on all 4 batteries). This has become better though, but they are still slower to finish the last approx. 5% of charging compared to my other batteries. Maybe this was due to them not being received at "Storage voltage".

I did check that my charger didn't reach its maximum mAh (it is set at 6000mAh).

In total, I have done about 8-10 full charges/discharges to each battery now. Always in the same pairs (always gives the batteries a number, so I can use them evenly). When I have 'used' the batteries, they have either been run in RC or to be discharge to 10% in the charger (at 2A).

So, I have used the batteries to see if they would get better - always charged them to 100% and run/discharged them to LVC. Still Banggood keeps insisting that I should try to 'Fully charge the batteries'.

 

[dk3000]

Hi dk3000, thank you for getting back so fast!

When I did the first charges I had to stop the charger due to 'OVER TIME LIMIT' (set at 90 minutes!) and restart the 'balanced charge' again. It would hang at the last percentages. The values would be somewhere around 4.16, 4.16, 4.20 (two of the cells would hang). Eventually, the last two cells would reach 4.20 and the charge would finish (this was the case on all 4 batteries). This has become better though, but they are still slower to finish the last approx. 5% of charging compared to my other batteries. Maybe this was due to them not being received at "Storage voltage".

I did check that my charger didn't reach its maximum mAh (it is set at 6000mAh).

In total, I have done about 8-10 full charges/discharges to each battery now. Always in the same pairs (always gives the batteries a number, so I can use them evenly). When I have 'used' the batteries, they have either been run in RC or to be discharge to 10% in the charger (at 2A).

So, I have used the batteries to see if they would get better - always charged them to 100% and run/discharged them to LVC. Still Banggood keeps insisting that I should try to 'Fully charge the batteries'.

When you say discharged to 10% do you mean 3.78 or similar?

 

[Clubin]

Bang good. Chinese.
you probably seen the clowns on YouTube using them. See what they say.
I try to avoid Chinese garbage

 

[Jake4k]

• You said when you first got it it wasn't at storage charge, what was the voltage to start with?
• I have the same charger, the charging time seems to be about the same
• When you charge the lipo from storage, it doesn't add 6000mAh into the lipo as it already has some so the charger adding another 2000-3000 mAh is normal
• my money is on your adaptor being faulty, have you tried another?

Hi ph!

Yes, 3 of them were sub 20% (I believe it ranged from 12-18%)
I know that from storage it won't be 6000mAh. The 3000mAh I wrote is from LVC (10%) to full/finish, so a full charge minus the 10%.
I hope not, but I don't think it is faulty. It works just fine with my other batteries. It charges faster, balances faster and shows more added mAh's

When you say discharged to 10% do you mean 3.78 or similar?

When they are discharged (either in car or discharged in charger) the charger will say10% and write 3.65v. Is this number wrong? (You can see it on the pictures: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=SlIzZWdDN3FWUFZ3djhRVUdxUW5PZHM4LTBibUN3

Mate i have some zops with 5200 printed on them which never take more than 3000. How did you pay - I always pay with credit card so i can initiate a chargeback for this sort of thing. Chargeback requires you to document your claim BUT places the burden of proof onto the vendor. If bought on credit card, call your card issuer and initiate a chargeback (this is UK terminology, if you live elsewhere it may have a slightly different name).

I also payed with creditcard, but I sadly can't use that method here in Denmark :/

Well, it sounds like I shouldn't buy batteries from Banggood then, but I didn't expect this due to my prior ZOP batteries to be just fine

 

[dk3000]

Hi ph!

Yes, 3 of them were sub 20% (I believe it ranged from 12-18%)
I know that from storage it won't be 6000mAh. The 3000mAh I wrote is from LVC (10%) to full/finish, so a full charge minus the 10%.
I hope not, but I don't think it is faulty. It works just fine with my other batteries. It charges faster, balances faster and shows more added mAh's


When they are discharged (either in car or discharged in charger) the charger will say10% and write 3.65v. Is this number wrong? (You can see it on the pictures: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=SlIzZWdDN3FWUFZ3djhRVUdxUW5PZHM4LTBibUN3


I also payed with creditcard, but I sadly can't use that method here in Denmark :/

Well, it sounds like I shouldn't buy batteries from Banggood then, but I didn't expect this due to my prior ZOP batteries to be just fine

Look at ph first note. He asked what voltage they were when you got them. Saying a percentage does nothing and means nothing, the terminology is not needed. Voltage is. So when I get new batteries I use multiple voltage checkers and I plug into my charger to get the best read of the voltage in all cells. So again do you remember what voltage they came to you new? And imo you haven't done anything wrong but need to get the info correct so we can help you with banggood cs

 

[Jake4k]

Look at ph first note. He asked what voltage they were when you got them. Saying a percentage does nothing and means nothing, the terminology is not needed. Voltage is. So when I get new batteries I use multiple voltage checkers and I plug into my charger to get the best read of the voltage in all cells. So again do you remember what voltage they came to you new? And imo you haven't done anything wrong but need to get the info correct so we can help you with banggood cs

Ohh, sorry. I don't remember the voltage - I wish I had pictures of that. I just saw that the percentage was way way lower than the percentage I normally see when charged from LVC to Storage in my charger (that's usually 35-40% - hitting just around 3.8v). I will stop focusing on the percentage

 

[ph47mf]

The last 10 min or so is normally for balancing the lipo, it does take a bit of time and varies a little with different lipos.

Looking at your google pictures, it seems 10% you've been referring to is 3.65v, if it came like that it's perhaps a little low to start with but not catastrophic. Storage is about 3.8v and LVC kicks in around 3.5v/3.6v (that's what I get in my Kraton 6s v4). So the charger adding 2000 to 3000 mAh from LVC or storage to fully charged still seems normal. The resistance on a new lipo is on the high side though.

I am slightly concerned you have been 'discharging it to 10%' (or 3.65v), do you press discharge or storage charge on your charger? Always storage charge.

 

[Jake4k]

The last 10 min or so is normally for balancing the lipo, it does take a bit of time and varies a little with different lipos.

Looking at your google pictures, it seems 10% you've been referring to is 3.65v, if it came like that it's perhaps a little low to start with but not catastrophic. Storage is about 3.8v and LVC kicks in around 3.5v/3.6v (that's what I get in my Kraton 6s v4). So the charger adding 2000 to 3000 mAh from LVC or storage to fully charged still seems normal. The resistance on a new lipo is on the high side though.

I am slightly concerned you have been 'discharging it to 10%' (or 3.65v), do you press discharge or storage charge on your charger? Always storage charge.

I really appreciate all your answers! Thank you - I don't know why it's so hard for me to understand this! (please don't comment on that)

I realize that the final balancing takes time - these new batteries are quite fast to balance now, but they did take extremely long the first couple of charges ('OVER TIME LIMIT' was reached).

In regards to the percentages, the charger just always shows 10% (10-13%) on the batteries that have had a successful run and reached LVC. This is the same on all my batteries (probably because they are all between 5000 and 5500 mAh). I see this percentage when I get back from a run, and plug them into the charger to do a 'Storage charge' (or a "Balance charge" if I am to run again the same day). I always use 'Balance Charging'... But note to myself, don't trust the percentages!

I have only used the 'Discharge' function last weekend when I was trying to document my experience to banggood, and wasn't able to run the car to LVC. I did it to show that the mAh added to the battery from LVC (3.65v didnt go lower than that) to full 4.2v which only added approx 3000mAh to a 6000mAh battery (but, I was wrong in the way I 'used' the 10% information). In my head, it made total sense and caused the very low 7 minutes of run time.

When I wrote this, I decided to do another test: comparing my old batteries to the new ones again. This time I didn't charge them from LVC but from "Storage voltages", 3.8v), but I ended up with the same result = that the old batteries would add much more mAh.

1. First, I ran the "Storage charge" program on all batteries. All finished on 3.8v (quite fast since they were already at these voltages)
2. I then ran the "Balanced charge" program, both sets at 5A. All cells finished balanced at 4.19~4.20v

2x3s (my new ZOP 3s 6000mAh):
Battery A: 2147 mAh added
Battery B: 2379 mAh added

2x3s (my old ZOP 3s 5000mAh):
Battery A: 3770 mAh added
Battery B: 3817 mAh added

So all of this still doesn't make sense to me. The numbers correspond to my real-world experience. The new ones are trash compared to the older ones, even though they should be higher mAh rated. I just can't seem to show or explain it properly

 

[Jimbobjr]

Also, when full throttling on asphalt they will very often go LVC and I have to shut off ESC

I’ve successfully have had bg replace orders for me but it takes a while. Imagine how many teenagers world wide try to scam them everyday. Also the language barrier can be difficult. They will eventually offer to send you anotther order of the same thing or partial/full refund depending on the problem.
The adapters have to go, that’s a lot of solder and twice as many connections to go wrong. Idk if they are your problem but they have never done anyone any good...
Keep at it with Banggood and they will eventually refund you but it could take weeks or longer.

 

[L3phturn]

If you have any other batteries that work better, try those. That run time is far too short but there could be another problem. You should try fully charging to 4.2v per cell and run them in another vehicle that hertz far more run time to eliminate your Kraton as the issue.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

I recently got some Zeee batteries on Amazon, and they were labeled as 5200 mAh. Based on how quickly they ran down I would say there were more like 3500 or 4000 mAh LiPos. This was the first time I used a battery other than Turnigy graphene, CNHL 70C, or SMC V2. The high end batteries really are in a league of their own, but with a price to match.

 

[Jake4k]

Long story short, I gave up :/ They ended up offering me a 20% discount (that doesn't even cover 1 of the 4 batteries). When I declined, they insisted on videos showing the full charging process on all four. I have shown multiple pictures of the process from start to end of the charge - and how they would charge compared to my other ZOP batteries. IRL I still have about half the runtime compared to my lower mAh ZOP batteries.

But thank you guys, I have learned a thing or two about batteries and where not to buy from!

 

[L3phturn]

Long story short, I gave up :/ They ended up offering me a 20% discount (that doesn't even cover 1 of the 4 batteries). When I declined, they insisted on videos showing the full charging process on all four. I have shown multiple pictures of the process from start to end of the charge - and how they would charge compared to my other ZOP batteries. IRL I still have about half the runtime compared to my lower mAh ZOP batteries.

But thank you guys, I have learned a thing or two about batteries and where not to buy from!

In summary... the ZOP batteries were not what they claimed or somehow defective?

So far I have had good luck with batteries on sale on Amazon. Banggood didn't ship batteries to Canada for most of last year, and although I can now get some, I've been good with deals on Amazon. I have been pleased with the HRB, Zeee, and G..Ace batteries. I have some DXF I got a deal on that I have not yet run enough to see but so far they charge up OK.

I will say that the instruction book and packaging with the Zeee batteries is by far the best, and it sounds silly, but that makes a difference. I may end up damaging some running in very cold weather, but so far a heavy dose of throttle has kept them warm.