99 Percent of Fake Apple Chargers Sold Online Fail Safety Tests

[fishmongerer]

That's a serious charge, but I have to agree.

Surely there should be a happy medium where everyone can buy a safe, properly insulated chargers without being price-gouged by Apple?

It would be nice if Apple took the lead (ahem) on this and said 'you know what, people dying or losing their homes because a power adapter they bought in good faith is a ridiculous situation, we are going to sell all our power adapters at cost price, because it's just too important, and if you're not dead, you're approximately 99% more likely to buy an Apple product again than if you are dead, so it's a win for us too'.

A 5W USB power Adapter in the UK, from Apple, costs £19. Come on Apple, you can do better than that, I don't believe it costs more than a couple of pounds to make and you're selling it to people who have spent hundreds your products already. Help keep your customers alive!

There you go - Apple contributing to the problem by making "everyday consumer products and accessories" expensive and costing more than they need to.

People always used to tell me Apple products were expensive and I'd have to go on the defensive for Apple.

Now...the "New" Apple is just that. Too expensive for a lot of people.

 

[Wowereit]

Are Apple-branded chargers that are sold by and shipped from Amazon.com (not sold by a third party, not fulfilled by Amazon) safe?

No, they aren't.
Amazon's way of storing things they ship themselves and fulfill for others mixes things together as long as they are tagged as being the same.

Amazon got lots of crap about this and started to change with things like Samsung batteries because there were basically 95% fakes and 5% original units, but for most products they still mix everything.

Edit: Ok, as this might sound a bit confusing. No, this has nothing to do with Note 7. It's about the older Galaxys with replaceable batteries. Most of the fake ones are working just fine and I even know people buying fakes with higher capacity on purpose without any issues, but between the originals, the fakes that are actually better then the original ones and the crappy but harmless fakes there are some fakes which could damage your phone or even light themselves on fire.

 

[macsrcool1234]

I'll openly admit to cheaping out on cables. But things that plug into the wall? no way.

 

[ZMacintosh]

never understood these whole 3rd party plugs. why would you waste your time and money on these for an expensive phone? sure you have a warranty but none of these cables go through any stringent of testing.

 

[GreyOS]

I bought a MacBook Air charger from ebay a few years ago and after a short while of using it I found out it was counterfeit - there are various tips online about how to check. I messaged the seller saying it was fake and he denied it at first but was quick to just give me a refund and told me to keep it. It'd actually be illegally for me to send it back as it's considered handling counterfeit goods. I think I reported him after but I honestly can't remember. I still have it buried away somewhere. If my current genuine one breaks it might be a useful stop gap...

 

[Goatllama]

DAT 1% THAT'S SAFE, THO'
(what a bargain!)

 

[TurboPGT!]

Who is buying these chargers?

With the dozens of Apple products I own, I have never purchased a "charger", outside of larger/more expensive dock/multiport solutions.

I've purchased plenty of MFi-certified Lightning cables. But never ever a charging brick. There are just so many other options, and USB ports around. Plus I have every Apple charger from every iPod, iPhone, iPad that I've ever owned.

 

[naujoks]

How about if Apple sells the chargers at a fairer price rather than rip everybody off? Then more people would buy a genuine one.

 

[LordQ]

Which is why I will pay the premium from Apple and have piece of mind for safety related reasons.

My sentiments exactly. A bit unrelated but I was searching for some watch bands on Amazon and after some reviews said that the bands were thinner, broke, or weren't the exact Apple colour I decided to pay the premium Apple price and I'm telling you, no price beats the peace of mind that it won't break easily.

 

[btbeme]

If you open up an Apple charger and compare it to almost any 3rd party charger, you would be surprised. Not only does Apple demand a high quality build, but their chargers have extra electronics in them to assist in fending off overcharging, overheating, delivering smooth and constant power, etc. There are some lower-cost third-party chargers that have the same build quality and standards as the Apple chargers, but unless you know for certain which brand and charger, and know for certain that it isn't a counterfeit masquerading as one of those quality chargers, I'd stay away. Amazon and eBay, for all their strutting and bellowing, have shown absolutely zero ability to weed out counterfeits. Dealer-direct seems to be the best way to buy.

http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pricey.html

 

[webbuzz]

Who is buying these chargers?

With the dozens of Apple products I own, I have never purchased a "charger", outside of larger/more expensive dock/multiport solutions.

I've purchased plenty of MFi-certified Lightning cables. But never ever a charging brick. There are just so many other options, and USB ports around. Plus I have every Apple charger from every iPod, iPhone, iPad that I've ever owned.

Counterfeit chargers, adapters, and batteries have been an issue for manufacturers for decades. People think they are getting a deal.

One of my previous employers manufactured two-way radios, pagers, and cellular phones. Counterfeiting not only became a safety issue, but a perceived quality issue with end-users. It was not uncommon for a first responder, whether full-time, or a volunteer, to purchase a 'spare' charger for their two-way or pager. There was the occasional fire (one a firehouse) and many product failures that were a result of a counterfeit charger or adapter.

I have always purchased branded accessories, especially batteries and chargers/adapters.

 

[Rob_2811]

I think you will be running the risk they are counterfeit too. As far as I know Apple do not sell direct through Amazon.

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/29/amazon-registry-prevent-fake-goods/

Pretty sure this is genuine..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B008ALA6DW

Cheaper than it is in the Apple store..

 

[iObama]

If Apple really gave a **** about this, they wouldn't charge $80 for a power brick that frays so easily.

Do they not understand that the only reason people buy counterfeit ones is because they can easily be found for a third of the cost?

 

[steve62388]

Pretty sure this is genuine..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit-Ethernet-Adapter/dp/B008ALA6DW

Cheaper than it is in the Apple store..

It's a cable adapter, this thread is about power supplies.

You can trust items are genuine if they are sold by Amazon (as opposed to just being fulfilled/dispatched by them or coming direct from the supplier). eg this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Adap...480694118&sr=1-19&keywords=apple+power+supply is likely counterfeit but they are so good these days you typically have to open them up to find out.

 

[yg17]

Who is buying these chargers?

With the dozens of Apple products I own, I have never purchased a "charger", outside of larger/more expensive dock/multiport solutions.

I've purchased plenty of MFi-certified Lightning cables. But never ever a charging brick. There are just so many other options, and USB ports around. Plus I have every Apple charger from every iPod, iPhone, iPad that I've ever owned.

It's not one of those chargers, but there are plenty of reasons for buying a third party charger. I don't travel without this in my bag. It's a lifesaver, especially since some hotel rooms were built long before people had a bunch of portable devices to charge and don't have enough power outlets. My brother and I just shared a hotel room that had one single outlet that wasn't blocked by a bed or other furniture, that charger was a life saver. It charged his phone, my phone, an iPad, Apple Watch and a pair of Bluetooth headphones at the same time with ease.

There is nothing wrong with third party charges as long as it's made by a reputable company. The problem here is counterfeit chargers made to look like genuine Apple chargers.

 

[monokakata]

I surfed over to Infowars to hone my conspiracy skills.

Apple is behind all of this. Yes, there's no doubt that they actually own and control the counterfeiting operations, and the reason is to force you to buy their products. iPhone blows up? Well . . . you have to buy a new one. MacBook catches on fire? Well . . . you have to buy a new one. Frightened? Well . . . you have to buy those overpriced Apple chargers.

Plus, Reptile Overlords and New World Order. They're in this somehow too. Am I right?

 

[mysticbluebmw]

And the root of the problem may actually be Apple charging ridiculously high prices, causing counterfeiters to pop up everywhere preying on those looking for a reason cost. If Apple would just just reduce their prices to a less than ludicrous price-point, people would be more will to buy direct from Apple and put a dent in the forgery business.

 

[ksnell]

That's a serious charge, but I have to agree.

Surely there should be a happy medium where everyone can buy a safe, properly insulated chargers without being price-gouged by Apple?

It would be nice if Apple took the lead (ahem) on this and said 'you know what, people dying or losing their homes because a power adapter they bought in good faith is a ridiculous situation, we are going to sell all our power adapters at cost price, because it's just too important, and if you're not dead, you're approximately 99% more likely to buy an Apple product again than if you are dead, so it's a win for us too'.

A 5W USB power Adapter in the UK, from Apple, costs £19. Come on Apple, you can do better than that, I don't believe it costs more than a couple of pounds to make and you're selling it to people who have spent hundreds your products already. Help keep your customers alive!

While I tend to agree with you, I think there is no way Apple could compete in price with a company that is dodging all the R&D and testing and regulations. Maybe if they sold them at cost, but I think they would rather spend the profits on lawyers to defend the integrity of their products.

A race to the bottom dollar price is not an Apple tactic.

 

[sportsfan]

People are being driven to buy these goods by the unbelievably poor durability of the official Apple items. I wouldn't mind paying extra for Apple chargers and cables if the cables didn't fray and fall to pieces so quickly.

Apple's wall chargers have poor durability?

 

[Wolfpup]

I've been unclear on this story since it first broke...

When Apple says they were checking chargers sold on Amazon, aren't they just talking about 3rd party stores? Those 3rd party stores that show up on Amazon (and tons of other sites too now) are often super sketchy (not 100% of the time, but...) so I only use them if I really have to.

Chargers/cables sold by *AMAZON* ought to be the real thing...if they're really not, that's a HUGE story...

 

[KENESS]

"... that could cost you your home or even your life, or the life of a loved-one," he said.


WTF.

Slow down, buddy.

Nope. Don't forget the woman in China who died a while back directly because of a counterfeit "Apple" charger. Things that plug into the wall aren't a joke.

 

[sportsfan]

And the root of the problem may actually be Apple charging ridiculously high prices, causing counterfeiters to pop up everywhere preying on those looking for a reason cost. If Apple would just just reduce their prices to a less than ludicrous price-point, people would be more will to buy direct from Apple and put a dent in the forgery business.

I agree with this. If the "reasonableness" of a items price is far out of balance, it invites this type of behavior.

 

[avanpelt]

I've always gone straight to Anker when I need replacement chargers and Lightning cables and will continue to do so.

For the premium Apple charges for OEM chargers and cables, you'd think they'd last, but they don't. My experience with Apple OEM chargers and cables is that they're some of the first to break down, sometimes even with only occasional use.

The charger that came with my Series 2 Apple Watch is a good example. Straight out of the box, I noticed that sometimes it charges the watch straightaway as soon as the wall charger is plugged in and sometimes I have to unplug it and replug the wall charger two or three times before the watch starts charging. Once it does start charging the watch, though, it continues to work fine until I unplug the charger from the wall.

I seldom do unplug it, though, so I figure I'll just live with it for now and eventually just replace it with an Anker charger. I've tried multiple outlets and I get the same behavior. I don't think the charging cable itself is faulty because I've used that cable with Anker battery packs and have never had an issue with the watch charging.

To the point of this article, it's a shame that more people don't actually investigate their options from reputable third party companies instead of settling for the knockoff junk because it "looks just like the one they had". I learned a long time ago (not from personal experience, thankfully) that when it comes to electricity, it's not worth saving $10.00 or $25.00 or whatever the savings is if you end up having to sacrifice a home.

 

[Hustler1337]

Why are people complaining like Apple's own chargers and cables are the only ones on the market?

There are hundreds of reputable manufacturers of USB chargers and Lightning cables on the market. Often, these are much better in quality and just as safe, if not more than the flimsy Lightning cables and chargers we get directly from Apple at extortionate prices. Aukey, Anker and RAVPower are my personal favourites and come with a long warranty (lifetime warranty for RAVPower products) and I no longer buy Apple's own cables/chargers. They're a fraction of the cost, much more durable and a lot safer and versatile than Apple's own. Even supermarket own-brands can be pretty good if you know where to look.

There's plenty of choice out there without having to buy into Apple's own (or what seems to be genuine Apple products from the likes of eBay and Amazon).

 

[ENduro]

How hard is it to make a USB charger? This seems like a ridiculous holiday scare tactic. I'd love for someone to breakdown how dangerous Apple's cables are when they fray.