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Belkin Recalls BoostCharge Pro Power Bank With Apple Watch Charger Due to Fire Hazard

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Apr 12, 2001
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Belkin last month voluntarily recalled the BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K (model BPD005). The company said it will be offering a full refund to all customers who purchased the product.

belkin-boostcharge-pro.jpg

In its recall notice, Belkin said a manufacturing defect can cause the battery in the power bank to overheat, which could pose a fire hazard to consumers.

Belkin has advised customers to immediately stop using the product:
If you have purchased the Belkin BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K, BPD005, it is important that you immediately stop using it, disconnect it from any power supply or other products, and contact us for further instructions. Place your BPD005 in a safe, dry location away from anything flammable or anything that can damage the power bank. Do not place your power bank into any trash or recycling bins.
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More details are available on Belkin's website.

Belkin released the BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K in May 2023. The power bank has a 10,000 mAh battery, a 20W USB-C charging port, and a built-in fast-charging puck for the Apple Watch Series 7 and newer.

In 2021, Belkin similarly recalled another wireless charger due to the risk of fire.

Article Link: Belkin Recalls BoostCharge Pro Power Bank With Apple Watch Charger Due to Fire Hazard
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/21/belkin-recalls-boostcharge-pro-bpd005/
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Plutonius said:
It sounds like Belkin is not doing enough testing and analysis on these products before they are released.
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It sure seems that way.

I’ve avoided Belkin products for a few years now, ever since a bad experience with one of their products. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember what the product WAS, just that they didn’t stand behind it and I was left with very bad feelings toward that company.

Sadly, it looks like my disdain for them is still justified.
 
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I think charger is fine, I use Belkin wireless charger for iPhone/iwatch for last 6 years just fine, battery is what may be problematic
 
Entilzha said:
It sure seems that way.

I’ve avoided Belkin products for a few years now, ever since a bad experience with one of their products. It’s been so long that I don’t even remember what the product WAS, just that they didn’t stand behind it and I was left with very bad feelings toward that company.

Sadly, it looks like my disdain for them is still justified.
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Not long ago I was trying to research this on MR as I remember they basically bricked some old devices that they no longer wanted to support. I forget what it was, but it made me put them on my "never buy" list of companies. Lots of people here complained, and it wasn't like a super old device.
 
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Entilzha said:
Hm. It’s almost like maybe people should be avoiding Belkin products in general.

*smiles in Anker*
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Yep. On one side it is good they are recalling products, meaning they are acknowledging manufacturing defects. On the other side, they are doing many mistakes lately. I was usually looking for Belkin or Anker when purchasing energy related products, but maybe it is time to discharge Belkin entirely.
StoneJack said:
I think charger is fine, I use Belkin wireless charger for iPhone/iwatch for last 6 years just fine, battery is what may be problematic
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Going against a safety indication is risky. You are probably right, but they are recalling the product.
F23 said:
Anker, Nomad, TwelveSouth, UGreen, Satechi are better options anyway.
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You sure about UGreen and Satechi ? They sounds like cheap Chinese manufacturers to me… 🤔
JapanApple said:
far away Anker is as bad.
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not according to my personal experience.
 
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It wasn’t enough that they wouldn’t stand behind their Wemo Switch when it had a severe network vulnerability that exposes everything on your network to the internet. Now they want your house hacked and burned to the ground! At least people are getting refunds for this, unlike the switches I had to trash after a couple years. And that is why I’m never buying another Belkin device again! Besides, my new Eve switches are so much faster and use Matter over Thread. They seem like a good brand. I’ve really enjoyed their smart water controller as well. It’s just instant and doesn’t disconnect like Wemo.
 
macduke said:
It wasn’t enough that they wouldn’t stand behind their Wemo Switch when it had a severe network vulnerability that exposes everything on your network to the internet. Now they want your house hacked and burned to the ground! At least people are getting refunds for this, unlike the switches I had to trash after a couple years. And that is why I’m never buying another Belkin device again! Besides, my new Eve switches are so much faster and use Matter over Thread. They seem like a good brand. I’ve really enjoyed their smart water controller as well. It’s just instant and doesn’t disconnect like Wemo.
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Wow I didn’t know about the switch 😵‍💫
 
macduke said:
It wasn’t enough that they wouldn’t stand behind their Wemo Switch when it had a severe network vulnerability that exposes everything on your network to the internet. Now they want your house hacked and burned to the ground! At least people are getting refunds for this, unlike the switches I had to trash after a couple years. And that is why I’m never buying another Belkin device again! Besides, my new Eve switches are so much faster and use Matter over Thread. They seem like a good brand. I’ve really enjoyed their smart water controller as well. It’s just instant and doesn’t disconnect like Wemo.
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I used WeMo mainly for lighting for a good few years - assisted greatly by a homebridge install on my Mac mini - and it worked pretty well, but I ditched it when they wouldn't release the updated HomeKit bridge in the UK and then not long after effectively abandoned the whole market overnight and stopped selling pretty much any WeMo stuff here.

I moved to Phillips Hue and I haven't looked back.
 
So the product was released in May 2023 and it has taken them over a year to realize it has a manufacturing defect, a defect so bad that it can cause the device to catch on fire!!!. Belkin is clearly nobodies friend here for recalling a fire hazard that took them over a year to realize there was a problem with it and then report it to the public.
 
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mattoruu said:
I love how they tell you not to put it in the trash. Just… keep this potential fire hazard in your home… and they aren’t going to tell you how to safely dispose of the fire hazard until AFTER your claim is approved. Wild!

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This is a story from early october. Why is it in the headlines again now? I got it from Amazon and again a recall message yesterday. Pity for the product, as I really liked it, but the reaction from Belkin and communication from Amazon.

I already got the refund and dit not get any instructions how to dispose it. I simply discharged it, dismantled the thing detached the batteries (2 cells) and recycled it the way you have to do it with batteries.

From my personal observations, I suppose, it has a charging problem, not properly controlling the current and stopping when full. It will not explode, it you do not do anything with it. I remarked strange charging behaviour already before the recall.
 
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When I started the smart home lark, their Wemo mini plugs seemed to be the best bet.
In reality, the plugs were unreliable.
The app was/is useless.
I have 3 wemo mini plugs that still work out of 17 purchased.
The non updatable Wemo app says none of the plugs are detected.
The Home app detects them.
This experience makes me avoid Belkin/Wemo.
 
axantas said:
This is a story from early october. Why is it in the headlines again now? I got it from Amazon and again a recall message yesterday. Pity for the product, as I really liked it, but the reaction from Belkin and communication from Amazon.

I already got the refund and dit not get any instructions how to dispose it. I simply discharged it, dismantled the thing detached the batteries (2 cells) and recycled it the way you have to do it with batteries.

From my personal observations, I suppose, it has a charging problem, not properly controlling the current and stopping when full. It will not explode, it you do not do anything with it. I remarked strange charging behaviour already before the recall.
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So they did nothing about disposing of the faulty device after giving you the refund? They didn’t even tell you how to dispose of it? I mean, you knew how to safely dispose of it yourself, but they had no way of knowing that. Dang.
 
mattoruu said:
So they did nothing about disposing of the faulty device after giving you the refund? They didn’t even tell you how to dispose of it? I mean, you knew how to safely dispose of it yourself, but they had no way of knowing that. Dang.
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No info. Everything went fine, got the money back. The initial info sounds like "immediately call 911", but you know, it is two fat batteries. I think, the very alarming info irritates many owner of this device. "Do properly recycle it" would have been appropriate.
... far too many just trow them in the trash anyway because they do not care.
 
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I have that charger and I keep using the charger. It is under supervision when charging my watch at home, and in my pocket when charging my phone on the go. I have never noticed it getting warm. And it doesn’t get warm(er) when it is being charged. I love the formfactor and how quick the watch is charged.
And I never got any recall notification… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anybody suggest an alternative? Non-american please, I live in Europe 😉
 
This news is about a month old. I got the recall notification early October, filled in the claim and have already been paid the refund. What I don't get though is they still haven't told me how to dispose of it and now I have a known fire risk just sitting around the house.

For anyone wanting to replace this Anker make a fantastic equivalent that has an amazing OLED display that gives you real time readouts of how much wattage things are taking.
 
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