Any idea how to ship a USB-power pack?

[y_p_w]

I'm going by what you have indicated is their policy. If that's incorrect, sorry...

Well - just to clarify, when I requested the warranty replacement, I really didn't get anything other than a request for a credit card with a $7.99 authorization and a note saying that I may be required to return the defective one within 60 days (of what date?). Then while I was waiting I thought maybe I was missing something and found this that made it sound like I might need to return it first (at my own expense?):

https://support.zagg.com/hc/en-us/articles/215883667-Where-do-I-send-my-warranty-return-​

Where do I send my warranty return?​

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must first set up your warranty return prior to sending you product back to ZAGG.​

InvisibleShield products - There is no return required for InvisibleShield warranties.​

​

For non-InvisibleShield products such as keyboard, power, and audio, including mophie, BRAVEN, Gear4, and HALO branded products, please write your order number on the outside of the return parcel and send to:​

​

ZAGG, Inc.
Order # __________
6244 Technology Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
United States​

That the warranty replacement would come with a return label wasn't stated anywhere, although I'm not complaining about not having to shell out the return shipping.

I am somewhat wondering about sending it via USPS since the capacity is higher than 20 Wh. But the postal clerk didn't even ask and just took it (even sealed with duct tape). It was kind of loose though, but my replacement was shipped in a loose box with one of those sealed air bags where it still shook around. I just sent it back in the original box like that shaking around.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yes, that's the one. Coupon code ZYWGDN20. They've been going in and out of stock throughout the course of yesterday. Not sure if more are coming. Apparently the same coupon code also works on the XXL.

 

[y_p_w]

Not sure what the holdup is. I sent it July 30 and my checking with USPS tracking info is only that it was accepted at a local post office.

 

[y_p_w]

Not sure what the holdup is. I sent it July 30 and my checking with USPS tracking info is only that it was accepted at a local post office.

Just checked again. I dropped it off at a post office on July 30. And today the update is that the package is at a USPS distribution center in Oakland, California on August 10. 13 days to go less than 8 miles.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Just checked again. I dropped it off at a post office on July 30. And today the update is that the package is at a USPS distribution center in Oakland, California on August 10. 13 days to go less than 8 miles.

Could be worse. I ordered that Mophie power bank on 7/31. 10 days later, it still hasn't made any progress getting out of their warehouse.

 

[y_p_w]

Could be worse. I ordered that Mophie power bank on 7/31. 10 days later, it still hasn't made any progress getting out of their warehouse.

I waited about 11 days for my warranty replacement to ship. I mentioned the confusion over the return process, but the standard process is send first, return later.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Phew... finally 20 days later I got my 15,000 mAh power bank. I was starting to lose hope.

Other than the fabric cover, it looks rather ordinary. Can't complain at this price. Haven't tested it yet to see if capacity claims are accurate - will do that next. Zagg/Mophie seem pretty reputable, so I'm sure it's fine.

 

[y_p_w]

Well - they finally got it and gave me a notice that I won't be charged for the replacement. It did cost me $7.99 in shipping though.

So it took 11 days to get to Oakland (California - not Michigan), then 3 days for UPS to send it to Kalamazoo (that's linked with USPS tracking) where it was accepted by ZAGG. Then I got a notice that I had 30 days to return it or I'd be charged for the replacement, even though it was listed by USPS as being accepted.

I sent a message to ZAGG customer support (the same person who has been helping me) with images of the tracking Info and the 30 day warning, as well as a photo I took of the shipping label (shows the order number in a reference number). Yesterday I got a response that they had received it but still had to physically check it out before clearing it. I was also assured that I wouldn't be charged for the replacement.

I finally got a message that it had been received and I wouldn't be charged. The status for my ZAGG account no longer says "Return Required" for the replacement. Took over a month to do this but it's done. I'm still wondering about shipping a single cell power pack since it's higher than the USPS single cell capacity limit, but I guess ZAGG does this all the time.

 

[Carmudgeon]

That's a lot of agita over a freebie power bank.

USPS tracking has never been great to begin with, but ever since hell broke loose, and the shipping companies have seen volume explode, things have been off kilter for everyone.

Amazon had one of the smoothest return/RMA processes before, where they'd even sometimes issue an immediate credit, and one could track the return progress through the UPS option, but now, it's radio silence for about a month, and trust that all will end well.

The Kohl's option was always more opaque and took longer, since they collected and bundled returns in bulk. But after the stores closed, UPS became the sole option, and the last return I did wasn't tracked beyond the drop off, but it did end as expected.

More faith, and less detail seems to be the MO at the moment.

 

[y_p_w]

That's a lot of agita over a freebie power bank.

USPS tracking has never been great to begin with, but ever since hell broke loose, and the shipping companies have seen volume explode, things have been off kilter for everyone.

Amazon had one of the smoothest return/RMA processes before, where they'd even sometimes issue an immediate credit, and one could track the return progress through the UPS option, but now, it's radio silence for about a month, and trust that all will end well.

The Kohl's option was always more opaque and took longer, since they collected and bundled returns in bulk. But after the stores closed, UPS became the sole option, and the last return I did wasn't tracked beyond the drop off, but it did end as expected.

More faith, and less detail seems to be the MO at the moment.

I thought it would be simpler. Then I went through without enough information and I just had to work through all of it to avoid getting stuck with the bill. The real irony is that the biggest thing I was worried about was a lack of a proof of purchase since it was mentioned. But that never became an issue.

I've got other options for returning Amazon deliveries other than UPS. I did it at Kohl's before, and that was great because they didn't care about packaging. We've got other options around where I live. Amazon has a couple of places in Berkeley, California that will take returns. First there's an Amazon campus facility at UC Berkeley that's open to the public. It's kind of like Amazon Lockers except that none of the slots are loaded until the customer checks in. They also accept returns, but it all goes into a chute without a receipt. There's also an Amazon 4-Star store that takes returns without packaging.

 

[Quattro Pete]

FYI, if anyone is looking for a power bank, this Ravpower 10,000 mAh one is currently on sale for $9, after you clip the $5 off coupon on the product page:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VL4H3Y5

 

[Carmudgeon]

I thought it would be simpler. Then I went through without enough information and I just had to work through all of it to avoid getting stuck with the bill. The real irony is that the biggest thing I was worried about was a lack of a proof of purchase since it was mentioned. But that never became an issue.

I've got other options for returning Amazon deliveries other than UPS. I did it at Kohl's before, and that was great because they didn't care about packaging. We've got other options around where I live. Amazon has a couple of places in Berkeley, California that will take returns. First there's an Amazon campus facility at UC Berkeley that's open to the public. It's kind of like Amazon Lockers except that none of the slots are loaded until the customer checks in. They also accept returns, but it all goes into a chute without a receipt. There's also an Amazon 4-Star store that takes returns without packaging.

No Amazon outposts where I am, but a UPS store is a five minute drive away, so that's always been my first choice. I did the Kohl's thing because it was a large item which they would have charged me to return otherwise, plus a bit of curiosity.

When Kohl's was closed, and UPS because the default, it started to offer to pack and ship as well, but I don't like to leave anything to chance, and pack things myself.

I just ordered something from Staples for in-store pickup, which was promised for today. Fedex had other ideas…and has warning banners about COVID and surcharges on their site, so they're still not operating under normal conditions.

 

[y_p_w]

Phew... finally 20 days later I got my 15,000 mAh power bank. I was starting to lose hope.

Other than the fabric cover, it looks rather ordinary. Can't complain at this price. Haven't tested it yet to see if capacity claims are accurate - will do that next. Zagg/Mophie seem pretty reputable, so I'm sure it's fine.

I bought the 20,000 mAh version last year on sale from ZAGG for $30. Looks a lot like that photo with two USB-A ports and a center USB-C port. It was interesting with most of the labeling imprinted into the fabric surface.

Works pretty well but it's heavy as heck. I don't know if it really means anything, but when I use it after being fully charged, it does to three charge indicator lights (from four) really quickly. But otherwise it seems to have plenty of capacity. I'm thinking it's just the calibration of the lights. Reminds me of what I heard about Cadillac and what they did with a digital fuel tank display. Apparently it was close to the edge where it would drop from maybe 18 to 17 gallons rather quickly, and people were complaining that they were losing a gallon of gas too quickly. So in later model years they just programmed it to start at 17 gallons so that there wouldn't be a quick drop to 17 from 18.

 

[y_p_w]

I just shipped a used laptop computer to a coworker working across the country. I was totally freaked out about labelling it like all the hoops I had to go through for shipping that USB power pack and seeing all the labels attached to stuff with lithium ion batteries I purchased and were shipped to me. But I went into a FedEx Office location and told them it was a computer with a lithium-ion battery, and was told they didn't need to be labeled as long as it wasn't a loose battery. I found this that indicated that the UN3481 isn't specifically needed if it's less than a certain number of batteries either loose or installed.

https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/f...ipping-Lithium-Batteries-via-FedEx-Ground.pdf

• Marking Requirements: Except for a package containing button cell batteries installed in equipment (including circuit boards), or no more than four lithium cells or two lithium batteries installed in a device, the outer package must display a lithium battery handling mark. The handling mark for lithium batteries installed in or packed with equipment is displayed below.
  UN Identification Numbers Applicable to Lithium Battery Shipments
  UN3480: Loose lithium ion batteries
  UN3481: Lithium-ion batteries “packed with” or “contained in”
  equipment
  UN3090: Loose Lithium metal batteries:
  UN3091: Lithium metal batteries “packed with” or “contained in” equipment

 

[y_p_w]

I bought the 20,000 mAh version last year on sale from ZAGG for $30. Looks a lot like that photo with two USB-A ports and a center USB-C port. It was interesting with most of the labeling imprinted into the fabric surface.

Works pretty well but it's heavy as heck. I don't know if it really means anything, but when I use it after being fully charged, it does to three charge indicator lights (from four) really quickly. But otherwise it seems to have plenty of capacity. I'm thinking it's just the calibration of the lights. Reminds me of what I heard about Cadillac and what they did with a digital fuel tank display. Apparently it was close to the edge where it would drop from maybe 18 to 17 gallons rather quickly, and people were complaining that they were losing a gallon of gas too quickly. So in later model years they just programmed it to start at 17 gallons so that there wouldn't be a quick drop to 17 from 18.

Now that 20,000 mAh (2020-model powerstation XXL) is getting flaky. It was starting to smell like a burning printed circuit board and eventually I saw some weird flashing of the indicator lights before it stabilized. I was thinking maybe it would be OK but it still gave off that burning odor when it was charging and then I saw the indicator lights go from four to one light. I'm pretty sure it's malfunctioning. For a while I was concerned and put it in a stainless steel bowl just in case it might catch on fire.

So I've got the warranty return in process. It was a bit easier as I ordered this directly from ZAGG and when I checked my purchase history, warranty replacement was an option in a drop down menu and direct purchases are immediately registered for warranty return. I got it with a promo code that got me free shipping, but the warranty replacement is going to cost $9.99 for shipping. Not sure if I have to return

Not sure how I feel about getting a warranty replacement from ZAGG again, but it has a two-year warranty and as others noted ZAGG supposedly sells a premium product and their customer service should handle this. I started this topic in 2020 over the malfunctioning of that 8000 mAh power bank that I got for free. I had another one (my wife primarily used it) and that one started swelling but it was over 2 years since I don't think I could have gotten a warranty return. I was just hoping that it was a one-off thing.

 

[y_p_w]

Contact ZAGG, speak to a human, and ask them what your options are. Whether it includes a return label, if not how their users should ship returns, or whether you can back out at this point and refuse any replacement they have already forwarded.

ZAGG charges price premiums for its products, and that presumably goes to covering a higher level of customer service than the typical Amazon seller storefront which creates their brand name by having a cat walk all over a keyboard, then has some ODM screen that name on a generic design, before packaging and shipping to Amazon, where is it sold until stock runs out, and the storefront disappears.

I mentioned the 20,000 mAh powerstation XXL I got last year that was going flaky. But I bought that directly from ZAGG and it was automatically registered, with an immediate option to request a warranty replacement. I just got it delivered after a couple of weeks. No notices that a return is requested and there was no return label like I remember the last time I processed a warranty replacement (for the one I got for free). It did cost $9.99 shipping, but this thing retails for $60. I'm guessing the process was different because it was a direct purchase.

Now I just need to recycle the old one. I guess there's the chance it might still work, but after seeing the indicator lights go from 4 to 1 in a flash and it smelling like it was burning, it's probably not a good idea to risk my safety.

 

[97prizm]

I'm confused now since I just got a notice saying that it just shipped. For a while it was saying that it was "Processing, Return Required" but now it's "Shipped, Return Required". Maybe it comes with a return box with all the labels. Maybe not. I might be on the hook for the return of the defective device.

HP years ago sent me a box for my laptop for a hinge repair. Unfortunately they were at a 15 week turnaround. This didn't work as that would have meant no laptop for most of an entire semester.

 

[y_p_w]

HP years ago sent me a box for my laptop for a hinge repair. Unfortunately they were at a 15 week turnaround. This didn't work as that would have meant no laptop for most of an entire semester.

I’ve had pretty good service from Apple including out of warranty reapairs for free, like for a broken keyboard key or after my wife jamming a SIM card in the slot without a tray. But it’s good having stores that directly handle repairs and replacements.

 

[y_p_w]

I mentioned the 20,000 mAh powerstation XXL I got last year that was going flaky. But I bought that directly from ZAGG and it was automatically registered, with an immediate option to request a warranty replacement. I just got it delivered after a couple of weeks. No notices that a return is requested and there was no return label like I remember the last time I processed a warranty replacement (for the one I got for free). It did cost $9.99 shipping, but this thing retails for $60. I'm guessing the process was different because it was a direct purchase.

Now I just need to recycle the old one. I guess there's the chance it might still work, but after seeing the indicator lights go from 4 to 1 in a flash and it smelling like it was burning, it's probably not a good idea to risk my safety.

The replacement just died. I guess I’m taking a chance on spending another $9.99 on shipping, but it was easy ordering a replacement again. This is getting frustrating as the is the fourth time I’ve had a dead Mophie power bank. None were from normal wear. The first just stopped working, the second started swelling, and the third and fourth just dropped charge indicators immediately and stopped providing power. The latest one flashes all four indicator lights if I try to charge it, and was showing four solid lights (on a button press) last night but only one this morning.

 

[y_p_w]

The replacement just died. I guess I’m taking a chance on spending another $9.99 on shipping, but it was easy ordering a replacement again. This is getting frustrating as the is the fourth time I’ve had a dead Mophie power bank. None were from normal wear. The first just stopped working, the second started swelling, and the third and fourth just dropped charge indicators immediately and stopped providing power. The latest one flashes all four indicator lights if I try to charge it, and was showing four solid lights (on a button press) last night but only one this morning.

So after I got the warranty order in, I then got a message with a return label attachment. It's using USPS ground return service and has a barcode for the RMA as well as a USPS tracking number. I still have the box that it shipped in with the UN3480 info printed on one side. I suppose just wrapping the defective power pack in bubble wrap and a few air packets and it doesn't move much. I figure that would be good enough. I'm saving the original package and I'm not returning the USB-C/USB-A cable that came with it.

Don't know if they're going to wait until they get it before the send the replacement, or if they'll send it out and charge me if they don't get the return.

The last time I had to return anything, ZAGG said I needed to wait for the replacement and to use the shipping box to send the defective item to them, or face the possibility of being charged for it if they didn't get it within 60 days.