Why I Closed My AliExpress Account
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ธ.ค. 2024
- As many of you may know, I purchased the lithium iron phosphate (LFP or LiFePO4) cells to rebuild my 2000 Ford Ranger Electric's battery from stores on AliExpress. Initially, the experience was okay, and I was getting the products I ordered. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse, and a number of the stores on AliExpress started actively misrepresenting the products they were selling.
All of that would have been fine if AliExpress had actually advocated for their customers and protected them from fraudulent sellers. However, that did not happen, and even when presented with significant proof that their sellers were defrauding customers, AliExpress sided with their sellers.
My suggestion moving forward is that anyone interested in buying LFP cells (whether for EV use or other applications) contact reputable resellers directly. That's still not a guarantee against fraud, but you're less likely to have a bad experience working with someone who is buying batteries directly from the manufacturer.
Good to see you back posting again Eric. Looking forward to your Bolt battery replacement videos.
I've had the same type of problems with Aliexpress. They always side with their sellers from what I've experienced. The saving grace for me is that I always use my credit card and the credit card has been wonderful at stepping in and taking care of disputes. Good luck with your situation and I wish the best for you! These sellers are going to have to quit trying to deceive the buyers! Keep letting people know what's going on, so we can steer clear of those fraudulent sellers!
Thanks! I was going to pursue a full credit card refund, but mine was going to require that a return the cells. At that point, even if I got the full refund, I'd be out the cost of shipping the cells back, which would be more than I paid for the cells. I have a use for a secondary 48 V system, so it's not the end of the world. But this experience would have been backbreaking for some DIYers on a budget.
@@newscoulomb3705 My credit card company has told me not to pay not one more cent for return shipping. They make the seller send a label. And if they don't it sits there until the credit card company tells me it can be disposed of. The items are misrepresented, you should not have to pay to return them because they misrepresented them. Let me know if you need further information. I'll help you however I can to stop the sellers from doing this to people. Think about your binding contract for the item or terms when you bought it. Don't ever pay for anything outside of the contract!
Hello Eric, good to see you man!
Thanks!
Frustrating experience, for sure. Until they lose sufficient customers due to this kind of experience, I guess they don't have any motivation to fix this. Good for you documenting your experience. Once again, advocating for your viewers as you work from the leading edge.
On another topic, have you had your Bolt battery replaced yet? I got my 2017 done a month ago. The process took 4 days which was longer than I expected but not unreasonably long. The battery and software allow it to be fully charged and the "expected" ranged is consistent with a 65 kWh battery. Haven't had an opportunity to fast charge a depleted battery to see the new ramp rate, so I have nothing to contribute there. Anxious to hear your experience.
Thanks! I'm still in line to have mine replaced. I'm going to call the dealership soon to see where I am in line, but I was 8th last time I checked. It sucks that your swap took so long, but I'm glad to hear you now have your new battery.
Hopefully, I'll be able to start doing some Bolt EV battery update videos soon.
Bruce - did they have the required hose (yours is a ‘17, right?)? Any coolant level issues (air bubbles to work out) after the swap? Software worked correctly right out of the box? Or did the new battery have to relearn learn its’ state of charge after a few charges?
@@dennislyon5412Yes, mine is a '17. Absolutely no issues. They charged it up to 100% to confirm all was good, "right out of the box." No relearning necessary. It's been a month now and it's running and charging just like new (actually better than new since roughly additional 8% of battery).
@@bkackman - good news! My swap is coming up in a couple of weeks - crossed fingers. I hope it goes as smoothly as yours.
I'm buying on Ali over 10 yrs, maybe 15. Cells is one of last thing what i will buy on Ali(express or baba). It was been allways difficult to get a good geniune cells since companies like GM or ford can't get them easy.
Glad to see a video from you. I just made my 2nd trip to the Texas Hill country from Houston with my new '17 Bolt battery. It is 300 miles each way. That extra 10% capacity sure is nice. The Electrify America chargers I used worked flawlessly for first trip ever. The charging interruptions I got on my January trip did not happen this time. Perhaps EA has tweaked its charger firmware a bit.
Thanks! And that's awesome to hear. I can't wait to get my new battery!
I think that a lot of EA's issues are due to unvalidated setups and lack of use. As these charging sites start to get used more frequently, those early bugs should be worked out.
Eric, maybe they transposed the the digits somewhere along in the process. Evidently from your testing the labeled 420Ah should have been labeled as 240Ah. It appears they never passed the original 280Ah and they altered the barcode.
Yes, some thought that might have been what happened, but Esare was selling a number of misrepresented batteries. Their "280 Ah" cells appeared to be 150 Ah or 200 Ah, and their "200 Ah" cells were only testing out at 100 Ah.
These at least appear to be Grade A, unused CATL batteries, but they are still nowhere near the advertised capacity.
should have sent them back a box of bricks, got the refund, then filed a charge back on your card, then closed your account anyways. thats the only behavior these people would expect.
It is sad to see the dishonesty. Seems to be the way Chinese business runs unfortunately. Im sorry to hear all of this happened to you. I avoid online stores like the plague.
Buying stuff from China is always a crapshoot, and this is a prime example of why. Some things imported are great and high quality, but there's enough fraud and terrible/unsafe products that it just doesn't seem worth it.
The products themselves are often very good, but it's really the sellers who are unscrupulous. I actually expect it from the individual resellers, but my disappointment was with AliExpress. They apparently aren't very concerned with their own reputation.
Yep you better switch to someone else for parts....maybe Wish? LOL
Well, as I said in the video, direct contacts with wholesalers is the best option. Some of these contacts have very good reputations in DIY solar and EV communities.
Eric, So you making it to a DEED event this month?
I'm not sure I can. I'm still juggling a lot of commitments.
AliExpress never appealed to me at all... I try to buy NOTHING from the Chinese... Horrible country and we need to bring manufacturing back to the US!
Unfortunately, if you want LFP batteries, they pretty much only come from China. I wish we had LFP manufacturing in the United States, but it's just not possible at this point.
lol, good luck. Almost everything what you own is made in china.
@@pashko90 you do realize I said “I try” right?