I've posted this on the general forum, but also doing so in here as the whole thing started on one of the numerous battery drain / maintain threads.

There was a recommendation on this forum in the X150 section to buy the AUTOOL battery tester, without thinking I did. Should have done my usual research.
The battery gave some very dubious readings- tested against 4 different batteries - it suggested replacing a brand new and fully charged one among other things.
The implication when I bought it was shipped from I think it was Germany, but when you do the return you suddenly discover you're dealing with a Chinese company.
They gave me the run around asking for video proof, but then never actually looked at the video - basically wouldn't send me a shipping label so I'd have to pay for the return.

When I told them no chance they de-listed the item to prevent me doing an eBay dispute and giving them a negative rating - very sly behaviour. Luckily eBay customer services are onto it.
For 40 GBP don't waste your money. For the fact that they seem to sell a defective product pitched as a European item, knowing it is defective, they deserve all the bad publicity they can get, hence I'm posting on here. Buy a known quality brand from a reputable supplier is my advice - or better still just use a multi meter.

 

wsn03, that sucks. I don't own any Autool products, at least that I know of - Chinese manufacturers seem to sell a lot to rebranders. But others on the forum have bought and used other Autool products without complaint so far.

And yes, a little research would have helped. The Autool website clearly shows their HQ address in Szenzhen. I hope eBay CS can work out a solution for you.

 

Thanks Bill. When I looked at ordering they did the usual trick of giving me the impression they were European, and I stupidly didn't read the other reviews saying they give duff readings.
Ebay CS have been really good - the lady I dealt with was pretty annoyed with the lengths they'd gone to not to refund me, so I'll get my money back. I just hate **** lying cheating b@stward companies - and there seem to be so many of them out there posing as something they are not.

The worst thing is all the fake reviews on products - Trust Pilot seems to harbour them, and should be renamed as Dont Trust Pilot

 

I take product reviews with a grain or two of salt, unless there are hundreds of them for a particular product. I usually read the one-star and two-star reviews first, figuring that no one will fake those. Let us know if you get satisfaction.

 

That ^ ^ ^
I also read the 1 & 2-star reviews first. Also relevant are the number of 1&2, I don't buy stuff if over 15% one-star. Rarely buy stuff over 10%.
Course, some people... rate a ONE STAR because they ordered the wrong color.
"I wanted black but accidentally ordered pink. NOT happy! One Star!"

 

And some percentage of the 1 stars are people that don’t understand that 1 is ‘bad’. They think 1 is ‘the best’. Idyuts.

 

Thanks for the update on this product, which I bought around 2 weeks ago but haven't gotten around to installing. You just saved me $36.84, which is the amount of my refund.

 

I have a Foxwell BT705 (looks like the new version is a BT715) that seems to work really well. It’s very simple to use, just clamp it to the battery and use the menu to tell it what you want. The menu is rather simple and is easy to understand. It’s pretty quick with it’s tests. I’ve only used it twice over the last 6 months, but I’m glad I have it so far.

 

I’m convinced that all those cheap products from China are actually just factory rejects her quality rejects it someone slips out the back door and sells on their own. I found most of the crap has some sort of actual defect that would prevent them from selling it in the store

 

I do exactly the same. When I ordered this I was feeling the Jaguar love having just fixed a nightmare electrical problem, and in a moment of euphoria I read a recommendation on here and hit purchase...so unlike me....

 

Excellent, my aim is to cost them far more than they might have saved by trying to scam me. Spread the word

 

I shall look into that, thank you very much.

EDIT - 1 Start reviews
The 1 star results seem to have similar issues unfortunately, I think I'll stick to a voltmeter:
1. If after 2 days of full charge it wont hold a charge its pretty safe to assume its on its way out as a simple measure
2. Test under starting (needs to be above 10.5 v I think), with no load and with ignition on

Not perfect but if a battery is over 4 yrs old and no longer holding charged its goosed in my experience

 

I had the misfortune of working with some fringe manufacturing companies in China a few years ago for a client, albeit very briefly - I remember being taken to a market in Shanghai, they had Ralph Lauren polo shirts - "do you have Lacoste?" I asked..."one moment please..." and an arm came through a hatch, took the t-shirt I was holding, returned it 2 mins later with a different badge, All these designer shirts were made in the same sweat shops, with thousands of items going out the back door, most likely as rejects as you say.

The one thing I learned about the Chinese business model was the complete lack of accountability and integrity - they ran for cover at the sign of any problem. I learned very quickly that its all a completely false economy - just buy decent quality European or N American products ... at least if you buy them even if they are made in China there will still be accountability from the branded seller.

On a more positive note however the women were dreamy, and I'm quite sure wife no 2 could easily have been Chinese if I'd spent more time out there.

 

My cheap China OBD2 Bluetooth dongle has worked flawlessly for five years now, at least. Panlong brand, I think. I'd buy it again.

 

China is very capable of manufacturing high-quality high tech products - look at the iPhone. But if a problem crops up, you want to have someone who will stand by the product, and that's where you can run into trouble if you buy something from a Chinese marketer that makes it difficult or impossible to get support or a refund.

 

IMHO the best and correct way to test your battery is to apply an electrical load and watch the voltage change.
I have been using a Chicago Electric Battery Tester (P-6317 Harbor Freight) for over 20 years................incidentally, my 2007 XK battery is 10 years old and still tests good (Interstate, but made in CK!!!)
I originally bought the tester because between my boat(3), motor home(2) and cars (3) I had 8 batteries to monitor!

Hope this helps..............it's Chinese of course!!
Adrian

 

im guessing i can just use my volt meter. All my stuff is on maintainers, so my easy test is see how well it holds a charge after 2 days. If its goosed its starts falling off a cliff

 

Just got my full refund from the seller - ebay said they'd make them pay by the 5th!!!! Ha!!!

So far they've lost the dispute, and ive been able to put up a negative review on Amazon. Was it worth it for them? Low lifes.

in the UK you can get a full refund just because you dont like something, with electrical goods you are now protected for up to 12 months against faults
The problem with these Chinese sellers is they don't operate to your local laws, so when you discover it is a substandard product you've got a problem on your hands

 

I'm glad to hear you got the refund. Amazon is the true test of "caveat emptor."

 

Unintentional criticism.