Florida man learns a tough lesson about aftermarket MacBook batteries
WFLA News Channel 8 reported on Tuesday about Gil Sanderford, a Tampa resident who saw his 2007 Apple MacBook laptop, catch spontaneously on fire. According to Sanderford, the aging laptop had its battery replaced recently, with one purchased at a Battery Plus location.
In the short span of 30 seconds from the time Sanderford turned the MacBook on from charging, a hissing sound warned him that something wasn’t quite right. Then smoke filled the air, and sparks began flying as the MacBook caught fire, while Sanderford attempted to take the laptop outside on the sidewalk, along with his family.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life” Sanderford said to reporters. After bringing the remains of the laptop to a local repair shop, he was told that the battery overheated and combusted. Tom Goldscheck, the owner of the repair shop, recommended never to: “...buy aftermarket batteries for them [MacBooks]. A lithium Ion battery can literally explode at any time. Yoiu are causing your computer or phone to be a ticking time bomb...”.
In a statement released by Battery Plus, the company did not immediately admit fault, but stated that “...“Batteries Plus Bulbs always puts the safety of its customers first and, as such, we take this matter very seriously. We are in direct contact with the customer; however, without having access to the home, the affected MacBook, the charger and the battery, we have no way to further assess or comment on the specifics of this incident...”.
Sanderford is indeed currently working with Battery Plus to replace his laptop, and possibly obtain reparation for the damage caused to his property.
Aftermarket batteries, though not as statistically dangerous as blatant back-of-a-truck knockoffs, are not Apple certified, and in the event of failure, as it happened in Sanderford’s case, Apple won’t be able to provide assistance, even for newer MacBook models. This is precisely why, when the time comes to replace a battery on a MacBook, it’s best to choose a genuine Apple MacBook battery.
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