[WARNING] PSA: Lenovo USB-C Port Failures – A Serious Ongoing Issue

[GTP]

Indeed, because it's well known that manufacturers in China and India and Mexico very often brand exactly the same items coming of exactly the same production lines with different names from major brands to house brands (e.g. Duralast, SuperTech, etc.) to their own branding.

No one sets up separate lines for each and every brand their factory produces. It's way, way cheaper to keep producing what you produced for Bosch, or Lenovo, or whatever, as you've met their specs, and package it as something else. There are no laws against that unless there is proprietary technology involved, and in the majority of cases there's just not.

I've purchased a lot of Chinese "no name" automotive service items, as but one example, that were every bit as good as a number of the house and name brands for the same items. This was no surprise, as they probably rolled off the same lines and were put in a different brand box with a different label, but were, in fact, the same item.

There are very few actual manufacturers, around the globe, when compared to the number of brand names that use them to make what they sell under well-known and long-lived brand names. A number of these brands haven't made these products thing their own factories in years.

If one does a little digging into the various brands of Chinese PSU's, as an example, you'll find that that $430 Corsair PSU is also made by the same company that made the $25 Penguin PSU.

Over my 22 years in business I have personally, probably built over 200 desktop computers. I would have replaced maybe 100 PSU's in client PC's doing repair work on systems I didn't build.

I cannot remember ever having to replace a PSU in a system I personally built.

These PSU's were from Penguin, WideTech, Harpo and many others I've forgotten the names of.

Most of these replacement PSU's were for desktop PC's in home/SoHo situations.
PSU's in Business PC's were replaced with generally more expensive ones but really - a Penguin PSU would have been perfectly functional.

 

[GTP]

they have to warranty it and if it burns someone's house down, they can be sued.

NEVER did any of these PSU's EVER catch fire nor did anyone EVER lose property or their lives because of a $25 PSU.

 

[britechguy]

I also have used lower cost PSUs for decades for many of my clients who had desktop towers where the OEM one had failed. I made sure that the necessary minimum specs (and usually a bit above that) were met, at least matching the OEM specs.

I've never had a single issue of any kind. PSU marketing hype is epic. These are not rocket science and the component parts are not particularly different between brands (all of 'em).

 

[sapphirescales]

So none of these regulatory bodies have any say in what the "Happy Valley Apple Blossom Sunshine Rainbow Co Ltd" of Shanghai China sell?

You're either incredibly naive or things work differently in Australia. As I understand it, Australia has very robust consumer protection laws. Here Chinese sellers on Amazon sell extremely dangerous low quality garbage. Louis Rossman has talked about this a lot.

These Chinese companies don't care about selling dangerous garbage. They will lie and use the UL and other safety labels on their products even though they've never been certified. People get hurt all the time by dangerous Chinese products but you have no recourse because it's a Chinese company and China DOES NOT CARE if people in other countries get hurt. The only way you have any protection is to buy from a company that's subject to US law because you sure as heck aren't going to get any justice in China courts unless you're a huge company.

 

[GTP]

You're either incredibly naive or things work differently in Australia. As I understand it, Australia has very robust consumer protection laws. Here Chinese sellers on Amazon sell extremely dangerous low quality garbage. Louis Rossman has talked about this a lot.

These Chinese companies don't care about selling dangerous garbage. They will lie and use the UL and other safety labels on their products even though they've never been certified. People get hurt all the time by dangerous Chinese products but you have no recourse because it's a Chinese company and China DOES NOT CARE if people in other countries get hurt. The only way you have any protection is to buy from a company that's subject to US law because you sure as heck aren't going to get any justice in China courts unless you're a huge company.

Naive? No. I live in the real world, not a fantasy world as you so eloquently state in your signature...

Without getting into the politics of this mess, there is a serious failing, by ALL of these regulatory bodies, or Amazon are circumventing the protection laws to buy direct.
Given the size and "sway" that Amazon would have, who knows?

And I wouldn't believe everything Louis Rossman says. He's in it for the likes, shares, comments and the "freebies he acquires from companies like Amazon..

And the more controversial the topic? Well....Look at that money rolling in...

 

[Sky-Knight]

The only way you have any protection is to buy from a company that's subject to US law because you sure as heck aren't going to get any justice in China courts unless you can afford to bribe the appropriate people.

There, I fixed that for you. =/

 

[fincoder]

You're either incredibly naive or things work differently in Australia.

No offence to @GTP but it's the former, we definitely have this problem in Australia. Because direct imports from China that are sold on eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Temu etc bypass any Australian regulations. Even Australian PC parts stores have (in the past at least) imported PSUs directly and sold them without compliance with Australian regulations. Many compliance stickers, if showing the Australian C-tick, were fake.

An example is the spate of battery fires from rechargeable scooters and bikes. Many of these are due to the PSU (charger unit) but also from badly made batteries. The media narrative now in Australia is that anything rechargeable can cause a fire, but the high number of fires involving those rechargeable scooters/bikes are direct imports that don't meet Australian regulations.

I don't believe there is any enforcement of regulations, but local manufacturers and distributors would be concerned about civil suits so they usually comply.

 

[britechguy]

we definitely have this problem in Australia. Because direct imports from China that are sold on eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Temu etc bypass any Australian regulations.

I would expect this to be the case anywhere and everywhere when regulations are bypassed. Everyone knows that this happens occasionally.

But my Chinese made all kinda things have, to a one, functioned just fine over the years I've acquired them.

That there are bad actors and counterfeiters is beyond question. Saying that the issue is somehow massive and widespread, at least in the USA, is completely inaccurate. When it happens, and it has happened, it makes big news because it's the exception, not the rule (or anything close to the rule). Is that any different in Australia?

 

[GTP]

No offence to @GTP

None taken.
But I still stand by my statement that "NEVER did any of these PSU's EVER catch fire nor did anyone EVER lose property or their lives because of a $25 PSU."

But my Chinese made all kinda things have, to a one, functioned just fine over the years I've acquired them.

Since my retirement I've purchased a lot of electronic devices from eBay. Fish tank air pumps, heaters, filter pumps, as well as a USB rechargeable air pump for bicycle/car tyres, a USB rechargeable air blower/vacuum for cleaning keyboards, a video doorbell (not connected to the internet), a 10 meter inspection camera for drains, tight spaces between walls etc, USB rechargeable LED mice, and many, many other "devices."
All are functioning as intended.

When it happens, and it has happened, it makes big news because it's the exception, not the rule (or anything close to the rule). Is that any different in Australia?

No, it isn't "any different."

In Australia, the Consumer Protection laws and regulations around product safety are indeed very strict. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) works alongside state-based bodies to ensure compliance with safety standards, particularly for children's toys. Toys are subject to the Australian and New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS), which set rigorous guidelines for their safety, covering things like choking hazards, materials used, and labeling.

Despite these efforts, the influx of cheaper imported goods—especially around Christmas—does sometimes lead to concerns about fake compliance labels or substandard products slipping through. Authorities have been more proactive in enforcing regulations and raising awareness about the risks of non-compliant goods.

While product safety breaches are not commonplace, when they do occur, they often get significant media attention due to the potential harm they can cause, especially to children. So, while the occurrence of these incidents is rare, the stringent regulations and consumer protection efforts in Australia aim to minimize their frequency and impact.

 

[fincoder]

it's the exception, not the rule (or anything close to the rule). Is that any different in Australia?

Yes, as I said many (if not almost all) purchases from eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Temu etc are grey imports. This can be good for legitimately branded products (e.g. genuine Dell laptop battery) as they're much cheaper than Dell-sanctioned local parts sellers. However, brands that don't have their own local presence (generic, unbranded) usually don't have local certification marks or they have fake ones.

It might be an Australian thing due to regulations not being enforced, proximity to Asia, and the same AC 220v plug as China.

I've even come across a brand of PC power supply that had a fake 80 Plus certification mark. At least that's easy to check because the 80 Plus organisation in the US has a list of all products that are certified. We don't have such transparency for Australian electronics certifications. This is one reason why, for many years, I've only use 80 Plus certified PSUs in repairs and builds.

 

[fincoder]

n Australia, the Consumer Protection laws and regulations around product safety are indeed very strict.

Australian Consumer Law only apply to goods purchased in Australia, and many online purchases are effectively just an Australian importing from oversees. Technically a local ebay seller that imports directly and sells locally is subject to Australian Consumer Law but that is obviously never enforced.

 

[britechguy]

Yes, as I said many (if not almost all) purchases from eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Temu etc are grey imports.

But that's not "the rule" I was referring to. I meant the in-practice rule of these products rarely being problematic in any way. When they are, it makes news.

The way I read your response, you're arguing against that, but I may be taking what you're saying not in the way you intend.

 

[samikhanandroid]

It is a very common issue with Type C ports; it is not just with Lenovo same thing with HP, Dell, or MacBooks, the main reason is the design and build of Type C ports and the weight of the chargers.