Should the state decide which merchants we can trust or is this a thing we should do ourselves?
June 11, 2018
I take here as an example a recent discussion I had. Someone said under a newspaper article which was posted to Reddit about this very topic that: “It can't be, that we have here cellphone storage batteries which come uncontrolled from China and explode, the EU has to control them.”.
My first argument was of course that this very rarely happens and that’s his decision if he buys some random battery from Shanghai the risk is extraordinarily higher than if he chooses, for example, to buy it (theoretically) at Amazon Basics, I can only recommend it and you have a trusted vendor here, at least I trust Amazon so far, that's what I've decided for myself, no one is forcing anyone to trust them on this and I also wonderhow the EU will control any battery/other “random” stuff if it can't even control weapons or drugs. I am even glad they can’t. Surely there are already lists or statistics about big manufacturers on the desks of the ridiculous EU-bureaucracy.
With the Samsung Note 7, you would have the perfect example that even that doesn’t work, because they are indeed on the green side of the meadow. That means that taxpayers' money would be spent on things that the consumer himself MUST be able to do, because the state CAN’T or sometimes no one, there is no 100% security. The EU has much, much bigger problems and as I said, everything that comes in through China through 3rd party suppliers has no chance to be controlled altogether.
Now I can go to the Apple Store and pay a lot of money, or I get a 20€ battery at eBay, what did I do? Just the opposite of what I told you. I got a new battery from eBay. The advertising that it’s allegedly an original Apple battery is of course nonsense, even if the Apple and CE logo are on it. It's a risk I'm willing to take to save 30 euros, okay.
I only have relatively little money, as it’s normal for students and that they explode is a rare occasion. If someone is now suggesting something to tweak the regulation and explain a possibility that is acceptable at first and at the same time does not take away every others freedom to decide to buy “crap”, then this someone should please tell me how he thinks to realize that. I see this as totally impossible as long as AK-47 are relatively easy to buy since the Kosovo war (or like were always available no matter if banned or not), even if the ammunition is one expensive thing and I would never buy it on the black market because I would have anxiety for a house search, or to meet a dealer who doesn't care about his or his customers security. I have (unfortunately?) experience on the black market and so I see that I a) don't need AK and b) could lose money but c) It's not that hard to get one. The same with drugs you probably have to try multiple dealers to find a good one. Most of the time (at least for weed) you land at some point at someone who you learn to know and is self-growing in his flat. He will be busted for sure, but maybe this relationship can last years.
But this isn’t the topic here. As I said, if they (EU) can't control weapons and drugs, batteries and chargers are almost impossible to control. Find retailers you trust, there are product testing facilities which help you with it and countless other opportunities to be absolutely on the safe side. For maximum safety you better go to the original manufacturer (not the market you bought it) and give it to them for repair, Sony has even a service where they come to you and get the defect electronic device and you get it repaired or sometimes even new back if you still have the warranty.
Yes, many people import dangerous electronics intentionally, it is not forbidden to order a battery at a Chinese seller in Shanghai. But it’s your decision to take the risk. For example Apple is far too afraid of bad PR if you let repair your phone in the Apple store and it explodes. As you have seen with the Samsung Note 7, the press eats these companies alive if mistakes like this happen and this affects their stocks and they have fallen hard after just one single Note 7 incident, probably most devices were completely okay, but they have immediately given the customers who wanted all the money back or offered replacement phone. But not because they're angels, but because the media would have beaten them up even more if they wouldn’t have done that. Now I have babbled around for a long time, but the manufacturers and dealers are not all the devils.
Some are the bad sheep but these sheep get relatively fast filtered out off the market because their service is shit. The people spread the word and warn of these malicious vendors, as many statistics prove much more likely to leave a negative rating if they had a negative experience than a positive. So to end this, it’s not only not possible to control every garbage which is imported in the EU, it’s also pointless, hinders people in their buying decisions and would cost trillions for something which will have absolutely zero effect. The war against cellphone batteries has to stop before it begins.
Author: polytox_
Feel free to comment on this article and give me feedback, I appreciate it! Will upvate every serious critizism.
Note: The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Reddit Foundation for Individual and Economic Freedom #RFEIF and doesn't reflect at all the position of #OneLoveDTube, as we are a community with many different opinions.
