Buyer wants refund saying battery life is less than manufacturer's claim

[vicdealz]

Good day,

I have sold a brand new electronic item on eBay Australia where the manufacturer (Motorola) says the battery life is "up to 3.5hrs" and I wrote the same on the description of the item. The same is written on the box of the item.

Now the buyer claims the battery lasts for 1.5hrs only and wants the full refund or would lodge a complaint to eBay/Paypal.

Considering the manufacturer's statement of "up to 3.5hrs" does it mean the battery should work for 3.5hrs and if not then it is faulty?

My understanding is that "up to 3.5hrs" does not mean "minimum 3.5hrs" or "at least 3.5hrs".

As per eBay / Paypal am I supposed to give a full refund to the buyer? 

My item was marked as "free shipment" and I myself absorbed the shipping cost. If I give a refund, can I ask for a shipment and handling fee?

Thanks

[i-once-was-bump]

May be you could email Motorola and ask them if there is a minimum battery life?

Does the battery life depend on the features being used?

Something as simple as having the volume on a very high setting can flatten the battery faster than if the volume is very low.

[leader-of-the-band]

it takes a few cycles of charging/discharging a new battery for them to get anywhere near the manufacturer stated battery life.

What you are supposed to do for most of these types of things is plug them in for 16 hrs and then use them until fully discharged.  Then recharge and fully discharge again.  The manual should state this and recommend how many times it will take before batteries last for the stated duration.

If the item is new I would refer the buyer to the manual for more information.  Reassure them that they should follow the instructions in the manual and get back to you if the battery life does not increase.

[kopenhagen5]

Also you have answers in the answer centre on this.

[boomct]

I would agree with your understanding of the battery life, that is, 3.5 hours is the maximum time of battery life, so under that is also acceptable. 

But leader-of-the-band's advice is also good, I would follow this, and would hold off on a refund while the buyer tries it.  If they still want a refund, explain that they would have to pay postage.  Hopefully it won't come to that though!

[wishuponastarcelebrationsandgifts]

Up to 3.5 hours means a maximum of 3.5 hours. As has been stated the battery life will depend on the features being used, and the manner in which the itemis being charged.

Perhaps contact Motorola yourself to seek an explanation as to whether there are particular circumstances under which the battery life would last for only 1.5 hours. You also need to seek advice as to whether this would be deemed a manufacturing fault, and covered under their warranty. If Motorola deem that battery life of 1.5 hours is acceptable for their product, then I would suggest that the buyer speak to them directly about their concerns.

When buying items such as electronic devices it is the buyer's responsibility to make any enquiries as to whether the item would suit their needs, or to conduct their own product research prior to purchase. If they have a requirement that the battery life last for at least a certain number of hours they should confirm this prior to purchase. If the battery life were half an hour, then it would reasonable to deem the product faulty, but I don't agree that is necessarily the case for an hour and a half.

[patchoo78]

Is it a smart phone? If so, the apps on those can use a ridiculous amount of battery. I have to charge mine every day. Everything on a smart phone is an app from the camera to even using messaging... Also if you have background data enabled (which means that data is being sent back and forth in the background) that can also use a lot of battery... Even just having the internet and 3G networks enabled can drain battery life.

I agree that it is up to the buyer to research these things, it's the first thing I do when buying a phone