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EE's Power Bar chargers aren't coming back
A little more than a year ago EE decided to give its customers free portable battery packs in the UK. The idea was solid enough -- everyone gets a "Power Bar" for free, and can swap them for a new, fully charged replacement in any EE store. Except, they were soon deemed a fire risk after one exploded while charging, leaving a medical student with a nasty burn. All of the Power Bars were eventually recalled and we were left wondering whether the scheme was gone for good. Turns out, it is.
EE recalls Power Bar chargers over fire risks
EE's free Power Bar portable chargers have been incredibly popular with customers, but recently a medical student was left with nasty burns after one exploded while charging. And it can't be coincidence that EE has just issued a recall request for all Power Bars sporting the model number E1-06. EE says it's "identified a very small number of incidents where Power Bars have overheated," isolated to this specific batch number, which Mobile News believes accounts for half a million units -- EE's subsequently told us less than half that number are actually in customers' hands, with the rest accounted for in its stores. The carrier warns these Power Bars "could pose a fire safety risk," advises that customers stop using them immediately, and asks they turn them in at their nearest EE store. Returned units will be replaced once EE has figured out what's going on with the bad batch. The network operator believes Power Bars with different model numbers are perfectly safe, but it's still putting a temporary stop to the swap-in-shop program while it recalls and restocks.
EE giving all customers portable chargers they can refuel in stores
Carriers are forever looking at new ways to incentivise customers -- whether it be with a subscription to this, or discounts on that, and so on -- but we can't recall any perk that's quite as practical as the one EE's introducing shortly. (Unless you're running an ancient Nokia, that is.) In the "coming weeks," EE's launching a scheme whereby any customer can walk into a store and pick up a free portable smartphone charger. The EE-branded "Power Bar" hosts a 2,600mAh battery, which'll be roughly enough for one full charge of your phone. What's more, if you find yourself carrying around a dead one, you can walk into any EE shop and switch it out for a fully charged replacement at no cost (you can refuel it yourself at home, of course). Best of all, there's a satisfying amount of small print attached to this offer.
