A customer brought in a laptop that almost started a fire because of a cheap power jack

This guy came into my shop in Austin with a smoking laptop, and when I opened it up, the whole DC power jack was melted and charred from a knockoff charger. He just shrugged and said 'it was only fifteen bucks online, figured it was the same thing'. How do you guys explain the real safety risks of using those parts without sounding like you're just upselling?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.cora25d ago

Ever think about what else could have caught fire besides the laptop? That cheap jack probably sent power all over the place... could have fried the whole board or worse, started something with the battery. It's not just about the part failing.

smith.nancy25d ago

Just a little extra heat for my coffee, right?

hayden_ramirez25d ago

Look at it like buying a cheap bike helmet that cracks on the first fall. The real cost isn't the part, it's everything it was supposed to protect. Murray.cora is right about the power going wild, but people forget that burnt plastic smell sticks to everything in the room for days. That toxic smoke from melting parts is awful to breathe in, and it gets in your curtains and clothes. Saving twenty bucks just isn't worth breathing that junk or risking a real fire.