New Backups Pro BX1500M wont charge battery

[BrandonAPK]

I recently bought this UPS new off amazon around a week ago. Everything seemed alright on the first install with the battery reporting 80% charge. The battery was installed correctly and recognized by the UPS. I then ignored the UPS assuming everything was working as intended till I looked down a few days later and noticed the UPS reported that the battery was drained despite me never losing power.

There were no errors on the LCD and windows reported the battery was plugged in but not charging. 
I then installed PowerChute Personal Edition to see if I could get more detailed information for troubleshooting. I ran a self-test and no errors were reported. The software claimed the battery was charging but the percentage was constantly dropping. There were no instances recorded of the device switching to battery power. I then tried out PowerChute Serial Shutdown to see if there was any more useful information I could extract. Everything seemed to report the same with the exception of the battery claiming to be discharged instead of charging. It also passed a self-test. I never saw the battery over 25% that day of testing and troubleshooting. I never surpassed 50% of the allotted wattage (averaging 260 Watts on idle and around 400Watts transcoding video or gaming).

After being unable to extract any concrete data to indicate the cause of the issue from the software, I decided to perform a hardware reset following these instructions:

1: Disconnect any attached load.

2: Unplug the UPS from the wall socket.

3: Disconnect the UPS' internal battery.

4: Push and hold the "On" button on the UPS for 5 seconds

5: Reconnect internal battery.

6: Plug UPS in to known good power source.

7: Turn UPS on.
I ran another scan in PowerChute Personal Edition (Serial Shutdown was not letting me login) and no errors were reported with the battery life sitting around 20%. I left it overnight and came back to see the battery life was reporting 0% in the software with no instances of the UPS switching over to battery power. The LCD on the UPS reports that the battery is drained but there are no issues.

One odd occurrence I should mention, is that after performing a self-test the battery percentage tends to report a slight increase in available power. For instance if I run the scan at 3% it will suddenly report 13% after the scan. Not sure if that has any relevance or if its just an odd quirk of the software. 

I assume this is an issue with the UPS and not the battery but I honestly have no idea. Amazon wont accept returns/replacements (assuming due to safety issues regarding the battery), so I think I may have to go through the RMA process here. Not sure if there is anything else I can do to troubleshoot before going through the process.

[Teken]

Based on your very detailed explanation and testing it does sound like the unit is defective.

You can certainly engage APC Technical Support to initiate a RMA. Once they run through their trouble shooting process with you.

As an aside, I’ve never heard an instance where Amazon would not accept a return on a defective product?!? Keeping in mind the entire unit must be returned and not just the internal battery. 

Depending upon who the vendor is it’s normally return and get a full refund and you have to purchase the same. Or return the item and they will ship out another replacement if available.

The only time there are variances on Amazon market place is if the seller and shipping is both third party. Even than it’s covered by Amazons A-Z protection policy.

Let us know what happens and the final outcome! 👍

[BrandonAPK]

Thanks for the response! Wanted to get a second opinion before going through the RMA process.

Not sure what is the deal with Amazon. I haven't had any issues requesting replacements or returns in the past. Maybe it has something to do with me deciding to finance on this particular purchase? The error message didn't elaborate on why the product was not viable for these services. and simply sent me in a endless loop of links.

I will probably request the RMA sometime next week. I will update with how the everything goes.

[BrandonAPK]

A few days after I last posted, I finally received an error from the PowerChute software. Still no details as to what was actually going on, but at least I had something tangible reporting an issue. The Self Test feature also refused to finish its scan. I am assuming this was due to the battery being completely drained.

I proceeded with trying to contact support within operating hours but the contact button remained inoperable.

I then paid off the UPS in Amazon to see if that was the issue blocking the replacement request but still no luck. A few days later I finally figured out how to get in contact with a human at amazon. They couldn't offer me a replacement on their end, but they were able to issue a refund. I did not have to send the defective unit back. Currently debating if I should get another one or try another model entirely. I know the odds of getting another bad unit is extremely low, but this whole process has left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. (Surprising still a way smoother experience than my ordeal with ASUS and their bad BIOS)

[Teken]

As a gentle reminder APC Technical Support is who you should engage. Once they have determined the battery / unit is defective they will send out a new battery or assist in the RMA process for a new unit. 👍

Let us know what the final outcome is regardless of the direction you take. 

[TobyN]

I am having the exact same problem with my brand new BX1500M from Amazon.  Needless to say it sure looks like a defective product to me and one that is very heavy and expensive to ship.  APC had better come through with good service since I have been a customer for 37 years and this is my first problem after buying over 10K worth of their products over the years.  I expect an immediate drop shop replacement and free shipping label for the defective unit.