‎Warning - Hope this doesn't happen to you - SimpliSafe put WRONG batteries in Base Station! | SimpliSafe Help Center
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jausdemore

4 Messages

Thursday, February 9th, 2023 7:13 PM

Warning - Hope this doesn't happen to you - SimpliSafe put WRONG batteries in Base Station!

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​I learned this week that a base station that SimpliSafe sent me over a year ago contained regular Yellow Amazon double AA batteries.  I only found out because we were getting an error message that the batteries in the base station were not charging.  I didn't know the base station even had batteries.​

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​When I called a service representative, he had me remove the power cord and remove the screw to get at the batteries. I then discovered they were NOT rechargeable NiMH batteries, but just regular old double AAs. When I read on this board that those can damage the base station or even cause a fire I became very upset. I bought these devices from SimpliSafe to improve the security of my family. Instead, due to SimpliSafe's negligence, I put them at greater risk.​

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​The CSR told me they are sending out the correct batteries and my base station has not been damaged.  I hope that is the case, but at this point I have a serious problem trusting SimpliSafe due to their prior negligence.  I think they should have replaced the base station with a new one, but apparently their priority is COST over SECURITY.  I may have to go with a different security company.  It's really too bad because I bought the system based on all the positive reviews.  ​

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​I hope SimpliSafe Management takes my concerns to heart. I would not want their actions to put other customers at risk!​

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Question

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Updated 

17 days ago

172

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emily_s

Community Admin

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320 Messages

2 months ago

Hi @jausdemore, 

I'm sorry to hear this! I've forwarded your case to our Support team; a Senior Specialist will reach out to you soon to discuss this further. 

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jausdemore

4 Messages

@emily_s​ Thank you!

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2 months ago

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jausdemore

4 Messages

Follow-up: I spoke with Matt Fransen in Customer Support and was initially impressed when he told me he would give me a free month of monitoring and Fedex the batteries out so I received them by Saturday. It is now almost Thursday and no batteries. I emailed Matt on two different days with NO response. So I broke down and ordered them from Amazon and am out of pocket $21. 

I can no longer go without the backup for my base station. It is my understanding that this puts me and my family at risk. So much for SimpliSafe's customer service. I am very disappointed but it seems that's the way things tend to go these days.  I very much doubt I will even see the FREE month of monitoring I was promised!

I wish the rest of you better luck with customer support. I have lost faith.

(edited)

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2 months ago

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knharris0006

1 Message

18 days ago

I was searching to see if anyone else was having this notification come up. We were also unaware of that the base station required rechargeable batteries. We've used SimpliSafe for at least 2.5 years, and I'm fairly certain we've been using standard AA batteries with no notification issues.

Is this a new notice because it's only come to their attention that the standard AA batteries might cause a fire?

I've ordered NIMH batteries myself to be safe, but I'm more concerned that instead of sending an email notice regarding the battery issue, they thought a notice from the base station was more effective.

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davey_d

Community Admin

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4.3K Messages

@knharris0006​ the batteries that come with your Base Station should already be rechargeable NiMH, and under normal circumstances, you shouldn't actually have to replace them at all. That's why they're not as easy to get to, and the battery compartment is locked in with a screw.

However, we do list the correct type of batteries to use in the Owner's Guide that comes with your system.

As part of firmware update 2.10, we added important features for better compliance with the UL985 Standard. One of those features is that the system now checks for potential issues with the battery circuit. And it just so happens that if the wrong battery type is installed, it can detect that too.

If you have discovered that you have alkaline batteries instead of NiMH, it's very important that you remove them from your system and replace with the correct batteries ASAP! The system can run without the batteries in the meantime, and our Support team can send you a new set free of charge. You can reach them through this page.

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17 days ago

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