I own a Toshiba A50 Satellite, it is great. Does everything I would ever need however it has one of those bad Sony laptop batteries.

I received an email on December 20, 2006 informing me that I could / should replace it and the procedure to do so.

Contact Toshiba today and they informed me that the program is now CLOSED as of December 30. 2006. That it is my fault for not responding immediately.

Is this standard policy? 10 days to respond with Christmas in the middle?

What should I do now? Suggestions will be appreciated.

Buy one.

www.duracelldirect.com

Where I got mine.

Actually not a bad idea.

Actually never crossed my mind. Since it was free between December 20 - 30, the idea that I have to purchase it kind of rubs me the wrong way but I guess ultimately I have to do it. Just seems unfair they only gave me 10 days with Christmas and weekends included to change it.

Additional question, what if you keep the battery in the computer. Other than not being able to keep it on my lap because of the heat and losing the ability to bear children. Is it bad for my computer? Can I use it until it breaksdown? Or do I have to replace it asap?

I have learned that rechargable batteries have a "memory"
It is called "Battery memory effect"
They get confused on where the drained point is...where the charge is zero.
So, you should run them to zero every once in awhile and recharge.

http://www.zbattery.com/memoryeffect.html

If the battery was recalled due to safety reasons, it doesn't seem correct that you only have a certain amount of time to respond. You might want to call again. The response they gave you just doesn't seem correct for a safety recall.

I suppose it's possible that the rules are different since you live in Taiwan, but it still doesn't seem right to me. Did the email you received on the 20th list a deadline for responding?

Modern computers use Lithium ION batteries, and they don't really have a memory effect like older NiMH batteries did. From the article cited:

However, batteries are rated for a certain number of charge/discharge cycles. Eventually, it won't hold a charge for very long, and that's when it needs to be replaced.

-David

No it did not. This is the whole letter I received on December 20, 2006.

Dear Valued Toshiba Customer,
Customer Service is paramount at Toshiba. We want to ensure our customers are satisfied with their notebooks. Our records show that you purchased a Toshiba notebook(s) that may contain an affected Sony battery pack. You may already be aware of an announcement made by Sony Corporation this fall about its battery pack replacement program.

Sony confirmed to Toshiba that the affected Sony battery packs used in certain Toshiba portable computers are not subject to the same problem that caused the recent recalls issued by Dell and Apple. The Toshiba system design and the protection system in those Toshiba portable computers are different than those of Dell and Apple. We have confirmed that the system design issue identified by Sony in the overheating incidents in Dell and Apple computers is not present in those Toshiba portable computers. After the announcement by Sony Corporation, and in order to ensure customer satisfaction, Toshiba is participating in Sony’s global battery pack replacement program and is offering Toshiba customers free replacement of certain battery packs identified by Sony. This offer extends only to replacement of the subject Sony battery packs, and does not include replacement of any Toshiba computer. The subject Sony battery packs will be replaced free of charge.

To obtain more details about this program, please visit our website at: http://209.167.114.38/support/ProductNotices/battery/

This is the whole letter in its entirety. After calling global support as required the answer was sorry you are too late. I am willing to courier / fedex my battery to an authorized dealer in Canada at my cost but according to the Toshiba call center - no go.

I escalated to a supervisor on the call center (in the Phillipines) but then they just hung up on me after a 10 minutes wait.

Nothing in what Toshiba sent you indicates any expiry date. Nothing on the web site that their email pointed to you indicates any expiry date. I would call back.

I searched my battery here ... and found it at almost half the price:

http://www.shopzilla.com/

I agree that you should call back and be persistent. Safety recalls don't have expiration dates. Otherwise, what's the point? They seem to be watering down the issue in your letter, but if your battery was recalled by Sony, then you should be covered.

If you can't get satisfaction with Toshiba, my next stop would be the Canada consumer protection agency.

-David

Well called Global Support again. Gave them my case number and was told this program has expired.

Tried again fresh with no case number and after another 30 minutes they informed me to try another help line.

Tried new help line and was told not their problem. Call another help line.

Called that help line and was told maybe it is still ok. Will check and get back to me within a week.

Does anyone think I will be purchasing another Toshiba laptop again?

Ask them for the contact info for the legal office that you should contact if the battery explodes.

Either that or send them a letter, cc'd to you country's consumer protection/safety agency asking if your battery is safe because of some magical missed deadline.

Toshiba help center was no help however an authorized Toshiba Dealer in Vancouver was great. It took two months but they replaced the battery free of charge.

It took minutes and they suggested I contact them first before contacting the Toshiba help desk which they felt are pretty useless.

Glad Toshiba has people on ground level that knows what they are doing.

Not necessarily.

It depends on the battery type. Some can actually be damaged by being drained to zero under load.

The best advice is follow the manufacturer's directions for that specific battery.