Why does the e solutions shop sell phones without basic charging cable?

/e/ Foundation & Community /e/ experience
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#1

Every new phone i`ve bought in the past came with a basic usb charging cable, however ALL the phones in the e.solutions shop do not come with a basic charging USB cable.

I had ordered a gigaset gs290 from the e.solutions shop for my father whos in his 70s, and was surprised that there was no usb charging cable in the box contents, of course it is my fault as i should have scrolled down to check the box contents from e.solutions.

The Gigaset GS290 official manual states clearly on page 9 that there is a usb charging cable included in the box contents so never thought to check that the esolutions shop did not include it.

gigaset page 9 of manual
(from the official Gigaset manual above)

I looked at the other brand of phones in the shop Samsung, fairphone etc of which also dont include a basic charging cable.

I realize there is an option to buy a USB charging cable if u go to accessories, but never thought to look there as to me accessories suggests add on extras.

it may not sound like a big deal but i didnt have a spare usb c cable of what i mean to say i dont own one at all, as the last two phones ive had all have the same connection so didnt really think about usb c type connection.

I really think in the terms of usuablity and being user friendlyness a usb charging cable should come as standard, or at the very least have a warning on the shop page in big letters to say that it not included. I would have happily bought one as an accessory if this was bought to my attention at the checkout before i pay.

I imagine the lack of cable is to keep the costs down from the manufacturer? but in this case when gifting a new phone to my 70+ year old father, this just makes sense to provide the basics ability to charge a new phone. I hope this is brought to the attention of the e.solutions shop in regards to usability and foresight.

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#2

I think it is a very good thing that they don’t give you all this stuff you may or may not need.
I have a ton of unusable cables and stuff I can throw away. What a waste!
Every Company has to do this. I want the EU to have rules about this.
If every Company will do this it will be cheaper and that’s good for all people and the environment.

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#3

The original set box of GS290 contains the complete contents described above.

Original USB2.0-C cable

gs290orignalcable

The original GS290 charger supplies 5V~3.0A or 9V~2.0A or 12V~1.5A = max. 18 watts.

To ensure full power and thus fast charging, it is necessary to have a USB2.0-C cable that matches the charger model SALOM C39280, not just any cable.
For example, a cable that is too thin cannot transport the maximum power.

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#4

Thank you, some useful information as i have yet to buy a charging cable and/or charger

#5

If the Gigaset G290 had just had a micro usb B, then i would not have minded, i have quiet a few of those cables. Micro usb B is very common i`m sure most people have many spares. My old lumia 920 takes micro usb B, my /e/OS phone the redmi note 3 also uses this, even my rechargeable LED lights for my bicycle all have this same connection.
The G290 uses a micro C cable. According to /e/ user “thendriks” he has a hoard of these cables but has not offered me one! also the 4 people that liked his post “spipau”, “Ceddev”,“awopbob” and “AnotherElk” non of them have offered to send me one from their huge stockpile of spare micro usb C cables!

Perhaps the e solutions shop are also parlty to blame from straying from phones that have established micro usb B connections in favor for these new type C connections. I wonder if /e/ user thendriks will write to the e.solutions shop about that, after all he strongly wants EU to change their policy.

The fact is that the majority of the people on this forum are techno nerds as most of them have flashed their own phones in order to put the /e/OS.
The e.solutions shop is aimed at people whom are unable to or dont have the knowhow to put the e/os themselves right?

The sad fact is when my father received his phone he could not use his phone from e.solution shop as he was unable to charge it, he was embarrased and thought he was the one that had lost the cable when there was no cable to lose he said nothing about it for days in fear that he would get shouted at!

The /e/ OS says it is aimed at the less technical users made to be friendly and useable, how friendly and usable is a phone if you cant charge it out of the box?

What thought is there for the less tech savvy single mother of three children whom wants to free her self from the google shackles, or the grandmother you have gifted an /e/ phone to whom lives across the otherside of the country, I`m all for saving the planet but feel this should be the very first sentence of the item description that no charger or charging cable is included; as for most casual users it is expected that everything they need to use and charge the phone is included in the box.

#6

Hello @freedapeoples

Thanks for raising this point.
The goal with not shipping accessories with the phones is to limit electronic waste and the price you pay for the phone.
USB chargers have been around for so long that it is likely people have one from an older device. And if they don’t, they can buy the one they prefer: normal charge, fast charge, blue, black, yellow or from the brand they like.
For USB cables, it is often the same. I agree that with USB-C, it might not be ubiquitous but still, I start to have a few spares lying around personally. And there also, you might not want to have a white cable and prefer another design or material.
When we include those accessories by default, everyone pays for them even if they are not desired.

We have specifically added a detailed in the box section on the product page that has been there since we started to sell this product. See the example below from the /e/-GS290 page.

photo_2021-02-24 05.43.11

We plan to also make it more visible in the checkout by reminding people that we ship without accessories

I hope your father will still enjoy his phone.
Best regards.

Alexis

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#7

Hi thxs for the reply i do realize that i didnt look too carefully at the box contents, i like to look at the manuals of stuff before i buy i read in the offical gigaset Gs290 manual that the cable came with it, i think i skipped over the lack of charging cable on the e.solutions shop, as even tho i have been a PC user for 23 years and have built my own PC i still dont know the differences of the various USB cable types connectors, i presumed that the USB micro B would fit it just because it seems standard in most devices i thought the B was a C, i only found out today that it was called micro usb B, i think it would be very useful on the phones sales pages to have pictures explaining the differences of the type of USB cables for those whom may not know the differences, i know it sounds dumb, i probably am laughable to the clever people on this forum that are tech savvy, but think it would wholly be beneficial to the propective casual buyer to be aware of the different USB types and differences.

Imsure its a great phone but it`s been in the box since it arrived untill i get the correct charger cable:)

#8

The charger and the corresponding USB charging/data cable are often neglected by the manufacturers. On the one hand, the device manufacturers brag about the technical possibilities of Super Fast Charging and wireless charging, on the other hand, the device manufacturers often only include undersized chargers in the smartphone package. Samsung does it, as do Xiaomi, Google and others.

Gigaset did not include just any charger with the original GS290 set, but an 18-watt wired fast charger (Pump Express+) and USB-C cable that recharges the 4,700 mAh battery in less than two hours.

18W Pump Express+

gs290charger18w

“Pump Express” in the PE+ version is Mediatek’s fast charging technology. I’ve an original - see photo.

#9

Wow, looks like a neat charger, that is very forward thinking of GIgaset to have included it with their retail release; and with the cable thickness that you explained in previous post it makes sense to have that beefy cable. I really think in special cases like this phone with the awesome charger and cable, that the casual buyer would appreciate had this been included with the /e/solutions shop purchase. Perhaps the /e/solutions shop should offer this as a seperate bundle i.e phone and the offical Pump Express for the extra cost. I do understand what others said about electronic waste but in some certain circumstances the better tech is always going to replace the older tech.
I picked up a a usb c cable today out of neccesity from my supermarket ( as its the only places still open in these lockdown times) just needed something for the time being. haha and then i probably have/will contribute to more electronic waste when i upgrade to the pump express in the future:)

#10

Buying a Fairphone, I also had the obstacle that they changed again the connector. I solved it by buying a set of adapters as all other devices I use have micro-USB and I bought some high-quality cables recently.

Concerning more powerful chargers, I got the feeling that they are not that necessary when using /e/ OS: The battery lasts several days, so immediate and fast recharge is almost never necessary.

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#11

Of course they are necessary when the accu requires this. It depends on the accu, not on the use.

I could charge my old Blackberry using an A4-(about Letter)-sized solar panel on my balcony. This was just for fun except a few situations during my multi-day mountain tours. - I can’t charge my FP3 like this, the solar panel can’t keep voltage and current as required, or in other words: it’s not powerful enough.

#12

@irrlicht: I have checked FP3 specfications to be able to decide, if a new charger is necessary from the beginning. FP3 requires minimum 1 Ampere. As I had chargers with at least 1A, it works.
If the FP3 is plugged in a computer’s USB A port, it reduces to 0,5 A and tells “wird langsam geladen” like it is supposed to do according to the USB standard.
Curiously as engineers are, I tested charging at a lab power supply with “unlimited” current: If it has the chance, it draws up to 1,4A at 5V whnen DP and DN are shorted.

-> it’s all about implementation. The accu is always thankful not be be hyper-fast-charged, especially if you can’t just replace it.

#13

I’m not an engineer, so the question is for real engineers:

USB 3.0 transports data up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 and power up to 80 percent more. But old USB 2.0 hardware still dominates. And the new standard has been around for seven years. Why is that?

Released 2020: FP3 | USB Type-C 2.0 up to 500 mAh.
Released 2014: S5 klte | microUSB 3.0 up to 900 mAh

#14

Because the form factor of the connector is not necessary related to it’s data or power delivery capabilities.
And it goes the same way as for data : USB 3.0 does not automatically implies high power capabilities.

On my PC I have a USB 3.2 type C connector, it wont perform high power (PD or QC), neither video.
I’ve read that I could install an additional module to get high power capacities.
On the same PC, PD is theoretically available from a classic type A connector, USB 3.0.
And QC is (also theoretically) available from another type A, USB 3.1 …

I think it’s all related to costs, as usual : type A are cheaper, and components needed for PD or QC are expensive (ask Texas Instruments).

It’s a strange world, where everyone has to make their way through the jungle :crazy_face:

So I use a Xiaomi “fast charger” to charge my Xiaomis, I’m sure it will just work fine :wink:

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#15

For me, the USB-C port has the advantage that the plug is the same on both sides and thus cannot be inserted incorrectly and the USB socket is less likely to be damaged.

I register a striking time difference in favor of USB 3.0 when charging the old Galaxy S5 with a standard microUSB 2.0 cable on the PC with USB 2.0 port and with the proprietary Samsung microUSB 3.0 cable with the blue USB-A type plug on the PC with USB 3.0 input.

@smu44, equally noticeable is the time difference with USB 2.0 on my Xiaomi when charging with the standard XIAOMI Power Adapter 5V~ 2A = 10W or a true XIAOMI fast charger with QuickCharge 3.0 support with output voltages 5V-2.5A or 9V-2A or 12V-1.5A = max 18 watts.

The device industry plays a nasty game with consumers. Often it is only about a few cents …

#16

This video shows how accurate this usual “we to it for environment” claim is.

Best option obviously would be able to select if you want charger / cable or not.

#17

That video came up elsewhere and I tried to look at it, really, but after 3min I had to stop, because his opinions during that time are utterly stupid.

#18

Well I would say video was purposely over reacted way to response the issue. Kind of shows the worst case scenario… Still he had some valid points. And it was totally worth to look at the end.

  1. It’s true many times you do sell your old phone with charger. In that case you have to buy separately packed and transferred product.
  2. Now batteries are getting bigger, new quick charge methods are being developed and many times you can’t charger at the speed you could with old charger, In that case some might end up buing separate new charger in addition to existing one.
  3. At the end he offers alternative solution, include newer GaN Charger, which is smaller and fits to those newer packages which doesn’t include charger (and are smaller). GaN charger is more energy efficient, doesn’t reduce so much heat etc. Those are also more future proof.

So I don’t see that “utterly stupid” at all. I still think best option is to let customer choose, sure if charger is needed it would be great that one of those GaN chargers would be inserter in the box, same with every manufacturers. This would leave room for selecting no charger. Heck, that could or should be even default.

#19

The things I found rather stupid

  • people lose their chargers anyway, so we need to give them a “free” one
    • so yeah, because some people act stupid, everybody needs to pay for stuff they don’t need
  • who forces anybody to sell their old phone including the cable if the person who buys it already has one, too?
  • cables break
    • so what, buy a new one if that happens (probably spend slightly more to get one that’s more durable than the cheap ones bundled with phones)
    • I’m still charging 5 devices with an 8 year old charger/cable

Up until the point where I stopped all his arguments sounded to me like “because some people might have a need, everybody has to pay for them (their stupidity/carelessness/irresponsibility)”
He claims to know the truth for everybody while the facts right before my own eyes say otherwise.

I’m quite shocked that people fall for it.

But as you said, there seem to be a few good points towards the end - which I didn’t care to watch - like was pointed out the first time I saw it posted. One example IIRC was that Apple still packs a cable but it is not compatible with the old charger. That indeed is a good point.

Edit: I was honestly expecting the guy to say at some point “Hey folks, just because someone made a professional-looking video and made claims with a firm voice you believed what I said before? These were things someone wanting you to believe a charger and cable are necessary in every box would say. Don’t fall for it and here is why: …[insert my points from above]”.

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#20

Yeah, especially in the /e/shop. /e/ can undoubtedly afford the minimally increased administrative effort, because they will have an easy-to-manage manageable sales day.