[Rant] New UPS fail almost out of box

[NiHaoMike]

I don't know if this is just a corporate policy at my company or if it's an actual law but I've been told telecoms can't sell/give old batteries out anymore so might be hard to come by.

If they're anything like car batteries, even totally dead ones have a substantial scrap value and the supplier would ask for the old ones in order to waive the core charge.

[sibeen]

APC have been bought over by Schneider.

Correct!
And, that's the point where the famous APC UPS workhorses begun to pant and puff...

APC were a cheap option well before Schneider got anywhere near them. In the early to mid 90s they were the world's largest UPS company, but like many companies they got there through superior marketing and not superior engineering.

As to the early failure, for that style of UPS the factory would be working on something like 4% DoA (dead on arrival) figure and would be budgeting for a failure rate in that ball park. So no great surprise that you get a dud.

[BradC]

APC were a cheap option well before Schneider got anywhere near them. In the early to mid 90s they were the world's largest UPS company, but like many companies they got there through superior marketing and not superior engineering.

I always saw APC as the "Toyota Corolla" of UPS. Not fancy, not cheap. Kinda mid-field, but solidly engineered and long lasting. I've had plenty of experience with higher performing units (better density, power handling, features) but they haven't gone the distance. I know plenty of 20 year old APC units still doing the job.

I've got some beautiful Eaton and Liebert units here that are half the size with better specs, but at 10 years they're toast.

[A Hellene]

APC have been bought over by Schneider.

Correct!
And, that's the point where the famous APC UPS workhorses begun to pant and puff...

APC were a cheap option well before Schneider got anywhere near them. In the early to mid 90s they were the world's largest UPS company, but like many companies they got there through superior marketing and not superior engineering.

As to the early failure, for that style of UPS the factory would be working on something like 4% DoA (dead on arrival) figure and would be budgeting for a failure rate in that ball park. So no great surprise that you get a dud.

Though BradC has beaten me to it, these are my thoughts:

APC products were never were the Holly Grail (or whatever!) of the UPS units available in the market; they were afordable, yet reliable UPS machines; they were honest devices, delivering [more than] every single inch they promised to do. Yet, nowadays they seem not to be of this kind, any more...

Personally I am who I am ONLY because, in my share of the market, I have the name of the one who always delivers; I have alayws had a good reputation; a positive NAME in my share of the market. This is what APC has lost after their aquisition by Schneider Electric; this is what Tektronix lost after their aquisition by the Danaher Group; et cetera...

So, where does this marketing acquisition scheme of trashing any previously good products lead us?


-George

[Electro Detective]

So, where does this marketing acquisition scheme of trashing any previously good products lead us?

It may lead us to hanging on to older and semi-serviceable APC, TEK and Fluke gear, till they or we stop working.     

Smartass lazy speculating shareholders and commission grubbing brokers may need to look for an easy buck or REAL WORK elsewhere
otherwise go hungry waiting for struggling tech/EE/hobby battlers to spend dumb on new 'fail engineered' or half baked beta products..
usually dolled up with marketing based on expired 'reputation driven company' BS  to pull in suckers