[Google Pixel XL Accessories] Nathan-K:
I just wrote up all three Verizon chargers. One is bad (QC2.0-only), one is "iffy" (QC3.0 + USB-PD), one is "mediocre" (USB-PD-only).

TYPECTOAQC2VPC - BAD, see my Plus page #38

https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/cFYgqRgQPNj

TYPECPDVPC - "Mediocre", see my Plus page #39

https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/dGJcy58yC7w

TYPECPDQC3VPC - "Iffy", see my Plus page #40

https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/iQyGzRtvb3j

Belkins are next. Then the AUKEY. Then the Tronsmarts.

---------- Post added 3rd December 2016 at 12:17 AM ---------- Previous post was 2nd December 2016 at 11:42 PM ----------

Are you a representative of Belkin? If so, I appreciate your outreach. I don't bite. Although my assessments are a bit forthright.

https://twitter.com/jdubilicious

Please be aware I have private channels open with Benson and some other Companies. So I'll put on my "public facing" glove and I thought what I'd do was, I'd pretend I was one of those deaf-mutes. Hopefully we can speak honestly and openly in a constructive manner for anyone reading this. If there's anything you'd prefer to discuss privately, or there is something you would prefer remain privileged, please ask Benson for my contact information or ping me on Hangouts via my Google Plus profile. ​

In regards to your company, I greatly appreciate the outreach. You are entering a potentially unknown space, and I want to make sure you know you are welcome and respected here.

I sort of got a black eye in the public sphere because of this. I placed my trust Belkin's engineers, and the Google Store's buying agents, and gave this charger my strongest recommendation on a sheet I curate of suggested equipment for the Google Pixel. I never tested it personally, it was solely based on trust. Numerous users have come forward and told me they scrounged the money and purchased this flagship charger based on that "web of trust". However now that it has been broken, myself and other users find ourselves questioning that decision. (Both trust in myself and my data, and Belkin.)

I am attempting to earn that trust back through my transparency and honest disclosure.

As a result of this lapse, I purchased every first-rate USB-C charger I can find (and some second rate ones too) at my own expense and am characterizing their behaviors on my Plus page. Please note I am an unpaid, unsponsored, marginally-employed individual doing this as a service to the community. I really don't appreciate that I am having to double check multi-billion-dollar corporations' products. As a Google Top Contributor volunteer for Nexus and Pixel devices, my goal has been to emulate Benson and be a community leader and "stem problems before they start". In addition to the end-troubleshooting I provide users on the Google Support Forums, I close the loop by investigating those bugs, doing hardware engineering, hitting the pavement and auditing and educating local retailers, then going all the way back to Google Engineers with the root cause/fix.

May I ask how Belkin plans to address this situation?

Your legal and PR teams are likely doing the morbid calculus of "recall vs insurance actuaries vs voluntary replacement". Google did the same when I informed them of the flaws in their Nexus 5X and 6P chargers. Their response to that situation was less than adequate. As a result my initial warnings came to pass and innocent third-party peripheral makers (such as Belkin) are taking the blame -- exactly as I predicted. Example of that below affecting Plugable (one of the "trying to be" good guys):

Instance #1: https://www.amazon.com/review/R1DNBWCGGNP9VZ

Instance #2: https://www.amazon.com/review/R1M2GRO0ITXFDT

I am Shopaholic. That is my handle on Amazon.

This is the mistaken critical feedback from just

one product

. There are even more "mistaken" complaints against other products. There were so many I just had to give up.

The Nexus charger engineering failure was so bad even

Plugable's engineers

didn't know the cause and I had to explain it to them.

The above citation proves for many users the Belkin 27W PD charger is going to cause "mystery failures" that will be mistakenly attributed to innocent devices like the Google Pixel phone itself (or any other USB-C devices or laptops). I can guarantee months from now, people will still be starting posts on the Google Product Forums asking "why does my Pixel battery die so quickly". And now I have to add another branch in my troubleshooting algorithm tree asking "do you use a Belkin charger". That looks bad for everyone.

If you need some time to contemplate this post or get the necessary approvals from PR to respond, that's fine. Even if they do not authorize a response, it's enough these points are brought to their attention. I just wanted to honestly and openly state my concerns as an outgoing member of the public. I'll return and put my "Independent Contractor" gloves back on until Belkin has some formal messaging prepared.​