resolvedRight, so: after consulting the wise ones of this forum re: hub dynamos etc. back in the spring I got myself all set up and then bought a USB-Werk on Amazon for the big cycle trip across Canada.
This worked perfectly for the the first 2.5 weeks of the trip - and I was very happy to not to have to skulk about looking for power outlets when I would much rather be eating all the donuts in Canada or sitting in the sun - but at this point it began to intermittently stop charging devices attached to it. I thought perhaps a connection was loose, or there was a problem with the contacts, and took it off the bike then reattached it. It worked again for a couple of days, then stopped working again. I took it off the bike & reattached it again. And did that again. And then yet again. Then, hurrah!, it began to work once more. Or so I thought.
Unfortunately its next trick was to comprehensively fry the battery in my new phone, leaving me without communication or detailed navigation somewhere near the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. Hoping this was a one-off event I then tried charging my rear light. Which it also fried. After this I applied some common sense and stopped using it. I eventually had to buy a crappy 2nd hand phone handset at the exortionate cost of $250 from the only open phone repair shop in Moose Jaw (which had exactly one 2nd hand handset to sell so at least the choice was simple...), and also ended up buying an alternative charger* thingy to use with my hub dynamo from t'internet, shipped ahead to a hotel in Winnipeg.
Pretty cheesed off, I stuck the USB-Werk in the bottom of a pannier, then shipped it home ahead of me. So, now I'm back, I emailed Busch & Müller to ask how I should go ahead returning it - at the very least for fixing/replacing, though preferably for a refund given I now have another gadget to do the same job. But they've just told me to contact Amazon. But I can't see any way to return an item that's past the 30 day window after purchase.
Help? Is there somewhere I'm missing on Amazon that will let me say "returning this in irritation because it stopped working while still new"? Or should I write a more strongly worded email to B&M? Anyone else know if this is a known issue (the frying-of-electronics) with the USB-Werk? (Instructions said it was fine to charge stuff directly through the USB adaptor. Frying took place at average speeds in dry conditions.)
*ended up with a tiny matchbox-sized Sinewave Revolution. I wish I'd gone with that in the first place - think I was put off by international shipping. But it has worked perfectly and the chap I emailed back & forth with re: shipping times etc. was super helpful.
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