Purchase & Sale I was issued a non-UL certified generator cord

[Torvald]

Jurisdiction

Ohio

I am receiving legal threats from Rent-2-Own over a generator I was leasing from them. When I would try using the 220v cord they issued to me, and a 220v appliance in my house, the generator's built-in fuse breaker would kick and cause the generator to high-rev. I had the same effect for each 220v fuse or appliance that would try to receive power from the generator. I personally brought the cord to the store, assuming it was defective, they then replaced it with a new cord of the same brand and model number. The replacement cord had the same effect. I notice the cords they had supplied me with were not the same brand as the Generac brand generator. I contacted Rent-2-Own to inquire about a receiving a Generac brand cord, they stated they do not supply that cord, and they suggested I purchase my own, so I did. After one month of use with the generator and its matching brand cord, operating within its daily limits and wattage, the generator met its ultimate failure; it went into high-rev it's final time and stalled. Upon visual inspection, there were fragments of engine block scattered about, and the connecting rod had shot from the engine, and the built-in fuse breaker had not kicked this time. I notified Rent-2-Own of this event; they blamed me for its failure, and they blatantly refused to replace the generator or remove it from my account, and kept it on my weekly bill alongside the refrigerator I was also leasing from them. This failure happened in October 2021. Fast-forward to yesterday, 02/10/2022. My account had fallen a month behind and they showed up to repossess my leased appliances. I let them take the fridge, and showed them the condition of the generator which is still in my garage, and they left the generator with me. Today, 02/11/2022, Rent-2-Own arrived at my house, threatening with legal action over the generator, still not taking it in it's condition. Previously, I had performed a search on Google, of the brand and model number of the 220v cord they supplied me with two times before, and encouraging I purchase my own, matching the generator's brand, Generac. My search results led to this site: UL Warns of Potentially Hazardous Generator Distribution Extension Cords My "general use cord set" model number is E257089, as shown in the photo below. What I am also noticing, there does not seem to be a full matching set of model numbers for this wire, as if the wire does not exist or was modeled together from spare part, not even on the manufacturer's site does its full parts set exist. Do I have a defending case, or should I go to the offensive side, about being reimbursed for my payments toward the Generac generator?

 

[army judge]

Do I have a defending case, or should I go to the offensive side, about being reimbursed for my payments toward the Generac generator?

Your research might be an effective defense at trial.

In fact, it could be used effectively to prevent a trial.

However, you can't accomplish this without the support and actions of an expert on Generac equipment, as well as electrical cords.

You might begin searching for such an expert in electrical engineering. You might find such an expert within the Generac corporate structure.

You might even require an attorney to assist you.

Bottom line, you've scratched the surface.

You now require a couple experts to prevail.

In the interim, I suggest you securely lock away the generator.

I suspect you might need to ensure your account is current with R2O.

A complete examination of the item will be crucial to extricate you from a massive amount of debt.

 

[Zigner]

Sounds to me like you overloaded the generator. The cord set is irrelevant.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

What does your rental agreement have to say about such things?

 

[Zigner]

Your research might be an effective defense at trial.

In fact, it could be used effectively to prevent a trial.

However, you can't accomplish this without the support and actions of an expert on Generac equipment, as well as electrical cords.

You might begin searching for such an expert in electrical engineering. You might find such an expert within the Generac corporate structure.

You might even require an attorney to assist you.

Bottom line, you've scratched the surface.

You now require a couple experts to prevail.

The OP wasn't using the store-provided cord at the time that the generator died. The OP had already purchased a Generac-branded cord to replace it. The problem the OP has is that he kept overloading the generator causing the circuit-breaker protection to kick in, as intended. Instead of reducing the load, the OP continued to operate the generator without remedying the problem.

 

[army judge]

The OP wasn't using the store-provided cord at the time that the generator died. The OP had already purchased a Generac-branded cord to replace it. The problem the OP has is that he kept overloading the generator causing the circuit-breaker protection to kick in, as intended. Instead of reducing the load, the OP continued to operate the generator without remedying the problem.

Perhaps you're correct.

Maybe the item was defective, I don't know?

Our OP is going to need to have the item evaluated by the appropriate, qualified engineer and mechanic to see why the item failed.

 

[Zigner]

Agreed - at this point, the rental shop will expect to get their generator back in good condition. He's going to need to refer to his agreement and may want to speak to legal counsel.

 

[Torvald]

Sounds to me like you overloaded the generator. The cord set is irrelevant.

The generator was 110v-220v, and 6500 watt. I could have the hot-water tank and the fridge running at the same time and still did not use more than 4500 watts. Even a table lamp would kick the breaker if the hot water tank had not already. The wiring is also up to code and passes RCD/GFCI testing. I have been using a replacement 6000 watt generator purchased used from Craigslist since October with my Generac cord, everything is great so far with it.

 

[Torvald]

The OP wasn't using the store-provided cord at the time that the generator died. The OP had already purchased a Generac-branded cord to replace it. The problem the OP has is that he kept overloading the generator causing the circuit-breaker protection to kick in, as intended. Instead of reducing the load, the OP continued to operate the generator without remedying the problem.

The cord they supplied me was overloading the the generator, seemingly. When I switched the chinese brand (Ningbo Xuanhua) they supplied me with to the name brand that is for the generator, (Generac), it ran great with no breaker kick, no 'bogging down', until a month later. After researching the Ningbo Xuanhua cord they supplied me, I discover it is not UL passed to be usable within the United States or Canada. I am suspecting the damage from the non-UL certified cord had already caused damage; possibly bent the connecting rod or some other mechanical wear, and when the generator tried to supply power of both 110v and 220v, the existing damage led to more, in my theory. Surely id need a mechanical expert to inspect and determine exactly what the initial cause was.

 

[Torvald]

What does your rental agreement have to say about such things?

I'm working on that. I don't expect it to say I should use a cord that doesn't pass a a global safety certification company (UL), even if the store issued it to be used. The UL site says the cord R2O issued me is a fire hazard. Link to UL alert is in original post.

 

[welkin]

The cord had absolutely nothing to do with the generator failure. I assume this is a portable generator?

In the US generators run at 3600 RPM to produce a current of 60 cycle per second. If your generator's main breaker kept tripping you were overloading the generator and you ended up with a run-a-way generator because something was not controlling the RPM of the unit. That is a generator problem and not your cord.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'm working on that. I don't expect it to say I should use a cord that doesn't pass a a global safety certification company (UL), even if the store issued it to be used. The UL site says the cord R2O issued me is a fire hazard. Link to UL alert is in original post.

What did the agreement have to say about damaged or broken items?