Merchandise: The only things this niche business sells are laptop batteries and AC adapters. Their battery selection covers the ten most popular brands (Acer, Apple, Asus, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, H-P, IBM, Sony, and Toshiba), and they stock adapters for the same brands. I needed a replacement battery for a Dell, since mine had a bad cell and died completely.
Payment: West Coast Power accepts payment using the big four cards (VISA, MC, Amex, Discover), check, or PayPal. Ordering uses the shopping cart model under https security encryption. The site is a Yahoo merchant, using their secure servers and privacy policy. I haven’t seen many vendors lately who still accept checks – I assume (but did not verify) that merchandise will ship after the check has cleared the bank.
Shipping: The site operates out of Vancouver, BC, and Seattle, WA; for non-duty shipping to both countries. Expedited and overseas shipping are available, for a fee. As of this writing , 2-day ground shipping is free for orders over $25 within either country – since everything they sell costs more than that, shipping is effectively free. My order was shipped the following day (I ordered on the web after business hours) and arrived at my home two days later via USPS Priority mail, in perfect condition. West Coast Power sent a confirmation e-mail plus a shipping notice with the tracking number.
Navigation: The site’s pretty simple: you either search by battery number or laptop model number. For my Inspiron battery, the number stamped on the old battery is RN873. Searching on the part number returned the 6- and 9-cell batteries; searching on the laptop model number returns batteries and adapter (and a couple of Compaq batteries). Their “drill-down” capability - choose laptop battery, click on brand name, etc.- is incomplete, so you’ll need to use a search box. I found my battery in just a couple of minutes, including cross-checking the model-number search results with the battery part number results.
Warranty: West Coast Power has a thirty-day satisfaction guarantee, though you’ll have to pay to ship unsatisfactory merchandise back. All merchandise has a one-year warranty.
Prices: The battery I ordered sold for about 40% of the cost of a direct order from Dell. I could have ordered the heavy-duty 9-cell battery instead, and still paid less than half of list. Price-wise, a clear winner.
Merchandise: According to West Coast Power, all batteries and adapters are made to OEM (original equipment manufacturer’s) specifications. That’s code for “Made in China.” The battery I received is the same size and shape as the one it replaces, fitting perfectly in its slot. The battery ships with instructions on calibrating the laptop’s battery meter; simply cycle the battery a couple of times. I’m not certain that the battery capacity is the same as my previous battery – the discharge seems to be much more rapid; less than two hours as compared to over three for the old battery even after a year of use. I probably should have gotten the heavy-duty version.
I was able to find a battery listed for my six-year-old Sony VAIO laptop as well, so they stock at least some older batteries.
Overall: A simple website where it’s easy to find a replacement battery, even for aging laptops. Prices and warranty are good, and shipping can’t be beat unless the company pays you for the privilege of shipping to you. Return policy and payment options are also standard or better, since they accept both checks and PayPal as well as credit cards. On the downside, the batteries sold at West Coast Power may have lower capacity than your OEM battery – one more example of getting what you pay for.
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