Question New laptop came with drained battery, shows 5.8% wear level... return or keep?

[_dawn_chorus_]

Just got a new laptop at Costco and it came with a completely dead battery which is of course, not ideal. After charging to 100% a battery test shows a wear level of 3.7%. Same on the next charge, but now on the third charge shows a 5.8% wear level.

I've heard at some point there is a snowball effect and the battery gets much worse very fast. Should I accept this? Or go for a return? I am guessing there stock has been on the shelves for a while and they are likely all that way. One reviewer stated theirs also came with a dead battery.

EDIT: I am not seeing that review now mentioning the zero battery.. it must have been another model. Read tons in the past week...

 

[Lutfij]

Got a link to the laptop you purchased? An SKU to the laptop would also help us two fold. I'd return the laptop as, to me, it seems like it was a unit that was returned or perhaps it was a show floor model.

 

[_dawn_chorus_]

Got a link to the laptop you purchased? An SKU to the laptop would also help us two fold. I'd return the laptop as, to me, it seems like it was a unit that was returned or perhaps it was a show floor model.

https://www.costco.com/lg-gram-14"-...-display---windows-11.product.4000054686.html

Model# 14ZB90Q-G.AAC6U1

It was almost certainly brand new. All seals sealed and plastic on the laptop itself, no fingerprints or anything. I was able to find some threads on reddit of people having the same experience with some Dell laptops and Macbooks as well. Could it have just been on the shelf so long it drained to 0? I LOVE the laptop other than the worn battery, also got it for $799.99 on sale. Luckily Costco has a 90 day return policy for electronics.

 

[USAFRet]

Given that it is Costco, I'd give it a couple of weeks and see what happens with the battery.
If still crappy, then consider a return.

 

[_dawn_chorus_]

Given that it is Costco, I'd give it a couple of weeks and see what happens with the battery.
If still crappy, then consider a return.

This was kind of my thought. And just buy a battery replacement if it gets bad. I did a looping video at half brightness for 7.5 hours and still had 40% battery, then under a medium load with FL Studio running a complex project it got almost 4 hours.
That is literally DOUBLE what I was getting with both of those same tests with the Razer Blade 15 it is replacing, and the CPU is better to boot.

Is there a reputable place I can get replacement batteries? I am trying to contact LG currently about spare parts but I've been "awaiting a representative" for over an hour now.

 

[USAFRet]

Is there a reputable place I can get replacement batteries? I am trying to contact LG currently about spare parts but I've been "awaiting a representative" for over an hour now.

After a near disaster with both my Fuji camera and my quadrotor, I've become very very wary of non OEM batteries.

 

[Lutfij]

I don't quite see the point of owning a brand new laptop and then have to service it yourself to replace a faulty part. If it's brand new and covered under warranty or return policy, then that's what you take advantage of. Also, you didn't pay for a half broken laptop, correct? It's with this mindset that I don't advise users tamper with laptops or (prebuilt)systems when they're supposed to be functioning optimally out of the box.

 

[Rokinamerica]

I think what most are saying is, it is from Costco. They have one of the best return policies, so use it until your return window is about to close, and if not happy, return it and get a new one. Costco has, unless it changed fairly recently, great return policy.