Eo Mini Pro 2 smart features going in November

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616249#Comment_123616249

You'd assume that simply swapping the box on the wall would be a cheaper job than a full install.

joe1303l

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616424#Comment_123616424

Unless your install was within the last 12 months, I doubt you’ll get anywhere with ESB Networks. It’s really dependent on EO to come up with a solution here for affected customers.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616249#Comment_123616249

Beware myenergi / zappi had some financial issues too. I do not think they are going anywhere. Also if you have solar it makes more financial sense (in ROI) to charge car at cheap night rate then to charge car on free solar as you get paid more to export solar to the grid at present. That will probably change in a few years like UK.

https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/profits-plummet-at-myenergi-amid-redundancies/

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616449#Comment_123616449

You are probably correct, but no harm in asking.

EO have a newer model , the Mini 3. They should be offering a trade-in or discount for Mini 2 owners.

There's also the question of "right to repair" laws etc. They have obligations to parts and arguably functionality for quite some time under EU law.

Pistachio

I contacted Fokern who installed my charger in Jan 2024 so well within warranty, response below:

We were only made aware of the situation on Monday evening ourselves through a customer. EO did not notify any of the approved installers or suppliers. Since then, we’ve contacted both EO directly and our supplier to find a resolution to this for all customers within warranty. As soon as we have further information, I will contact you and update you on the situation.

I'll post here if I have any success getting anywhere with it.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123615705#Comment_123615705

Fair enough

This all screams of when Meta/Facebook decided to kill off their portal devices and just stop them working. It really turns people off a brand and I think EO could be in a lot of trouble in time to come as brand loyalty will fade.

At the very least they should be releasing the API so the community can work something

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616587#Comment_123616587

id agree on the api, make it all open source or whatever it needs.

secondrowgal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123616584#Comment_123616584

Thanks for that. They were our installers also so I might contact them as well. We bought ours as part of an offer with Flogas in Nov 2023 so we're still well within warranty. We could have gone with another type so I'm well annoyed about this.

fido_dido

Did Fokearn come back with the details? I tried speaking to EO support but, they were not helpful at all.

joey100

Got this email too, mine seems to be an EO Pro mini, not sure if it's just an error and it is infact the 2, but do people know if there's a diff and if I'm looking at the same issues? Thanks,

Quin_Dub

I sent them an email asking them to clarify the situation and the functionality of the unit post November.

This is the response I got ( 4 days later)

Thank you for contacting EO Technical support. Yes the EO Mini Pro 2 will reach end of life in November as advised in the memo that was send out. A decision was made to end Mini Pro 2 due to the new regulations that are not met by EO Mini Pro 2 chargers.

Your charger will still work as plug and play but you wont be able to use the smart services of the charger. If you are using scheduling to charge your car off peak, a work around will be set a charging schedule on your car instead. This will allow you to still charge your car late at night. Alternative you may have to upgrade to the new charger EO mini Pro 3.

There is no compensation, replacements or discounts. If your charger has a valid warranty even after November 2025, your charger will still become a plug and play charger with out the capabilities of connecting to the app. As per the warranty terms, your charger will be still under warranty and will continue to receive support for any hardware issues. 

Not a good response at all to be honest.

Why would I want to buy their newer version when they could pull the same trick again in future???

DaveyDave

No goodwill or discount towards their new model is ridiculous considering they're just glorified plug sockets and since one has already been installed you can just have any other thrown in it's place, surely it would be their interest to keep customers.

Whatever about their terms and conditions, I would have thought they'd be in hot water by cutting off Irish customers over irrelevant UK regs.

Grumpypants

Has anyone reached out to consumer rights see if companies can just set an end of life date for a product that was sold with ongoing "life"

Chat GPT seems think think

1. Durability and Fitness for Purpose

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 (transposing EU Directive 2019/771):

A product must remain fit for purpose and function as described for a reasonable lifespan (typically 5+ years for EV chargers).

Disabling smart features that were advertised and formed part of the product offering could be seen as a breach of contract.

2. Software Functionality Is Covered

Irish and EU law does cover digital elements of physical products (e.g. smart apps). So removing app support may breach your right to:

Updates to maintain conformity

A remedy if the product no longer meets advertised functionality

slave1

I mean you buy something because it does something, then it deliberately does not do that something, so it's not fit for purpose.

There will be A LOT of Small Claims Court filings on this one against the like of Fokearn, they can in turn take it up against EO.

Remember, your contract is with installer and not the manufacturer

Grumpypants

My installer is gone now too. I remember trying to get in touch to ask a question and there is no sign of them.

...Ghost...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123641592#Comment_123641592

They might be operating under a new name and contact details. If you can find them, you should go through them. Otherwise contact the CCPC for steps forward. It may well be that you can deal with the manufacturer directly.

I wouldn't let them off without a fight.

thespecialon

Just an update for anyone interested. I contact Fokearn as they installed mine, i have it in since April 2024. I wont post the whole email but i got some hope from the part ' Please rest assured we'll have a resolution in the coming weeks'

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123643914#Comment_123643914

I'd look for more details on that "resolution" as that sounds very much like a "say something so they will leave us alone" reply

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123644066#Comment_123644066

I’d say someone like Monta or Sync could develop a API that integrates the chargers into their system.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123644093#Comment_123644093

It shouldn't be very hard assuming the access info is made available - The underlying unit is a Raspberry Pi device , someone could create an app to talk to the device.

I'd happily pay for an app to keep the smart functionality

Summer2020

had an EO mini pro 2 installed in early 2022, issue with it that couldn’t be resolved so they replaced it with a mini 3 last year thankfully. I’ve no doubt they’ll pull the same stunt with the 3 at some stage also. Great way to kill off a company if that’s what their plan is

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123645140#Comment_123645140

Indeed - Upgrading to a Mini3 was the option they suggested to me (with no discount or credit for the older unit they are bricking) , Why would I give them more money when they could pull the same trick in the future?

Buffman

If your installer supplied the EO as part of the install then your contract is with them so sounds like a lot of installers are going to be taking a hit if people choose to enforce their consumer rights.

EO pulling the plug on all smart functions like this makes the charger not fit for its original purpose from that date IMO and well worth the €25 for the SCC if it goes that far. You're entitled to full cost if less than a year old and then it decreases by 1/6 per year until 6 years old.

You should know your rights and if they cover your issue. You can do this by looking at the legal obligations of a business. The Consumer Rights Act 2022 requires that a business supplies a product that:

is fit for the purpose it is normally used for

works for a reasonable time with normal use

can be used for the purpose the business knew you bought it for

matches what is outlined in your contract

matches any descriptions or samples you saw

is installed correctly by the business – when it applies

https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/shopping/faulty-goods/

mun1

my mini pro 2 was installed by electric ireland in june 2021. I have written to them stating the device they installed will no longer work as specified at purchase at the end of November 2025, just over 4 years after installation.

I am seeking a suitable replacement unit FOC.

Will update when i receive response

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123645155#Comment_123645155

It should be a free mini 3 they offer you one would think

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123648179#Comment_123648179

My situation exactly - Mine was installed in May 2021 by Electric Ireland..

Very interested to hear their response.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123648179#Comment_123648179

they did mine too, interested to hear how you get on.

actually emailed them aswell may as well put some pressure on!

oinkely

Sounds like a lot of people will be adjusting to what it was like back in the early days of chargers - letting the car do the scheduling and hoping that it works for the morning! My dumb rolec is now looking a bit worse for wear, but still does exactly what it was bought for around 8 years ago. Supplying 32 amps to the car.

I looked at changing it to a smart one (which happened to be an EO cause they were one of the smaller devices available) when we got solar panels but decided to stick with the night rate charging on the rolec and let the panels dump any excess back to the grid. Currently that gets me about 6c a unit in my pocket. Double glad now i didn't change for the EO.

To be fair though - a dumb charger isn't all that bad.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123648179#Comment_123648179

4 years may be pushing it.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123648336#Comment_123648336

6 years per sale of goods and services act.