leaking duracell batteries

 Hi,  when i recently took two duracell batteries out of a stopped digital
clock, i found they had leeched a pale blue coloured gunge over everything.
they are dated march 2004.   can i complain to duracell and are they likely
to re-imburse me for damage to the clock?  in other words is there anything
that i could have been expected to do to prevent this happening?    thanks

 
JWH wrote:

No, they would never pay damages. The package expressly states that
fact. The extent of their liability is the replacement of the product.
Your batteries were outdated anyway. You could have expected them to
leak. That's what old batteries do. I have never seen any product that
could not be cleaned up from the leakage. As a courtesy, that may
replace the cells for you.
You can prevent this from happening by keeping current on your
batteries. I have batteries now dated 2010. They will be used this
year. Take the old batteries out of things if you are not using them.
If you prefer to run things until the last electron has escaped, then
have a rag and cleaning solutions ready when you open the battery
compartment door.

 wrote:


Not if 2004 is the date of manufacture.
Batteries have a shelf life of several years, then they can still be
used.
And Duracell batteries last much longer, don't they?

 milou (puce@zig.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying :


It isn't. It's the Use By date. New ones now are somewhere around 2012,
IIRC.

 

No it isn't !

If you read the package you'll see it's the 'Best before' date.


 New ones now are somewhere around 2012,

Joe Lee