So I read from a sony letter on the net, they never intended sony batteries to be sold to the public and had discontinued the Vtc5 and 4 years ago. So, that being right from sony, is everyone who buys a sony battery, under the assumption they are buying new batteries?
here is the letter i read, copied and pasted from Redit =
Dear customer, thank you for your inquiry.
The 18650 type batteries are no longer manufactured by Sony.
This product was never intended for individual, public sale and are not eligible for warranty or engineering support.
It was only available to OEM makers of specific devices.
The specifications and markings on the battery may vary depending upon the OEM’s requirements. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the true manufacturer or authenticity of the batteries without physical inspection and manufacturing code research.
This type of battery is widely available on the internet market through non-authorized resellers.
Therefore, Sony is not liable for the performance or use of this type battery for non-intended purposes.
Such applications should be done at the user’s own risk.
Furthermore, any battery of this type claimed to be Sony brand may be older stock.
We apologize that we cannot offer further assistance with this matter.
Sincerely,
Media Services by Sony