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I just bought this adapter at the hotel because I forgot to bring mine from home. For some reason my laptop is not charging when I use this. enter image description here My charger works until ~250V and the adapter accepts 240V.

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  • I’m guessing from the tags that you are currently in the UK. Power sockets in the UK always have an associated switch, is the switch in the « on » position? Are you sure the socket is powered? Do you have something else you could connect to check? Ideally something with a UK plug to check the socket, and something with another type of plug to check the adapter.
    – jcaron
    Apr 6, 2019 at 11:03
  • The safety feature is often mechanical, operated by the earth/ground pin which is longer than the other two pins. You can see the power socket holes are blanked, and the longer pin should make this cover slide to one side, exposing the metal power clips. It's so that children can't poke a metal object into a power pin hole and be electrocuted. The voltage itself should not be an issue.
    – Weather Vane
    Apr 6, 2019 at 11:10
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    @NeanDerThal: The plug on the left is a common design that works with German and French sockets. German sockets provide ground from contacts that touch the side of the plug from above and below; French sockets have a fixed protruding earth pin that fits into the hole in the plug. Nothing has been removed from the plug.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Apr 6, 2019 at 12:08
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    I think you have been sold the wrong adapter. I have one which converts from the plug you show to the UK system and it looks nothing like the one you show.
    – mdewey
    Apr 6, 2019 at 12:54
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    If it was some kind of safety feature, that required an earth pin, I would expect that the plug couldn't go all the way in if that feature wasn't triggered. I think the OP would have noticed that and probably mentioned it. In my mind it's more likely that the white we can see in the two main holes is some safety things that will move if pressed, that will also allow the adapter to be used with the wide array of things that doesn't have an earth pin. I would take the adapter, cable and laptop to the reception and ask for help.
    – Henrik supports the community
    Apr 7, 2019 at 7:22

3 Answers 3

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As the photo shows it's fused. The fuse might be blown. It happened to me before with these adapters, almost none of them adhere to the relevant standards so problems are expected (the adapter on the photo accepts a US and an Australian plug besides the EU plug you have, there is no standard allowing for that). The other possibility the socket doesn't have power. If the hotel room has a nightlight with a plug , you can use it as a tester or you can plug somewhere else. There's a switch next to the UK plugs, try both directions.

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Having used the same kind of adapter for the same kind of plug, I assume there is something wrong with the actual adapter.

That might be the fuse (which is mentioned on the face of it visible in the photo) or some of the wiring inside. (The fuse is also mentioned in one of the other answers.)

As you bought it in a hotel to use in that hotel, I would go back and ask them to replace it. That is after you have tested it in an other outlet, checked the switch on the outlet was in the right position, the plug did fit well enough in the adapter to make a good connection and other simple checks you can think up.

It might indeed be that your particular adapter does not work with your particular plug, in that case a decent seller will take it back and return your money. Or at least replace it with one that is working.

Small warning, you will never get an earthed connection with this combination, as the earth parts do not match.

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So this does not go answered the plug on the left which we are all assuming is the OP's charger is a common type in some other countries in Europe (hence the tag EU) and adapters to use it in the UK (question tagged UK) look absolutely nothing like the one shown which is for visitors from elsewhere. They would usually have two holes positioned to accept the pins and possibly the clips which ensure earthing with plugs which have contacts on the circumference. They are unlikely to have the pin which is an alternative earthing system.

So the conclusion must be that the OP has been sold the wrong adapter possibly as a misunderstanding of what country they came from.

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