Some people have no problem with leaving the batts on the charger, others have the same problem you had... The Pila is never going to do that. It's the best choice.
But there is life without a Pila... It only requires that you take the battery off charge when the light turns green!
I have these cheap chargers that have never cooked a battery... Yet... I also have a LOT of batteries in case the charger decides to fail me.
And I know I should get a Pila... In fact... While I'm thinking about it, I'm going to order it right now, before adult ADD has me looking for sources for clear ceramic radomes.
Definitely. I should have pulled them, but there were about four things going on at once and I didn't do it. I'm on call, and there are times when the phone rings...I'm out the door. I could live with ruining the batts, but I didn't like thinking it had over-charged them to death in a few hours, which is what happened. The Pila makes me sleep better at night.