Yup. Notorious with usb c cables. Lots of battery powered tools give you a cable that only works for charging, and looks the exact same. I guess you could test the cable and mark them as charge only, but it's a hassle
USB A to C maybe, but C to C cannot work without data. To me MicroUSB was notorious for that. At this point all my micro USB cables that I have left don't do data because I've given away, or worn out/broke all the ones that did data.
Now I just have a bunch of USB C to ___ adapters. Right now on my desk I have a USB C to Micro, Micro to USB C (just in case) and a USB C to lightning adapter all stuck together.
I've got a USB-c cable that can charge and transfer data at high speeds... But ask it to transfer display data to a screen and it won't do a thing.
The USB-c standard is a nightmare... While having the same port for everything sounds like a decent idea to reduce waste, not every product requires the full spec. Maybe mandatory labeling (like some companies are doing already) would be a solution, but it's rather late to start with that now.
4 will solve some of this, and bring it up to a minimum usable standard generally, hopefuly we can use the numbers arms race to eliminate some of the bullshit being pulled
I bundle my cables and put them in ziplock bags by type. I bought a whole spool of twist tie wire with it's own built in cutter. I also keep a bag with damaged cables because sometimes I make my own custom cables or just need some scrap wire.