Felicity Danton-Jack reveals the damage caused to her home following a blaze which fire crews told her was caused by a faulty thermostat. Picture: Choice.
EXPLODING products, dodgy electrical appliances and hilarious marketing fails.
These are the products shoppers are being encouraged to name and shame as part of a new Choice campaign which aims to lift the lid on the “dark side of consumerism”.
And while not all products are considered dodgy or dangerous, Choice reveal some are simply too silly to ignore and are well worthy of inclusion in its #worldwithoutchoice campaign.
The campaign, which forms part of a competition to find Australia’s dodgiest products, runs until the end of the month and sees consumers upload photos of their worst experiences.
Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said with the government set to review the product recall system this year, as part of a broader review of Australian Consumer law, the consumer advocacy group wanted to collect examples of the real world results of product failure.
“Over the past 12 months, we have seen dodgy products cause house fires, electric shocks, acid burns as well as a company flogging crazy cancer cures,” he told news.com.au.
“We have also seen a spike in product recalls recently, with some of the world’s biggest brands such as Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and VW all being caught out.
“From washing machines that have a nasty tendency to catch fire to overheating hoverboards, we wanted to hear from consumers about the product failures they were experiencing.”
He said the number of incidents of dodgy products failing tended to be under reported, which is why Choice launched its #worldwithoutchoice campaign.
Mr Fromyhr shows the remains of his daughter’s tablet.Source:Supplied
DANGEROUS/FAULTY
Tor Fromyhr submitted his entry on a Baun tablet purchased from Aldi, which he said caught fire in his 11-year-old daughter’s school bag last year.
Mr Fromyhr said both found themselves in an extremely dangerous situation.
“I saw smoke coming from (the) bag as she walked out of the door to catch the bus to school,” he posted.
“One way to get a cooked lunch.”
Mr Fromyhr told news.com.au he rang the Aldi store where it was purchased and they agreed to replace it.
However, the Canberra man said he wanted a full independent investigation into how a tablet could catch fire and feared it could be even more dangerous next time.
After posting the pictures on social media, Aldi agreed to have the tablet independently tested and found the battery was faulty.
And even though the situation was resolved, Mr Fromyhr said he won’t be buying electronics from the cut-price retailer again as it was the third such product which he had issues with.
He added he would always encourage consumers to stand up for their rights but said many shoppers feared confrontation and so avoided it, which in turn allowed companies to become complacent.
Aldi have been approached for comment.
The tweets appeared on social media.Source:Supplied
The Canberra dad kept tweeting until he got a response.Source:Supplied
The supermarket were quick to respond.Source:Supplied
Felicity Danton-Jack said she submitted an entry after her Samsung fridge caught fire and destroyed her home.
According to her, fire investigators said they believed the blaze was caused by a faulty thermostat.
Renae Farrington said her Hitachi Power Tool battery charger was left charging on the kitchen bench and caught fire.
She posted: “It’s supposed to have ‘cooling’ safety features. Thank goodness for home and contents insurance”.
Renae Farrington didn’t expect this to happen to her Hitachi Power Tool battery charger. Picture: ChoiceSource:Supplied
Verity Larson found out the hard way what happens when her washing machine leaks all over her laundry floor and posted a video on YouTube of the incident.
“This is not good,” she posted.
Verity Larson recorded her reaction to this product fail. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
Cathy Van Der Steen, had only one reaction after her frontloader literally exploded.
“Hotter than HELL,” she posted.
Cathy Van Der Steen posted this picture after her washing machine not only failed but exploded. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
HUMOROUS FAILS
While not all products are dangerous, Mr Godfrey said there were plenty of examples where companies and brands had simply missed the mark.
Woolworths shopper Warren Logge couldn’t resist submitting this entry.
“I know they may share the same language; but surely you can be more specific Woolies, considering they’re on different continents and all,” Mr Logge wrote on his entry.
On first inspection, it looks harmless but Warren Logge noticed something odd with this picture. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
“This snake fails to live up to its promises and winds up a little bit inssssssipid,” Mr McCauley wrote.
Sometimes what you see isn’t always what you get as John McCauley found. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
This isn’t the best example of a working product, with Ms Beal simply writing “#worldwithoutchoice #fail #actuallyepicfail #etphonehome” under the entry.
Shopper Mel Beal noticed this retail fail. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
Rachel VZ was left a little confused over this Myer offer.
“So which ones do have an offer??? #worldwithoutchoice,” she asked.
Rachel VZ submitted this post. Picture: Choice.Source:Supplied
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