Kmart's popular rice cooker is being called into question again after another report of it catching fire without warning.
Customer Nick Morgan has filed a lawsuit against the retail giant after an appliance caught fire while his daughter and eight-month-old granddaughter, who live in half of his large North Brisbane home, were at home. They are calling for a recall of the rice cooker.
This rice cooker retails for $14 and was purchased from Kmart Chermside in Brisbane, where it had not been used much. Nick said if it wasn't for her daughter's quick thinking, her family's entire home might have been lost. “She left the kitchen and came back to the pungent smell of burning plastic coming from her cooker,” Nick told Yahoo News Australia. “When she opened her lid, she saw that it was smoke, not steam, coming out of it.
”[Then] When she took out the bowl, she saw flames at the bottom of the cooker. ”
Fortunately, the fire was small enough to be extinguished quickly, but Nick said if she had been “changing the baby” or “in another part of the house” the fire could have easily been extinguished. He says it could have become even more serious.
“They came [over] “I got scared so I went inside to see if it was still smoldering. I have an 8-month-old granddaughter and I was really worried,” he recalled.
Father claims Kmart is 'indifferent' despite dangers
This isn't the first time the Anko 7-cup rice cooker has caught fire. In fact, his website for Product Review has numerous reports of safety concerns, including opinions that Anko appliances have “exploded” and “should be recalled.”
In addition to this, Yahoo interviewed another customer in 2022 about the exact same cooker. Kayla Grace bought two separate ones, and both caught fire. “She thought it was a one-time defect in the product, but apparently all products have problems,” she said. “There was smoke and small flames.”
After Nick's incident and seeing other examples online, he contacted Kmart's customer service team and the Queensland Electrical Safety Authority in hopes of escalating the problem. He says he was shocked by Kmart's “indifferent” attitude. He said: “The person who called me back from customer service couldn't have been more concerned. [she] Take it back to the store and get your money back,'' Nick insisted.
“That's not the issue. We're not chasing $16. The issue is the fact that this product is clearly known to cause fires.” [yet] They keep selling it. ”
Kmart responds and says the product is compliant
Kmart told Yahoo that it “takes the quality and safety of all our products very seriously” and “encourages customers who experience issues to contact our customer service team” who will investigate. I'm doing it,” he said.
“While this product meets all required standards, we will investigate any quality issues raised,” the spokesperson said.
Kmart also said it was investigating other separate incidents following the Product Review report. After one troubled user claimed that his appliance also caught fire, the company issued a statement saying: “We are deeply concerned. Please share your information via our contact page. Our team will investigate. I will contact you for this reason.”
It is understood that the heating element of the rice cooker may overheat if the inner pot is not placed flat and securely on the heating plate during use, or if the bowl is damaged during use. Masu. Kmart has not disclosed what was found in the rice cooker investigation, nor has it commented on calls for a recall of the appliance.
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