To report an unsafe product, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC). You can get the contact information from their website.
I ended up calling the USCPSC directly. Surprisingly, the organization was very helpful. The person who responded to my call took time to ask a lot questions about what happened. Then she mailed a report for us to sign to confirm its accuracy. After they receive the signed copy, they will review the report and, if deemed appropriate, initiate an investigation.
The USCPSC, as well as family and friends, asked if Holmes offered us anything for this incident. The company rep offered to replace the heater with a newer model. We declined and then filed an incident report. We might get a letter from them some time in the future (timeframe unknown) to follow up.
At the end of our conversation, the Holmes rep tried to sell us other products. (Can we say outrageous?) She wasn't the only person. Every time we called, the rep tried to market other products at the end of the call. It was very frustrating that the employees don't use their judgment to assess the situation and determine when it is not appropriate to market new products. But the blame falls on the company for not bothering to train their employees properly.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Recalling all Holmes Oil-Filled Heaters
My Holmes Oil-Filled Heater literally exploded last night, spewing hot oil all over our bedroom and onto the new carpet. The image below shows how the explosion caused a bulge in the heater (third vertical bar from right).
During the service call to Holmes, I found out that my heater (model HOH2520) was recalled. If you have a Holmes portable heater, check and see if it was recalled. For more information and recall hotline, see the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website. When calling the hotline, make sure you provide the model number and production code. If you don't have both, they cannot help you. The production code is located on the same label as the model number.
The oil-filled heater was advertised as safe. Based on my experience last night, I disagree completely.
First, the hot oil could have caused severe injuries. Although the user guide explained that the heater should be placed at last three feet from everything, the exploding heater caused oil to spit up to four feet away. We got lucky because the heater was at the foot of our bed. In addition, we were tucked under blankets when the explosion happened.
The hot oil also produced a vapor that smelled like petroleum. The room got foggy from the vapor. We were breathing that all night even though the windows were wide open everywhere in the house. I cannot imagine that this is safe for anyone, because we got headaches and felt nauseous from it. We ended up sleeping in the farthest room away from where the accident occurred.
During the service call to Holmes, I was told that the oil is mineral-based and is perfectly safe. When asked, the rep didn't answer the question but kept repeating that it was a "safe oil". She was either trained to not reveal the type of oil or perhaps she really didn't know.
The Holmes rep also mentioned that the company no longer sells oil-filled heaters and will be releasing a new water-filled heater later this winter. This seems like a better solution. I hope the newly designed heaters have better containment for the heated water or include pans and containment fields should an explosion occur. At least you can be assured that breathing steam/water vapor won't make you sick or nauseous.
During the service call to Holmes, I found out that my heater (model HOH2520) was recalled. If you have a Holmes portable heater, check and see if it was recalled. For more information and recall hotline, see the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website. When calling the hotline, make sure you provide the model number and production code. If you don't have both, they cannot help you. The production code is located on the same label as the model number.
The oil-filled heater was advertised as safe. Based on my experience last night, I disagree completely.
First, the hot oil could have caused severe injuries. Although the user guide explained that the heater should be placed at last three feet from everything, the exploding heater caused oil to spit up to four feet away. We got lucky because the heater was at the foot of our bed. In addition, we were tucked under blankets when the explosion happened.
The hot oil also produced a vapor that smelled like petroleum. The room got foggy from the vapor. We were breathing that all night even though the windows were wide open everywhere in the house. I cannot imagine that this is safe for anyone, because we got headaches and felt nauseous from it. We ended up sleeping in the farthest room away from where the accident occurred.
During the service call to Holmes, I was told that the oil is mineral-based and is perfectly safe. When asked, the rep didn't answer the question but kept repeating that it was a "safe oil". She was either trained to not reveal the type of oil or perhaps she really didn't know.
The Holmes rep also mentioned that the company no longer sells oil-filled heaters and will be releasing a new water-filled heater later this winter. This seems like a better solution. I hope the newly designed heaters have better containment for the heated water or include pans and containment fields should an explosion occur. At least you can be assured that breathing steam/water vapor won't make you sick or nauseous.
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