Exploding battery in house - where do i stand ?

[Cableguy]

Bought a cordless impact wrench today from machine mart, it was on the clerance section, 3 month warranty.

After charging the battery ready for a day of work tommorow , off it pops , explodes , ruins my laminate flooring and fills the house with smoke. If it wasnt for being alert and getting it outside quick time it would have caused a LOT more damage.

So , i took pics of it smoking and pics of the damage, obviously i aint happy !

Whats the best way to go about this ? who do i go and see ? Just walk in to the shop and demand compensation etc.. ?

Cheers

[carl747]

You need to go the the people that made the item mate

[mike88]

Speak to the manager, see what he says.

Or a lawyer.

And we need pics.

[M17CH]

If you got pics of the damage and smoke etc, i would of thought you would be ok going to the manager of the shop and asking him were do you from here like.

The cats ok tho?

[mg-richard]

Not really faulty all batterys will produce hydrogen gas when charged this burns when you make a spark

possibly a design flaw in there somewhere

[syzsounds]

I'd stand nowhere bloody near it !

[M17CH]

I'd stand nowhere bloody near it !

[Cableguy]

Not really faulty all batterys will produce hydrogen gas when charged this burns when you make a spark

possibly a design flaw in there somewhere

I think you underestimate my explanation , im talking people not being able to breath or see for smoke and flames !

[peteT16]

I'd take it back to the Machine Mart branch that you bought it from, and go from there.

It could be that other people have had a similar experience, and returned them.

[Cableguy]

I'd take it back to the Machine Mart branch that you bought it from, and go from there.

It could be that other people have had a similar experience, and returned them.

I dont want just a return though , i want compensation for the damage to the house etc..

[bjrespect]

hi dan get in touch with the manager just be polite as possible, explain whats happened, now he wont do anything about your home, but you NEED to make sure he logs the complaint

then ask for the makers contact number and speak directly to the highest person you can

MAKE SURE YOU GET DEPARTMENTS AND PEOPLE

then if no joy speak to the one last manager then threaten them with a small claims court

after that pm me my uncle runs honestclaimshttp://www.honest-claims.co.uk/

wont cost you a thing

[tonyrally]

where theres a blame theres a claim... all u have to do is figure out whos to blame. citzens advice ftw...

[carl747]

I'd take it back to the Machine Mart branch that you bought it from, and go from there.

It could be that other people have had a similar experience, and returned them.

I dont want just a return though , i want compensation for the damage to the house etc..

That why you need to go to the manufacturer The Shop wouldn't be able to help

It will take a while but you will get there in the end

[maestrovdpt16]

You have a receipt from the shop not the manufacturer that is the contract. You should not get involved with the wranglings of the manufacturer trying to avoid admitting fault with their product.

Go straight to the Citizens advise bureau and speak to them about your rights under the sale of goods act.

In case you can't tell, yes I have been here before!

http://www.which.co.uk/advice/understan ... /index.jsp

That is a good start

Good luck.

[mg-richard]

Not really faulty all batterys will produce hydrogen gas when charged this burns when you make a spark

possibly a design flaw in there somewhere

I think you underestimate my explanation , im talking people not being able to breath or see for smoke and flames !

Personally i think they will have no problem in giving you a brand new one and probably a refund which should cover the floor?

depends how far you want to go i guess and how much it costs to fix

[Punx0r]

If you know the cost of repairing the damage I'd speak to the shop manager, log complaint etc and tell him the cost of the damage caused. If you're both amicable then hopefully they'll make sure it's put right asap with minimum of fuss.

Assuming you're just after the putting things right and not a PTSD claim...

[< KEVIN >]

Seems all to familiar.

Would it happen to be a Clarke one?

My bro bought a clarke one from machine mart, on the same day after he used it, he charged the battery in it docking station only for it to melt and bond with charger.

He took it back and they replaced it, no problem with new one so far.

[rovermadman4825]

But machine mart dont do flooring so they carnt replace that easily.

[< KEVIN >]

But machine mart dont do flooring so they carnt replace that easily.

Compensation

[stefaclese]

Hmm, I've been eyeing these up of late, perhaps I'll get mine elsewhere/a different brand

[matt077]

baseball bat ftw

[rovex]

Getting a new device isnt the hard part, getting any compensation for damage to third parties is! You may have to claim on your contents insurance and they will then pursue the claim with the device manufacturer. It depends how Machine Mart handles such things.

[mike88]

we need pics.

[Punx0r]

Yep. Newspaper stye with you holding up the wrecked item with a really sad look on your face.

[Null_Byte]

Yep. Newspaper stye with you holding up the wrecked item with a really sad look on your face.

[munky]

find the factory worker who made it, then kill him.

[richard moss]

Until you speak to Machine Mart you won't know if they'll accept liability and offer compensation. Unless you've spoken to them the rest is pure speculation.

Here's how I'd do it:

Step one: speak to the store manager - you have to give Machine Mart a chance to do the decent thing first. Arm yourself with photos, the faulty kit and a quote for fixing the floor.
Step two: if no joy with step one, speak to MM head office.
Step three: if no joy with step two, speak to the manufacturer.
Step four: if no luck with either of the first three steps the Citizens Advice Bureau will offer guidance. Perhaps trading standards at the item was obviously not fit for purpose.

[radddogg]

Hi Cablegut,

As you remember I know about consumer rights from the Halfords days. When you bought the item you entered into a contract with the retailer so you should go back to the branch. There is no such thing as a set warrantee. In the UK an item should be fit for purpose and be as durable as a reasonable person should expect. If you bought this today its an open and shut case. Take photos of the damage, obtain two quotes for the repair of the damage and take them into the store with your proof of purchase and the faulty goods. Explain what happened and that you expect Machine Mart to pay for the repairs for the damage. They may pass you onto their head office but I doubt you will see any resistance. If you do then email your local trading standards (don't bother with CAB).

All you need to know is in the sale of goods act

[Limecat]

Something that seems to be overlooked here but did it come with the charger or was it your own?

It may not be the battery.

I say that as I had a NiCAD for an RC car explode in my Dads old flat when my parents were divorcing. The NiCAD was only a week or so old, it turned out that the charger was naffed and was literally trying to dump the charge from a car battery into it, by the end of a 30 minute fast cycle the battery was obscenely hot, the car went like you wouldn't believe (molecules and all that! ).

Anyway, the NiCAD blew up, making a right mess of his kitchen but it was the charger that was faulty and not the battery. Lucky no-one was in the room at the time as the noise it made, I would have expected injury.

[matt077]

baseball bat ftw

wow, i cant remember posting that friday night

[Chin.]

Exploding battery in house - where do i stand ?

As far from the fooker as possible !

[radddogg]

Exploding battery in house - where do i stand ?

As far from the fooker as possible !

Repost lol

[Chin.]

Should have read the whole thread

[Stealth213S]

Phone Consumer Direct, 08454 040506