After her toaster oven caught fire, Ontario woman was told by Whirlpool to take it up with a company in China

[shockedcanadian]

You pay $150 or so for such a product in Canada. You then have to learn Mandarin in order to get your money back from some shady company in China after it does $600 damage to your home and risks your life.

Another "Made in China" success story...the company didn't even answer their phone. Probably a number to some phone booth. The response of the company in China sounds like Twitter. Send an email, but don't expect a response, nobody is monitoring it Comrade...


https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/toaster-oven-fire-damage-whirlpool-1.5492611

When Valerie Hammond's countertop oven burst into flames, causing hundreds of dollars in damage to her kitchen, she figured the cost would be covered since the KitchenAid appliance was from a big company she trusted.

Whirlpool, which owns KitchenAid, replaced the oven, as required by the warranty.

But things got complicated when she asked for $600 to cover the smoke and fire damage. Whirlpool refused, telling Hammond she'd have to go after a third-party company she'd never heard of — located in China — that owns the factory that manufactured the appliance.

................................................................

Her oven was "not a Whirlpool product," a company representative told her via email, so Whirlpool wasn't liable for the damage. She was referred to Elec-Tech International.

Hammond says she tried contacting the company in China using the phone number Whirlpool provided. Her calls would ring through but no one would ever pick up. Her emails also went unanswered.

"I was so frustrated with Whirlpool and didn't know what else to do … This was a David-and-Goliath fight because they weren't going to listen to me," she said.

 

[Moonglow]

Another reason to stop buying their products.

 

[Dekster]

I would have just sued them. It would then be cheaper for them to pay me my $600 than to defend the lawsuit.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Don't buy Chinese, whenever possible.

 

[Rambunctious]

Everything made in China is crap....watch the labels....

 

[Damaged Eagle]

So much for being accountable for your own product.

If this is what Whirlpool stands for I can see Whirlpool stocks going down in a...

*****SMILE*****

 

[texmaster]

Another reason to stop buying their products.

LOL That's pretty funny Moonie considering your entire political movement including your presidential candidate is bought and paid for by the Chinese.

Its time for the Democrats and Pelosi to stop blocking the investigation into China for the Corona virus origins. The very fact they are blocking it proves they are the toad stools of the Chinese.

Stop buying their products absolutely but as long as they have their allies in our government nothing will change.

 

[depotoo]

I would imagine the warranty specifically states they will replace a product, but will not be responsible for any damages.
that’s why you should read your warranties.

 

[xyz]

I don't think any company would pay you for damages to the kitchen unless you prove that it was their product which caused the damages, which would invariably require you to go to court, unless you provide them with extensive information and they go ahead and investigate (which I don't think is very likely).

She did it by causing a scandal, which I suppose works as well.

That is really idiotic Whirlpool told her to contact the factory if it was a licensed product.

 

[shockedcanadian]

I don't think any company would pay you for damages to the kitchen unless you prove that it was their product which caused the damages, which would invariably require you to go to court, unless you provide them with extensive information and they go ahead and investigate (which I don't think is very likely).

She did it by causing a scandal, which I suppose works as well.

That is really idiotic Whirlpool told her to contact the factory if it was a licensed product.

Certainly the damages would be in dispute, but as you suggest, Whirlpool didn't do themselves any favours by telling her to call the communist warehouse. In the end, they should have dealt with it one way or another.

She wanted $600, which seems high for a section of ones countertop, though not excessive if the costs she demanded includes installation costs and a refund on the oven costs. They could have agreed to something even less than that, and kept her information to protect themselves from future complaints if she is a fraudster. Instead she didn't accept the $600 after her story was catching some wind to her back (a little easier with so many angry against the communist) and ended up with 5 grand.

I suppose companies roll the dice and usually win. This time they came up snake eyes.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

I would have just sued them. It would then be cheaper for them to pay me my $600 than to defend the lawsuit.

Amen to this. If a person is not reimbursed in one way or another, sadly there is always the chance that things will escalate and not in a good way.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[Marion Morrison]

Not sure if you can sue somebody in China.
Pretty sure the best Chinese stuff is made in Hong Kong or Tiawan, apparently their bid for freedom was lost. Things may not be so good from there from here on out.
Some Chinese stuff works, some don't. You gotta gauge that stuff.
Never put a Chinese socket to a 1971 Ford transmission or you're gonna have a bloody knuckle and a bad time, baby.
You gotta have real sockets to work on American steel. S-K, Craftsman, Snap-On, and the like.
(I'm forgetting the German one, and know it)

 

[xyz]

I don't think any company would pay you for damages to the kitchen unless you prove that it was their product which caused the damages, which would invariably require you to go to court, unless you provide them with extensive information and they go ahead and investigate (which I don't think is very likely).

She did it by causing a scandal, which I suppose works as well.

That is really idiotic Whirlpool told her to contact the factory if it was a licensed product.

Certainly the damages would be in dispute, but as you suggest, Whirlpool didn't do themselves any favours by telling her to call the communist warehouse. In the end, they should have dealt with it one way or another.

She wanted $600, which seems high for a section of ones countertop, though not excessive if the costs she demanded includes installation costs and a refund on the oven costs. They could have agreed to something even less than that, and kept her information to protect themselves from future complaints if she is a fraudster. Instead she didn't accept the $600 after her story was catching some wind to her back (a little easier with so many angry against the communist) and ended up with 5 grand.

I suppose companies roll the dice and usually win. This time they came up snake eyes.

Insurance companies can also be that anal when it comes to paying up, and they very rarely get into trouble, be it legal or public, in relation to the times they shaft people.

 

[Dick Foster]

You pay $150 or so for such a product in Canada. You then have to learn Mandarin in order to get your money back from some shady company in China after it does $600 damage to your home and risks your life.

Another "Made in China" success story...the company didn't even answer their phone. Probably a number to some phone booth. The response of the company in China sounds like Twitter. Send an email, but don't expect a response, nobody is monitoring it Comrade...


https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/toaster-oven-fire-damage-whirlpool-1.5492611

When Valerie Hammond's countertop oven burst into flames, causing hundreds of dollars in damage to her kitchen, she figured the cost would be covered since the KitchenAid appliance was from a big company she trusted.

Whirlpool, which owns KitchenAid, replaced the oven, as required by the warranty.

But things got complicated when she asked for $600 to cover the smoke and fire damage. Whirlpool refused, telling Hammond she'd have to go after a third-party company she'd never heard of — located in China — that owns the factory that manufactured the appliance.

................................................................

Her oven was "not a Whirlpool product," a company representative told her via email, so Whirlpool wasn't liable for the damage. She was referred to Elec-Tech International.

Hammond says she tried contacting the company in China using the phone number Whirlpool provided. Her calls would ring through but no one would ever pick up. Her emails also went unanswered.

"I was so frustrated with Whirlpool and didn't know what else to do … This was a David-and-Goliath fight because they weren't going to listen to me," she said.

I'm guessing a judge or a jury for that matter would not be amused if it was sold by Whirlpool with Kitchenaid aid labeling on it.

 

[progressive hunter]

I would have just sued them. It would then be cheaper for them to pay me my $600 than to defend the lawsuit.

not really,,,lawyers are already figured into their budgets,,,so it wouldnt cost them a dime,,,

 

[shockedcanadian]

I don't think any company would pay you for damages to the kitchen unless you prove that it was their product which caused the damages, which would invariably require you to go to court, unless you provide them with extensive information and they go ahead and investigate (which I don't think is very likely).

She did it by causing a scandal, which I suppose works as well.

That is really idiotic Whirlpool told her to contact the factory if it was a licensed product.

Certainly the damages would be in dispute, but as you suggest, Whirlpool didn't do themselves any favours by telling her to call the communist warehouse. In the end, they should have dealt with it one way or another.

She wanted $600, which seems high for a section of ones countertop, though not excessive if the costs she demanded includes installation costs and a refund on the oven costs. They could have agreed to something even less than that, and kept her information to protect themselves from future complaints if she is a fraudster. Instead she didn't accept the $600 after her story was catching some wind to her back (a little easier with so many angry against the communist) and ended up with 5 grand.

I suppose companies roll the dice and usually win. This time they came up snake eyes.

Insurance companies can also be that anal when it comes to paying up, and they very rarely get into trouble, be it legal or public, in relation to the times they shaft people.

True, but all it takes is a twitter posting, something at the Better Business Bureau or an article in a paper, and it will cost that company FAR more than them not paying.

If just one person who would pay $100-200 a month or more for insurance with a company, decides not to because of something they read, it could cost that business tens of thousands of dollars in business. Multiply that by n people, and you can see how much revenue it can quickly cost a company.

Whirlpool will lose far more than just the money they paid this woman, that's a guarantee. People can sometimes abuse their experiences, but one has to think the vast majority are accurate experiences. It's why businesses are so sensitive, too sensitive at times.

 

[progressive hunter]