'People have been seriously injured': Choice refers 87 Thermomix safety incidents to ACCC

Consumer advocate Choice has compiled a mass incident report of Thermomix-related injuries in Australia.

A Thermomix cooking machine (Getty)

A Thermomix cooking machine Source: Getty Images

Choice has created a of the injuries and experiences of 87 Thermomix customers for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, ACCC.

The consumer advocate has called on the ACCC to investigate the incidents, which involve the malfunction of Thermomix appliances.

The Choice report said there were 45 cases of Thermomix owners being harmed when their appliance malfunctioned, 18 of whom were hospitalised for their injuries.

"The 87 complaints received from Thermomix owners show that people are worried about using their machine," the report said.
"People have been seriously injured or seen their product act in a way that makes them worry about using it in the future."

Choice raised concerns in the report that Thermomix had not responded properly to the majority of customer complaints and had not informed customers of the need to replace the seal on the appliances.

"While a few customers noted exceptional customer service from Thermomix Australia, most were extremely disappointed," the report said.

"Many felt bullied, ignored or made to feel as though the safety incident was their fault.

"An alarming number of consumers say they struggled to get any response from Thermomix Australia."

Those customers who did receive a response from Thermomix Australia were reportedly asked to sign non-disclosure agreements before they were given a refund.
The organisation also criticised a 2014 recall of one model of the appliances (TM 31) and a seal fix saying customers were not properly informed and the recall did not cover all the reported problems.

"Choice has received reports that lids have come off on their own (either propelling off or from vibrating into unlock mode while operating in another function), reports of consumers saying they have been harmed using their machine at lower speeds and of consumers who say they have been harmed because the measuring cup has been forced out of the lid," the report said.

"These reports suggest the initial product recall may not consider all incidents consumers have experienced with TM 31 machines.

"The ACCC should investigate what complaints Thermomix Australia had received prior to the recall and whether the fix proposed adequately addressed all of these problems.
"The ACCC should also investigate whether complaints made subsequent to the recall should have led to additional action from Thermomix."

Choice questioned whether the company filed reports to ACCC each time they became aware their product had injured a customer.

"Based on the information Choice has received, Thermomix should have made mandatory reports to the ACCC for at least 10 incidents where consumers received medical treatment because of their injury and contacted the company directly after the incident," the report said.

"Choice requests that the ACCC confirms whether mandatory reports were received for each of these incidents."

In a statement to SBS News the ACCC said it was "engaging with Thermomix to obtain information about reported safety concerns and reports of confidentiality requirements".

"We note the public interest in these matters, and will be seeking to reach a considered view as soon as possible," the statement said.

"Consumers who may have safety concerns or have been approached in relation to confidentiality requirements when seeking redress are encouraged to contact the ACCC."

The statement confirmed Thermomix Australia had issued the 2014 recall and the seal replacement.

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3 min read
Published 12 May 2016 11:18am
Updated 12 May 2016 8:07pm
Source: SBS News


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