Towel rack MELTED, legs fell off, could have burned house down! Sue? Complain? Help?!?

Question

I purchased a heated towel rack from Bed Bath & Beyond only 2 months ago. I was in my bathroom this evening JUST about to run out the door when the thing just collasped & fell to the floor. The legs that the rack was being held up melted right through causing it to tumble over, still plugged in, onto the floor.

Thank GOD i was home to see it fall and i quickly unplugged it and stood it upward. This thing easily gets to about 120 degrees, and i'm almost sure that if i was not home the thing would have burnt my apartment down or caused some serious damage.

I am mad as hell and dont want to just complain to bed bath & beyond. This is a serious hazard and i'm willing to sue the pants off the idiot who made this product.

Where should i go from here? Send a letter to bed Bath & Beyond threatening to sue unless they settle outside of court? Write a letter to the maker of the towel rack? Any information on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Also, the instructions for the towel rack specifically say "In order to get the best possible performance for this product it should be kept plugged in twenty four hours a day, NOT just before you need warm towels"

i meant to say 'gets to ABOVE 120 degrees' not *about* 120 degrees.

NO, it does not have a on/off switch. Because youre supposed to leave it plugged in 24-7, like the manual says

i understand the electrical aspect, however i was in the bathroom with the lights on, and a hair straightener and lights are on the same wall, nothing flickered or turned on & off

and COOT I'm not the idiot, the thing does not come with an on & off switch, like i said. the people who MADE it are the idiots

also it is quite obvious by looking at it that the legs melted off

Answer 1

Contact the Consumer Products Safety Commission to see if there are complaints about the specific make and model you own. They have a database you can search and a form you can fill out online. Also, you might call the manufacturer. I doubt this will help unless the manufacturer is based in the US. Unless you suffered damages beyond the cost of the warmer, I would not sue. I had a compact fluorescent light bulb burn out in a lamp last year and it actually caught on fire. Luckily I was at home and smelled the smoke. I contacted the manufacturer and an engineer called me back. I sent the bulb to them and they gave me 12 new bulbs of a different design for my trouble. I think you deserve a refund and you SHOULD press the issue to make sure others do not have a defective product. I'd forget suing. Courts don't award for "what if" damages.

Answer 2

First off you can't really blame BED BATH and BEYOND they are just a retailer they do not make the actual product... So, look on the box or inside the instruction booklet and contact the 1-800 # .. Document everything.. Who you spoke with, what time/date etc.. Also, take picture's of your bathroom where everything happened and the product as well. Write a letter as well stating what happened and make copies to send to the Consumer Products Safety Commission. You may not have a case.. You may have faulty wiring or improper wiring in your home/apt... You can call the electrician and have your bathroom electric inspected... You home may have been the problem and NOT the product... However, it's best to at least if nothing else inform the manufacturer of what happened to maybe "tweak" the product... good luck

Answer 3

I doubt you could actually sue and win because there was no damaged caused. It's highly unlikely they intentionally sold you a defective product. And more than likely, before BB&B put it out on the shelf, the product probably went through a rigourous quality check. Send them a letter letting them know how upset you are and you can probably expect a replacement (if you want it) or a giftcard. I deal with these things all the time at work (much worse scenarios) and nothing ever comes of it, because you have to prove the company knew of the "defect", almost an impossible feat unless you work for the company. I know how upsetting it can be, so best of luck!

Answer 4

Keep it. Take pictures and make a copy of the receipt. Send the picture copies and receipt copies to the legal dept of Bad Bath and Beyond, as well as the manufacturer long with a letter stating exactly what happened. Send another letter and pictures to Consumer Reports Magazine so they can warn other consumers. Make sure you send it certified if they don't have a P.O. box as they can easily say it was never recieved. If they have a P.O.box listed, pay the 50 cents to get a return sticker that will let you know that it got there. You can also call around and see if any lawyers would like to get involved. They can make the letters and send them appropriately.

Answer 5

Report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (cpsc.gov) and call the manufacturer and let them know.

Bed, Bath & Beyond really can't do anything for you because they are just the retailer, although you may want to inform them of what happened so they can make an informed decision as to whether to continue selling the product.

I wouldn't think you'd have much of a case to sue the manufacturer, however, because it sounds like your damages are limited to one broken, melted towel warmer.

Answer 6

The first thing you need to do is call a licensed electrical contractor to inspect that nothing is/was wrong with your electrical circuit that feed the electrical apparatus you had plugged into the circuit. You'll also have to prove you didn't get a "spike" (electrical surge from power company or lightning) that would've caused this problem. Most power companies will have multiple complaints if they did. Any clouds in the area?

Good luck!

Electrician

Answer 7

in the first place why would you plug this in and start to leave does it not have an on &off switch. have you called B B B and talked to anyone . so before you go and sue the pants off someone be sure to tell them of your neglect of turning it on and leaving. so who is the Idiot

Answer 8

Get an attorney and let them do the correct thing for you.

I hope you can get this thing taken off the market before someone gets hurt. Yes, thank God in Heaven you were home!!!

Answer 9

take pictures of the towel rack with dated documentation. Call a lawyer asap....and soon you will have some money coming in...what a hazard...im glad you caught it when you were home

Answer 10

>> lol. those are sooooo humorous......roflmao ~ completely. the united kingdom councils & housing might desire to be in absolute suits of laughter various the time........ i ask your self what written respond they deliver out? Or how they keep a at once face if the author of the letter shows up on the places of work in guy or woman? Ciao!