ASDA battery acid in eye!

roonie_222

i was looking for some advice in terms of what compensation i can demand/ expect from ASDA...

i bought some shopping online, including two packs of AAA Zinc Chloride ASDA Smartprice batteries (6 per pack) it says on the back of pack that best used in low capacity appliances such as remotes, calculators etc. I bought them for my landline wireless phone, tv remote and mini plug in laptop speakers.

upon installing them i thought no more of itfor 24 hrs, when my partner said the home phone isnt working again, when checking the batteries they had leaked battery acid everywhere and had to replace the batteries with a brand name battery. Then one week later i decided to use my laptop speakers whilst watching a programme on 4od. They worked fine that evening and i then turned them off along with my laptop and left them overnight, the next morning - bank hol monday just gone. I went to use my laptop and it was covered in a thin clear oily substance, i didnt even think about the batteries so i wiped it off with a dishcloth and continued to use my laptop (without speakers) half hour later i happened to rub my eye.

this is when the problems started! my eye started burning badly and when i realised it was from the speakers i had left on top of the laptop i quickly rinsed out my eye. Clearly worried about having acid in my eye i then decided to go A & E on bank hol monday, it took 2 hours to be seen, when the doctor did see me he did lots of visual and audio tests to see if impaired at all, thankfully all clear, however he then tested teh ph level in my eye, this was high, unfortunately meaning i had traces of acid in my eye still. I then had to sit and flush 1 litre of fluid through my eye which took about 20-30 mins, then had florinef drops in my eye to see under a uv light if any scratches or damage on surface of eye, this was all clear, and after the flush my ph came down slightly, i now have to use eye cream for 7 days and go immediately to ompthamology dept if any persisting problems - ie burning , blurred vision etc.

from ASDAs point of view i find it completely appalling that this could happen from 2 seperate packs of batteries, specifically in use for what they were suggested for. Secondly i have friends with toddlers that frequently visit my house and often put my tv remote in their mouths, surely this could pose a serious threat to children, plus i dread to think that other ASDA customers with children have used this batteries in their childs toys. the liquid is barely detectable as transparent and feels harmless to touch but once in their eye its a different matter.

i could of potentially gone blind or have vision defects, i dont want them to get away with this and seriously am expecting some decent compensation rather than 20 pounds worth of shopping vouchers!

can help would be greatly appreciated, i have already contacted ASDA complaints, she will be getting back to me tomorrow.

Esqui

You used non-rechargeable batteries in a cordless phone?

In any case, if you had battery juice or any kind of unknown substance on your hand, you should wash straight away. I would wait and see what Asda offer

McKneff

You found the batteries had leaked in the first item and didnt bother to check/replace any of the others in the same pack.

You wiped things with a dishcloth.

Children come to your house and you allow them to put the remote control in their mouths.:eek: There are electrical batteries in there,
dangerous,even when they are not leaking.

Nothing happened with children so its irrelevant.

Potentially blind, you didnt, so that is also irrelevant.

Stick to actual facts when you put your complaint it.
But you have to take some of the responsibility, surely
you must see that.

Glad youre okay and I hope your complaint gets you some compensation but youre coming over as a drama queen with all the what ifs.

sporedude

Dont think laptop speakers count as low power applicances......

oldagetraveller

McKneff wrote: »

you must see that.

Not with "acid" in the eyes!:p

Ash_McCloud

Acid leaking from batteries is unforgivable, in some peoples eyes.

McKneff

oldagetraveller wrote: »

Not with "acid" in the eyes!:p

naughty, naughty

Savvy_Spender_South

Compensation works on what you have lost, good will is a firms apology.

So compensation, apart from the cost of batteries what have you lost? is any of your equipment beyond repair? Did you miss work/personal commitments through hospital treatment?

Ask yourself what do you want to be compensated exactly, you are fine and so is your home.

You are annoyed, and rightly so, you reserve the right not to buy ASDA rubbish anymore and tell the world about your experience, and you should. But if we are all honest, have you suffered a loss which requires compensating or do you think that if you can get £10 000 for being called fat in the press, surely you are due some payout? because these are very different things.

I am supportive of your situation, but my reality check is my forte friend.

peachyprice

roonie_222 wrote: »

i was looking for some advice in terms of what compensation i can demand/ expect from ASDA...

i bought some shopping online, including two packs of AAA Zinc Chloride ASDA Smartprice batteries (6 per pack) it says on the back of pack that best used in low capacity appliances such as remotes, calculators etc. I bought them for my landline wireless phone, tv remote and mini plug in laptop speakers.

See, here's your problem. You can't put non-rechargable batteries in a cordless phone, even if you could it would not be considered low capacity, ditto the speakers. You have not used them in accordance with directions on the pack so have only yourself to blame.

roonie_222

hi

thanks for all the speedy replies, i dont want to come over as a drama queen at all, i was jsut shocked at what happened to me and at the time quite frankly scared. i hate anything in my eyes and its not something i thought i would have to go through!

when the liquid was split on my laptop i didnt know it was battery acid, so i wiped it off thinking it was possibly water! obviously when i realised it was battery acid i cleaned my laptop off thoroughly even though i couldnt see anything on it anymore.

id like to reiterate that it was a very thin clear liquid and i didnt realise it was on my hands, and at the time didnt know it had come from the batteries.

thanks for all your help, just would dread to think its going to happen to battery operated kids toys.

stephen77

peachyprice wrote: »

See, here's your problem. You can't put non-rechargable batteries in a cordless phone, even if you could it would not be considered low capacity, ditto the speakers. You have not used them in accordance with directions on the pack so have only yourself to blame.

does it give a warning if using them in a high applaince device?
Does that warning say acid may leak if using them in a medium device or above?


Also how does the average consumer know what a low applaince device is? is there a list available at even ASDA online?
where is the cut off point from low to medium/high?

Any one can buy batteries? no age limits of 18+? Thus nothing stoping a 13 year old going to the shops and buying one and using it in the wrong device.

If the pack advise on the above then it would be the OP fault. If not ASDA are in the wrong.