Exploding table.

JasonT_2

I purchased a set of glass tables from a well know furniture chain's outlet store.

A couple of weeks later I heard a loud bang coming from my living room & when I went to check I found that one of the tables had exploded. Glass had been fired across the whole room, into the corridor & some had even made it's way down the stairs.

The mess took well over 4 hours to clean up as there were thousands of tiny fragments of glass everywhere & I had to be sure to get them all as I have a 6 month old puppy.

I emailed the store's customer services attaching a video of the damage caused. They responded offering a refund for the tables & said there were a few reasons that could have caused the table to explode - one of which was that the table may have been 'knocked'. To my surprise they offered no apology.

I replied telling them I did not think a refund was good enough & at the very least I had expected them to offer to replace the table. I also said that the table had definitely not been knocked whilst in my possession & that I thought it was disgraceful for them to allow the tables to be sold with no warning as to the dangers of spontaneous explosion despite them being fully aware of the risks. I dread to think what could happen if one of their tabes exploded whilst a child was in close proximity!

They responded telling me that they were unable to offer a replacement as the tables were in the outlet store as they were 'end of line stock' & they 'no longer sell this table'. I responded with a link to the tables being sold on their website & explained that the member of staff who assisted me in store had told me they were in the outlet store as one of them (not the exploded one) had a small scratch along the base. To this all they said was as you purchased the tables in the outlet store you are not entitled to a replacement, you can have a refund or a credit note.

I have not yet responded to this last email. I am shocked & disgusted at their poor level of customer service, is there anything more I can do?

coinxoperated

Why would you want a replacement if they combust?

Take your refund and go somewhere else. Stop whittering.

paddyrg

Take the money, buy a wooden table. Safety glass (for that's what it is) has massive internal pressures and stresses. Cheap safety glass is certainly no better than the good stuff, and spontaneous failure is a characteristic of all types of safety glass. You can't guarantee it won't happen again.

bod1467

JasonT wrote: »

I purchased a set of glass tables from a well know furniture chain's outlet store.

Have they also offered to take back and refund the other tables in the set? If not then I can understand why OP would want a replacement ... a set with one missing looks odd. (I'm assuming these are a nest of tables).

bazster

They don't have to replace, they are entitled to offer a refund. but to echo the above, why do you want a replacement? Do you like loud bangs?

Looksguywalker

JasonT wrote: »

I purchased a set of glass tables from a well know furniture chain's outlet store.

A couple of weeks later I heard a loud bang coming from my living room & when I went to check I found that one of the tables had exploded. Glass had been fired across the whole room, into the corridor & some had even made it's way down the stairs.

The mess took well over 4 hours to clean up as there were thousands of tiny fragments of glass everywhere & I had to be sure to get them all as I have a 6 month old puppy.

I emailed the store's customer services attaching a video of the damage caused. They responded offering a refund for the tables & said there were a few reasons that could have caused the table to explode - one of which was that the table may have been 'knocked'. To my surprise they offered no apology.

I replied telling them I did not think a refund was good enough & at the very least I had expected them to offer to replace the table. I also said that the table had definitely not been knocked whilst in my possession & that I thought it was disgraceful for them to allow the tables to be sold with no warning as to the dangers of spontaneous explosion despite them being fully aware of the risks. I dread to think what could happen if one of their tabes exploded whilst a child was in close proximity!

They responded telling me that they were unable to offer a replacement as the tables were in the outlet store as they were 'end of line stock' & they 'no longer sell this table'. I responded with a link to the tables being sold on their website & explained that the member of staff who assisted me in store had told me they were in the outlet store as one of them (not the exploded one) had a small scratch along the base. To this all they said was as you purchased the tables in the outlet store you are not entitled to a replacement, you can have a refund or a credit note.

I have not yet responded to this last email. I am shocked & disgusted at their poor level of customer service, is there anything more I can do?

Think of the puppy and a child if you get a replacement!

CoolHotCold

They are under no obligation to warn consumers of the issues of a table.

Do you get warned that you may get splinters if you purchased a wooden table?

It's exactly the same as a Glass table or glass oven door.


And yes, they are allowed to refund you even if they had them still available in stock.

bazster

CoolHotCold wrote: »

They are under no obligation to warn consumers of the issues of a table.

Au contraire, if they knowingly sold an explosive table I imagine they would be criminally liable. But I don't suppose these tables do generally explode, any more than you can get splinters off a wooden table unless it's damaged.

But if flawed in some way (and don't forget this one was a second or remainder or some such) this kind of glass can let go spectacularly - including in response to the slightest knock.

CoolHotCold

bazster wrote: »

Au contraire, if they knowingly sold an explosive table I imagine they would be criminally liable. But I don't suppose these tables do generally explode, any more than you can get splinters off a wooden table unless it's damaged.

But if flawed in some way (and don't forget this one was a second or remainder or some such) this kind of glass can let go spectacularly - including in response to the slightest knock.

Well yes if they knew it was going to explode than they should of listed it as a feature.

Which raises the question why are you buying items from a James Bond Movie supplier.

munchpot

If is one of the biggest words in the English language - if a child had been near it etc

What more could you want from the store - they have offered to refund your money. Unless of course you are expecting them to offer some form of compensation for the cleaning you had to do?

Darksun

Spontaneous glass breakage. It happens and isn't always avoidable when you're dealing with tempered glass.