Customers complain about burning Amazon basics products

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Does Amazon sell shredders that turn on themselves and spit out a fireball?

Photo: imago images / Newscast

Melting cables, charred chargers and burning microwaves: Amazon apparently sells some products under its own brand "Amazon Basics", which in the worst case can be dangerous for customers.

The devices are still sold even if the defects become known, such as "CNN" reports.

According to research by the broadcaster, consumers in the US have submitted at least 1,500 such deficiency reviews on more than 70 products in the past five years.

According to the reviews, the products either developed smoke or melted, exploded or went up in flames.

In some cases, customers were even injured by defective Amazon Basics products.

Phone charging cables are said to have burned hands and feet and exploding batteries allegedly splashed chemicals on a consumer's face.

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According to the report, only electronic products are affected.

It's about paper shredders that turn themselves on and spit out a ball of fire and microwaves that start burning.

Allegedly also when an eight-year-old girl tried to warm up her cheese noodles with it.

"CNN" had the microwave from the Amazon Basics range tested in the laboratory.

During the review, experts determine that the shape of a cover flap over the heating unit could be responsible for the fires.

Amazon refers to high quality standards

Amazon considers its products to be harmless.

A spokesman told SPIEGEL: "We take the safety of our products very seriously and are convinced that the Amazon Basics microwave is safe."

This also applies to the other offers in the private label range.

"In order to guarantee that applicable safety and testing standards are met, we test our products before they are included in the offer."

But you don't want to rely solely on customer ratings.

In addition to constant testing of the products on offer, any signs of safety or quality defects are carefully checked.

Depending on the result of the test, customers would also be informed and products removed or adapted, the spokesman said.

According to "CNN", at least eleven of the Amazon products affected are no longer available.

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Some of the complained about Amazon own brand products are also available in Germany.

In the reviews of German users, there are isolated complaints about scorched circuit boards in chargers and leaked batteries.

On Friday morning, the central office of the federal states for security technology did not respond to a request from SPIEGEL as to how the security of Amazon Basics products should be assessed in Germany.

Consumer advocates generally advise affected customers to contact the dealer in the event of defective devices and request a replacement delivery.

"If the repair is unsuccessful twice or the replacement is not delivered, consumers have the right to reduce the purchase price or to withdraw from the contract," said a spokeswoman for the Baden-Wuerttemberg consumer association for SPIEGEL.

Should a consumer injure himself or herself due to a defective product or other damage occurs, then the manufacturer is the point of contact for further claims: "These must then be clarified in each individual case."

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