An AmazonBasics cable set this fire. Photo: Wethersfield Fire Marshal’s Office
Amazon is like many other retailers. They have their own line of “store brand” products, called AmazonBasics. They go through cost cutting measures like plain packaging and cheap manufacturing to undercut the prices of other sellers on their website. It may have been a good idea to avoid them before. They’re cheap, often poorly made, and Amazon’s taking advantage of its monopoly of data collection on users and manufacturers to create these products. They also intentionally inflate their own products in searches. Shopping at Amazon is problematic enough, but buying goods that come from Amazon’s monopolistic practices that push out third party sellers is even worse.
Now there’s another reason to avoid AmazonBasics products. CNN reports that many AmazonBasic products have a pattern of causing fires. They’ve melted, and some have even started house fires. Yet many products remain on Amazon’s website, unmodified. It’s tough to redesign a product that was designed to be as cheap as possible. Thanks to Amazon’s control over search rankings and even reviews, most of these potentially dangerous products are at the top of search results with rave reviews. They could burn your house down.
CNN’s Findings
This wasn’t even the only review for this AmazonBasics car charger that mentioned fire. Screenshot via CNN
According to CNN’s research, since 2016, 1,500 reviews for AmazonBasics products have mentioned items, “exploding, catching on fire, smoking, melting, causing electrical malfunctions, or otherwise posing risks.” That list includes 70 separate items of Amazon’s 5,000+ AmazonBasics products. A surprising percentage of AmazonBasic products end up on fire, and Amazon’s not trying to do anything about it. More than 10% of the reviews CNN looked into mentioned products catching on fire, some jetting fire from the devices. Of those 1,500 reviews, nearly 200 reported damages to people’s homes or other belongings, like the phones they were attached to.
Hey, cool! I own this particular AmazonBasics cable. Amazon no longer sells it.
While Amazon has pulled some of the hazardous items, they still continue to sell many others from CNN’s report. Amazon pulled some of the items CNN mentioned, and confirmed that at least eight have been under investigation. Despite this, Amazon has only issued two recalls for their products. CNN’s independent researcher tested an Amazon microwave sent to them, finding that a heating element panel could cause fires (and it did). Despite this, Amazon claims the device is safe, and continues to sell it.
“The reviews come from people living all over the United States and span five years, but they often call attention to the very same problems:The same panel within a microwave catching fire, USB cords melting or burning despite no visible wear and tear or overuse, and paint on outdoor patio heaters lighting on fire.”– From CNN’s Report
Amazon found them dangerous enough to remove from the site, but not enough to warn people and recall them. It seems Amazon is willing to put their customers safety well behind profits.
Check Your Amazon Purchases!
Photo: Matt Citro, via CNN
If you think you may have purchased an AmazonBasics item, you can go to Amazon’s website and check. After signing in, click “Returns & Orders” in the top menu. From there, Search “AmazonBasics.” It’s how I realized that my primary surge protector was from AmazonBasics and at least one of my Lightning cables, which I may have given to someone (and I can’t remember who) as part of their Christmas present. That last item has numerous reports of fire issues. I had to try to track down who I gave a cable to! Thanks, Amazon!
Amazon’s Victims
You think you make 200 billion dollars by not cutting every corner known to man? https://t.co/VVIhgittIT
— Travon (@Travon) September 10, 2020
I had to buy a few replacements as a result of researching the reviews of a few of my purchases. You should too. But you’re lucky if the least you have to do is replace a few electronics. Some people have to replace their possessions or have repairs done to their homes or cars due to Amazon’s negligence.
These reviews [mentioning a safety concern] represented around 1.7% of the roughly 2,600 US reviews posted about the $10.99 device as of late last year, before Amazon removed it from the site. Several included claims of flames and fires like Citro’s. As a comparison, a similar product made by a major consumer electronics company and also sold on Amazon’s site had six reviews about possible safety concerns earlier this year, representing .07% of its more than 8,000 reviews. And none of the six mentioned actual fires.
– From CNN’s Report, emphasis added
Perhaps Amazon should consider changing the name of their TV and tablet lineup from Amazon Fire TV/Fire Tablets to something without the word “Fire” in it. It’s a little too accurate now.
CNN’s full story is definitely worth a read when you have the time. They did extensive testing and spoke to many of Amazon’s victims. This report has been in the making for some time, and is worth checking out.
Sources:
- Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, CNN
- Jay Peters, The Verge
- Chelsea Steiner, The Mary Sue