I'm stunned that an employee of Rowenta would say that (no- I don't doubt what you heard, I am just scratching my head that he would SAY those words). Basically - he freely admitted that Rowenta has a safety issue that has been known for a long time ... HUGE product liability!!!
I would definitely pursue this with Product Safety Council as there are other people out there with this product that might not be as lucky as you - they could lose their homes or ... their lives.