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I bought a rather expensive Rowenta and am dismayed to find that it spits dirty water. I got water stains on a quilt and a ring bearer pillow. I just purchased a Reliable V100 from Quilt in a Day on sale. I have a Reliable that I use in the house, and now I have one for my sewing studio, too. The Rowenta will go on a shelf.
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Congrats on your winning a blue ribbon on your quilt! I, too, think I would follow up with the product safety council. I think they should pay your medical expenses, and pay for the fabric that was ruined.
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Wow what a statement! Please keep us informed. I don't have a Rowenta but my daughter does so I will be warning her. Congrats on your win!
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First of all congratulations on your quilt! Would live to see a picture of it. Boy the iron story is scary. I do too believe in flukes but man made things came be defective. I hope you wrote the time, date and name of the rep you spoke to and if you did it may help when speaking with the company. I have one of those Aliso automatic stand up irons. I noticed yesterday the handle was awfully hot when I was ironing. Your story is going to make me pay more attention to what is going on with the iron. Does anyone have any feedback about those irons? I guess I will start researching ironsnow. Thanks for opening my eyes about the danger of irons...a little caution can go along ways! Oh yeah my iron spit yesterday too.
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Originally Posted by mrodarme
(Post 5457417)
i just put a rowenta iron in the trash last week....i was doing quite a bit of ironing, tops & back to go to the quilter...i went & pulled out the cord & the plug was HOT!!!!...i thought maybe i just was running it too long & too high....the next day i switched to my shark, same amt of ironing time...the plug was cool when i pulled it out...tried my rowenta again in another plug; same thing...very hot to the touch....i decided it wasnt worth it...i did inspect the cord, no cracks, opening, bends, etc...i wont get another...its not worth the risk...shame on rowenta for their carefree attitude...i wonder their reply if it was their house that burned.....monica in texas
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I'm sorry about the injury and hastle you have had with Rowenta.....I firmly believe in having everything in writing both ways.....Its too bad you don't have written proof of the response you received. I think that would give you more leverage. Well anyway be glad that your lovely quilt won and that you are o.k. No don't use that iron that they sent you. I'm glad I read this as I have a Rowenta and will definitely check mine out. It has been sputtering as others have mentioned....so its time for a new one, new brand.
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What a scary thing to happen. I do hope your hand is okay. They surely missed the boat in handling this situation. I definitely would go to the Consumers Safety Commission & report this. You may save someone else from an even more serious injury or worse. I definitely will NOT buy a Rowenta iron. I have a Tfal iron & love it. No problems at all except with the auto shut off but that seems to be a common problem with that option. It shuts off on me but only when I am doing LOTS of pressing. A couple of shakes & it comes back on but it is annoying at times.
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Congrats upon receiving a Blue Ribbon at the state fair.
Obviously using or not using the iron is your choice. I personally have never had any issues with my rowenta iron, the only kind I use. Though it is very important to note that any electrical appliance can become a hazard if the cord's attachment to the iron or at the plug-in becomes worn out. If the cord is frequently at an odd angle it stresses it more. And of course I can agree with their assessment anything that is used a lot will become weak and thus become a fire hazard, obviously very few items are made to last these days. Always inspect your iron. Good luck and enjoy your accolades. |
I HAD Rowenta iron also and it got to smoking so we called the company and they said to send it to a place
in Bellevue Washington to have it fixed. We did just that and then when they received it they called and said it was not worth fixing so we called the Rowenta company again and they sent us a new Rowenta iron. In the mean time I went out and bought a new GE iron and love it . The Rowenta is still in the box on the shelf which is where it probably will stay. There have been others on this board with the same problems witht the Rowenta iron. Glad you won a blue ribbon at the fair that made the problem even sweeter. |
Kay, where in Iowa are you? I'm in Carroll, west of DesMoines. SR-30 and SR-71 crosses thru us.
Suz in Iowa |
Congrats on your blue ribbon for your quilt and glad you got a new iron out of the deal.
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Originally Posted by sewmary
(Post 5457141)
Unless you recorded the conversation with the Rowenta employee, it will be a case of he said-she said. You can't prove that is what was said.
Also, you should report it to Product Safety but I think you should never have sent the iron itself back to Rowenta. You now have lost your only proof of what happened. I am a real cynic when it comes to working with corporations. Do not expect them to do the right thing unless they are forced to. If this iron is a real hazard, it should be recalled. As for the new iron - there is no way I would use it. |
All these posts are making me rethink leaving my GE plugged in all the time. It has automatic shut off but the light is always on, indicating that it's plugged in. (My kids come to the house, see the light, think I've forgotten it, and unplug it!)
Maybe it's not safe to leave it plugged in for long periods. |
I have always used Sunbeam or Black & Decker. I couldn't pay that much for an iron. Even on a cheap iron I have never had a cord do that. That doesn't speak to well of their company.
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#1 Put up a picture of your winning quilt!!!!!
#2 How do you "check" wires that are inside a protectively wrapped cord? #3 I had a waffle iron cord blow up on me and put a hole right through my dress and panties and gave me a small burn also. But it was one of the first electric waffle irons ever! and I had leaned on it. My father remembered using it when he was a young boy and he was born in 1912! He rewired it and my mom mended my dress. awwww. memories.. |
I had several irons, I used one that I thought of as my "new" iron - one day I looked and saw the manufacture date was 1970!! Now I use a Tfal iron, I love it, the plate stays nice and clean. I don't trust the auto-shut off feature so I unplug it. I don't trust any electric appliances.
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Congratulations on the blue ribbon. I would not hesitate for a minute to use the new Rowenta. I love mine and have never had a minute's trouble with it and it is just about the same age as yours.froggyintexas
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I've had Rowenta irons in the past and hated them.... mine always spit water everywhere... so I probably wouldn't use it (but not for safety reasons!).
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I would love to see a picture of your winning quilt! I was a Home Ec teacher for 25 years and always heard how wonderful Rowentas were but I could never afford one. When I retired I splurged and bought myself one from Costco. It wasn't cheap even there. It lasted only about 6 mos before it shorted out. I called and wrote to Rowenta and received no compensation what so ever. I returned it to Costco and received a replacement. It spit almost from the getgo. No more Rowentas for me, I was extremely disappointed in them. Our local quilt store told me that they use to sell Reliables, which are also pricey, but quit because no one had heard of them. I ordered a Reliable from Amazon and have been extremely happy with it. It has automatic shut off but you can disable that feature and it stays hot which I love when I am piecing.
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Originally Posted by mme3924
(Post 5459108)
All these posts are making me rethink leaving my GE plugged in all the time. It has automatic shut off but the light is always on, indicating that it's plugged in. (My kids come to the house, see the light, think I've forgotten it, and unplug it!)
Maybe it's not safe to leave it plugged in for long periods. |
Hi Suz - I live at Otho, Iowa - south of Fort Dodge 8 miles. Know exactly where Carroll is as we travel thru there on our way to the airport in Omaha when we travel to California - our youngest son lives in Roseville. Also have a cousin that lives in Carroll.
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First of all, congratulations on your Blue Ribbon Quilt
About your iron, my DH worked for a company a few years ago repairing merchandise that was returned to the point of purchase. The company he worked for bought pallets of this returned merchandise, repaired it and resold it or disposed of it if it couldn't be repaired. Several Rowenta irons came across his desk. Most of them were not repairable due to the temperature circuit board shorting out because of moisture inside the iron and the company would not allow them to purchase new circuit boards. DH was very surprised at the number of these irons that were returned because he had always heard that they were top of the line. I am glad you weren't hurt any worse than you were and you didn't lose your home. Please pursue this with the Product Safety Council. It might save someone's life.
Originally Posted by Kay in Iowa
(Post 5456551)
Well, after a very busy summer, I finally sent in my iron that caught on fire as I was using it. I sent with it, photos of my burnt hand as well as photos of the big burn hole in my backing fabric. I received a phone call from Rowenta about 10 days ago while we were at the Iowa State Fair. Their representative told me the iron was manufactured in 2007 - I probably didn't use it until 2009 I think - maybe 2010 - but they had the results from looking at the iron and he said the cord has "tiny wires in it that break from using the iron" - I said, "so it was a defective cord" - "Oh no - it was just used a lot and this happens quite often"................to say I was STUNDED was an understatement. He actually told me "this happens quite often"...........BEWARE - BEWARE. I told him I have been ironing for over 60 years and I certainly hope it NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN! I am still in a state of disbelief! Since I was outside the building that had the State Fire Marshal's display at the State Fair when he called me on my cell phone - I went in and talked to the State Building Code Inspector. He advised me to contact the Product Safety Council which I intend to do. We arrived home last night and here was a box with a new Rowenta iron in it. Now - here's the question - would you use it? And, if not, what iron would you buy? I have two other Rowentas and now I'm gun shy. I'm kind of anxious about the whole thing. Oh - one more thing - the quilt I made that caught on fire - I embroidered a patch for that section of the backing - and would you believe I WON A BLUE RIBBON ON THE QUILT at the Iowa State Fair................happy dance, happy dance! ! ! Will try and get a picture on soon.
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happy your quilt won at the state fair !! But sorry for your Rowenta problems. When mine started leaking within the first year, they did replace it, no questions asked. Then the replacement one started leaking within a year (same area as the first one and it was a different model) so I've sworn off Rowenta irons. Not worth the price to me.
After that, I bought a few cheaper models with the same results. Almost a year ago, I bought a Shark Professional Iron (don't know model # off hand) but it's a great iron for $40. I either bought it at Target or WalMart. It's a nice heavy weight like the Rowenta but has a much larger water reservoir and several levels of steam. I'm very happy with this iron and, now that my other cheaper iron (although I paid $30) is starting to leak, I'll replace it with another Shark. I hope you get some results from your burned hand. We trust these companies and they should stand behind their products, especially at the prices we pay. |
I leave my Rowenta plugged into a power strip surge protector on top of my ironing board table. When I finish using it, I turn off the power at the strip...the little light switch button. Is that a problem or is there something I need to know regarding safety?
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I have a Rowenta that I've had several years. There is a heavy plastic sleeve around the cord at the base of the iron that extends about 3" down the cord so when the cord tries to bend, it prevents it, if that makes any sense. Now I understand why they've done that. Thanks for the info.
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Hi Nana Jan - That sleeve you speak of was on my iron as well - it blew off about 1/4" down from the bottom of the sleeve - it was snow white - it looked like someone had cut it off there - not one bit of smoke on it at all - but the rest of the iron had smoke all over it and my hand was BLACK......and burnt. One would think that if the cord had a short in it from a wire breaking - as they told me - from using it - there would be smoke at that point - but there was NO SMOKE there. And - there was NO bend in the cord at all - that was why I was so interested in their telling me exactly what happened INSIDE the iron. But - that didn't happen. It made NO SENSE TO ME at all. But - you can't fight city hall - so here sits the new iron and I don't know if I'll use it or not. I believe something shorted out inside the iron. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.............LOL!
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I had a Rowenta and loved it but it did start leaking after a couple of years. Writing to the company got no response. I was disappointed because I treated it very well...emptied it every single time I finished using it and used only Spring water. I loved it but wouldn't buy another one. I bought a less expensive (than Rowenta) but heavy duty Sunbeam years before the Rowenta and it's still going strong. I keep one iron upstairs and one downstairs so I always need double but I won't splurge for a Rowenta again. Their customer service is not their forte for sure!
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I have two Rowenta's and love them. I am sure it was a fluke or we would be hearing more about it. I would use them and just make sure they are unpluged before leaving the room ot leaving the house. I think they are good iron's and will continue to use mine but with caution, LOL and congrats on your win on the Quilt, would love to see a pic.:)
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I just have to tell you....I gave up on the Rowenta brand of irons. At one hundred dollars or more a piece, I have gone through THREE on their irons in the last two years! They all had a problem with leaking water all over the ironing board and my projects. I now use cheap irons and get much better results. Some times the price does not indicate a better product.
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He acted to flip about the problem, like...yeah, so? Wow! I would call them back and talk to someone over his head and tell them what he said to you. He doesn't need to be working with the public. I leave my iron plugged in all the time and now I'm scared. I will check the cord. If he says it's known to happen to his irons, then it probably has to happen to other irons as well. People, check your cords well. We don't want to lose anything or any pets or anyone.
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Wow! Never thought to check the cord on my iron. I will now!!
Congrats on your blue ribbon! |
A new iron?? well they could of sent you a check as well for all the problems .. Geesh, I guess I expected better customer service than that for such a name brand ..
Congratulations on your win !! That is awesome.... |
i bought a kitchen aid mixer last december, second time i used it it caught on fire. ok..took it back to kohls, got a refund ,told the worker that it caught on fire, no problem...next day i was at kohls and there was the mixer on the display. so i ask for store manager..told him that it had caught on fire..took 3 complaints before it was taken off the shelf..i finally told the head corp store if the mixer caught on fire again and someone got hurt i would testify that i bought it back and told the store it had caught on fire.. then i called kitchen aid..they gave me a bunch of grief about it too.i wasnt trying to quote get anything out of ka..just wanted them to know kohls put a defected machine back on the shelf.geez doesnt anyone care anymore!!!!!!!
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WOW! Wonder if the person who told you this happens 'quite often' still has a job??? I've never heard of this happening and I'm 65:) Iron-wise, although I've never had a Rowenta and I do read comments about people who like them, I've read too many negatives about them for the price you pay. I have loved a Black & Decker digital advantage. After many years of use (including use by lots of people at retreats) it has started to leak. I wouldn't hesitate to use the one they sent but suggest plugging it into a power strip and turning the strip off so there's no power to it when not in use - or simply unplug it every time. Anyway, congrats on the creative solution to the damage and for winning a ribbon for the quilt!!!
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Congratulations on winning the blue ribbon! That is just great!
I also would pursue them for the price of your backing material and the damage to your hand. I would make copies of all the bills you incurred getting treatment for it. Do not send them any of the real bills in case you need to hire a lawyer. I would also go after pain and suffering as the use of your hand is invaluable. If you know an electrician, get him or her to check out the iron they sent you for safety hazards. Explain what happened with the last iron so they know what to look for. Put your safety first as you have a job to look after your family. Think about your own worth and the value of your house and anyone else who might suffer from the loss of it.You are a very valuable person and should proceed as such. Congratulations again and best wishes that you get a decent settlement. Be very careful when using your new iron. |
Was it one of the models that are made in China?
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Originally Posted by JustAbitCrazy
(Post 5459651)
It's not safe to leave electrical appliances plugged in when not in use. If there is a power surge, the items can get ruined. While plugged in and not in use, they are still consuming some electricity and running up your bill (for nothing). An electrical appliance can start a fire while not in use, and only plugged in, even if no one is at home. People have had their homes burned to the ground in exactly that way. You don't think that by leaving an inexpensive item (like a toaster) plugged in that you are entrusting to it the safety and welfare of everyone and everything in the home, but you are. In my home only major appliances and clocks are left plugged in all the time, plus a few lamps which are plugged in behind large pieces of furniture (bed, couch), making it hard to access them. Anything small or which can be easily unplugged (like my washing machine and clothes dryer) is always unplugged when not in use.
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Originally Posted by Kay in Iowa
(Post 5460618)
Hi Nana Jan - That sleeve you speak of was on my iron as well - it blew off about 1/4" down from the bottom of the sleeve - it was snow white - it looked like someone had cut it off there - not one bit of smoke on it at all - but the rest of the iron had smoke all over it and my hand was BLACK......and burnt. One would think that if the cord had a short in it from a wire breaking - as they told me - from using it - there would be smoke at that point - but there was NO SMOKE there. And - there was NO bend in the cord at all - that was why I was so interested in their telling me exactly what happened INSIDE the iron. But - that didn't happen. It made NO SENSE TO ME at all. But - you can't fight city hall - so here sits the new iron and I don't know if I'll use it or not. I believe something shorted out inside the iron. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.............LOL!
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This story did have a good ending after all ! I would use the new iron - that was one in a million fire..
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I’ll add my electrical fire experience. It was a leaf blower. After blowing leaves for 30 minutes, I had to drop it because it got super hot, started smoking, ready to go up in flames. There was no debris or clogged material in the blower. I had checked to make sure I had the correct guage extension cord, but forgot that joining multiple 100’ cords would cause a power drop which resulted in overheating. Electricity is funny.
I’m not saying that the timer the OP used with her iron contributed to the fire. I’m sure it didn’t since the travel iron doesn’t pull that much juice. I’m just reminding people who use timers, extension cords, or surge protectors to check the electrical ratings on them and be sure the combination of iron, sewing machine, television, lights, whatever is plugged in, doesn’t exceed its capacity rating. I’m lucky, I can plug my iron directly into the wall outlet. The cord on my iron is 7’ long (actually about 88”) and has a swivel on it which I assume is to prevent wire breakage from winding up the cord around the iron. I never wind the cord, I just puddle it around the base when not in use, unplugged. Not preaching, just saying. |
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