Kmart shopper says popular kitchen item caught fire TWICE
A Kmart customer has issued an urgent warning to fellow shoppers, claiming that the rice cookers she purchased from the retailer both caught fire.
Kayla Grace, from Melbourne, told her cautionary tale to Yahoo News after witnessing the second Anko 7 Cup Rice Cooker she'd purchased in three years burst into flames.
After the second incident, Ms Grace decided it was time to speak up and warn others of the potential danger the $14 rice cooker posed.
"Just a warning. My Kmart rice cooker has caught on fire! This is the second Kmart rice cooker to do so," wrote Ms Grace in a Facebook post.
Twice unlucky
Ms Grace told Yahoo News that she assumed it was an isolated fault when her first Kmart rice cooker caught fire, which is why she bought another one.
"I thought it was a one-off product fault, but clearly it's a thing for all of them," she said.
"It was smoking and there was a small flame," she said.
The Melburnian explained that both rice cookers were around 18 months old when they caught fire. The second appliance had only been used six times.
She lamented that she didn't inform Kmart of her experience with the first rice cooker, but vowed to notify them this time.
Kmart investigating customer's rice cooker issue
A Kmart spokesperson told Yahoo News that the retailer is aware of the customer's issue with the rice cooker and were conducting an investigation.
"At Kmart we take the safety and quality of our products very seriously. We are aware of this customer's issue and have recently been in contact with them to chat further and conduct an investigation," said the spokesperson.
"We encourage any customer who experiences issues with a product to get in touch with our customer service team at Kmartcustomerservice@kmart.com.au to ensure that it can be investigated properly."
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Kmart shoppers share similar experiences of 'burning' rice cookers
It appears Ms Grace is not alone in her experience with Kmart's discount rice cooker, as dozens of people have shared similar stories.
"I've returned three of them because they were smoking! Didn't get another one. I have now mastered the stove," wrote one shopper.
"I have had two that left a burning smell then stopped working after one use," wrote a second.
"I've gone through three that have blown up. Not caught fire, but a bang and loss of power due to the surge," wrote a third.
One woman shared that she returned her rice cooker after the plastic around the heating element melted, while another complained it spat rice all over her kitchen countertops.
Another woman revealed that her Kmart air fryer "caught fire too".
'Never done this'
However, not everyone has had the same experience with Kmart's rice cooker – with some claiming they had been using theirs for several years without any issues.
"Had mine for 10 years, never done this," said one woman.
"I've had the same one for 7 years, no problem," said another.
Others pointed out that perhaps it was a "factory fault" that only impacted new models, or a certain "batch".
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