First Report of Instant Heating Water Purifier Fire
Fire Caused by Short Circuit in Hot Water Heating Component
Subsequent Promise to "Strive for Customer Service and Product Safety"
A report has emerged that a fire broke out after turning on the hot water of a popular domestic water purifier.
It was confirmed that a fire occurred due to an electric leakage in the component that instantly heats the hot water of the water purifier. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 28th, Yonhap News reported the case of Mr. A, a man in his 60s. On the morning of the 5th, Mr. A turned on the hot water of the water purifier. Then smoke rose from the purifier, followed by sparks, so he quickly unplugged the power cord.
Mr. A reported the fire incident to the company. The company responded, "We are busy and will come in four days." When Mr. A's husband, Mr. B, protested, a repair technician came that afternoon and confirmed the fire. Upon inspection, parts used for heating the hot water were completely burnt or melted, and black ashes appeared to have spread to other components. The water purifier company's customer center contacted Mr. A's side two days later and said it would take three days to replace the product, offering to deduct 2,000 won from the rental fee and additionally pay 4,000 won for bottled water expenses during the period when the purifier could not be used.
Mr. B said, "If we had not unplugged the water purifier's power cord immediately when the fire started, a major fire could have occurred. We are living in a country house built with 1 billion won after leaving Seoul, and my wife and I could have been in serious danger," adding, "However, the water purifier company's representatives responded as if nothing had happened, which I found problematic. We decided to make this public because we believe others could suffer the same damage."
It was confirmed that a fire occurred due to an electric leakage in the component that instantly heats the hot water of the water purifier. [Image source=Yonhap News]
He added, "The water purifier is a new product installed two months ago. If a fire broke out in such a product, the company should take it seriously, check if there are any safety issues for customers, come immediately, and apologize. I was angry at their attitude of completely neglecting the customer. We do not want a single won in compensation. We just hope the company pays more attention to customer safety and service," he emphasized.
The company reportedly visited Mr. and Mrs. A and apologized sincerely until their anger subsided after media coverage began. A company official said, "We first apologize to the customer who experienced inconvenience due to this incident. The main parts of our water purifier are made of fire-resistant materials, and the product is designed with safety in mind, making the possibility of internal ignition very low. This case was identified as damage caused by an electrical short circuit, and we will take thorough measures to prevent recurrence," he explained. He added, "Furthermore, we will strive to improve service training to ensure more sincere customer responses without any gaps," and "We also contacted the customer again to explain and resolve the matter amicably."
The problematic water purifier operates by instant heating without a hot water storage tank, and it has been confirmed that this is the first fire incident since the product was developed over 10 years ago.
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