EE’s free Power Bar scheme backfires as it recalls up to 500,000 units.
After safety fears caused by reports of overheating, EE is asking customers to return all Power Bars with the model number E1-06 to their nearest store. The model number can be found on the side of the product near the CE mark (see below).
What Mobile understands that the affected Power Bars are from only one batch out of the seven. From the two million in circulation, a maximum of 500,000 are being recalled, many of which may already be in EE’s high street stores and warehouses.
A text message has been sent out to all EE customers who have received a Power Bar, informing them of the problem and asking them to check the website page www.ee.co.uk/recall for further details. Customers will be unable to use the Power Bar swap scheme while EE investigates the complaints.
A spokesman for EE gave this statement: “We have identified a very small number of incidents where Power Bars have overheated, all of which relate to batch E1-06 (written as Model:E1-06 on side), and could pose a fire safety risk.
“We are therefore recalling this batch, and requesting customers to stop using the Power Bar and return them to a local store at their earliest convenience. No other Power Bars are affected by this recall. It is our intention to replace these chargers once we have completed our investigations.”
The recall follows five reports of Power Bars overheating in a dangerous way and in one case causing serious burns to a customer’s hand (pictured right) when her bedroom caught fire after the Bar spontaneously caught fire.
The Power Bars are valued at £20 and each one provides customers with a free 2,600mAh battery charge for their smartphone. Once the charge is drained, it can be exchanged for a fully charged one for free in-store.
