- A massager that was sold across the United States is now being recalled by the company that made it.
- The Wahl Clipper Corporation is recalling all of its Deluxe Heat Therapy Massagers (Model 4212) due to the potential for them to produce smoke and even sparks, which is a serious fire hazard.
- The company is asking anyone who purchased one of these massagers to stop using it immediately and return it to the company.
We could all use a bit more relaxation in our lives, whether that comes in the form of adopting a new habit, like meditation, or just kicking back and doing a bit of self-care by giving yourself a massage. Unfortunately for anyone who invested in one particular massager, the company that made it is now recalling all of them because they could start a fire.
Wahl Clipper Corporation — which is better known for making hair-cutting hardware than massagers — is recalling its Model 4212 Deluxe Heat Therapy Massager because a fault in its manufacturing could lead it to produce smoke and sparks. Smoke is one thing, but sparks are an entirely different story, and the product is now considered to be a serious fire hazard.
According to the recall bulletin posted by the US Food and Drug Administration, it has come to the attention of Wahl Clipper Corporation that there’s an issue with the connection between the massager and the attachment that generates the soothing heat. This connection “can overheat, causing smoke or spark, which may pose a fire hazard.”
The company provided an image that shows where the sparks and smoke are likely to come from:
Well! That would appear to be the very part of the unit that you would push against your sore muscles, and it’s probably the worst place in the world for sparks and smoke to come out. Because of this, the company is taking the extraordinary step of actually paying its customers to return the items, in addition to refunding them the purchase price.
The company “will facilitate the free return of your unit in exchange for a full refund plus an additional $10 for this inconvenience.” So, the company will pay for the shipping to return it, refund the cost of the unit itself (which is somewhere in the neighborhood of $30, depending on where it was purchased), plus an extra $10 as a sort of apology. Not bad!
One interesting note here is that, unlike many products that are recalled, the company doesn’t explain exactly how it came to realize the massagers were defective. There’s no mention of whether or not it was a customer complaint (or several), or if anyone was hurt, or if the massager caused damage to a home. Nevertheless, this is a pretty serious recall, so if you have one of these units in your home, follow the instructions on the recall page and get your refund, plus a little bonus.
