Name of Product:
WarmWave and Hunter Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heaters
Hazard:
The ceramic tower heater’s cord and plug can overheat when in use, posing fire and burn hazards.
Remedy:
Refund
Recall Date:
June 16, 2022
Units:
About 580,000 (In addition, about 37,580 in Canada)
Description:
This recall involves WarmWave and Hunter 18 inch 1,500-Watt Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heaters, under license to Sienhua Group (North America). The heaters are black with an automatic shutoff and two heat settings. The model number HPQ15G-M can be found on the silver ETL label on the bottom of the heater. The heaters are 18 inches tall.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled heaters, unplug the unit, and follow the instructions online at (www.homeproductservice.com/recall) on how to properly sever the electrical cord to make the unit unusable, and contact the distributor, Sienhua Group (North America), to receive a prorated refund.
Incidents/Injuries:
The firm has received eight customer reports of fire at the plug or cord and dozens of customer reports of the plug or cord overheating. There have been no reports of injury or death and one report of minor property damage.
Sold At:
Home Depot stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com, eBay, and other websites from September 2013 through February 2022 for about $30 to $40 depending on when purchased.
Distributor(s):
Sienhua Group (North America) Inc., of Arlington, Texas
Manufactured In:
China
Recall number:
22-168
Consumer contact: -
Sienhua Group at 800-267-7857 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET; via email at 18inCeramicHeaterRecall@gmail.com; or online at www.homeproductservice.com/recall for more information.
Original recall, updates and more images at CPSC
2 Replies to “Sienhua Group Recalls WarmWave and Hunter Ceramic Tower Heaters”
On June 27, 2022, I went online to https://homeproductservice.com/recall to apply for my refund for a Hunter Portable Heater that was recalled due to them catching on fire. After reviewing the requirements, which included needing a copy of the receipt from December 2017, as well as all required information that seemed excessive, I properly provided all required documentation as well as pictures and submitted everything on jot form. One month later, I did not hear from them so I contacted them on the number they provided 800-267-7857 to get a status update. The woman confirmed that everything was successfully submitted online and that I would be receiving a letter shortly with a prepaid envelope to return the cut cord for a full refund. I received the letter not too much later and put in the prepaid return envelope the cut cord, a copy of the receipt and stuck the two stickers from the bottom of the heater with the ETL and Date to the receipt so they would not get lost or misplaced once they opened the package. The package was returned in July so once again I had to wait. By September 16 when I had not heard from the company, I emailed them as to the status of my refund. When I did not get a response to my email, I called the number again on September 18 and the woman who answered the phone asked me for a bunch of personal information and then put me on a brief hold. Once the woman came back on the line, she confirmed that everything was received as requested and that it would take a total of 12 weeks to receive the refund. She advised me that if I did not receive the refund by the end of October to contact them again. On September 19, I received a reply email stating that it could take up to 12 weeks to receive my refund once they receive the mailer. By November 6, I still had not received my refund so I sent a stern email stating that I had jumped through hoops to get them everything they required and five months later is still did not receive my refund which was unacceptable. I requested that my case be escalated and requested that a manager call me back. On November 7, I receive a response stating ‘Your returned recall mailer was processed, but it did not include the ETL sticker and manufactured date code sticker we required to be returned. For this reason, the recall mailer was rejected and your refund was not approved.’ I immediately responded telling them that their email was incorrect and that everything was in the envelope and was confirmed by one of their staff in September. I demanded a callback and also provided them with another picture copy of the ETL sticker and the date, which honestly they should not have needed since I had now not only initially uploaded the stickers to jot-form but had also sent the originals in the envelope. I also advised that I never received a letter rejecting my case, I once again demanded to speak to someone or else I would be launching a formal complaint and no one ever responded to my emails or called me. Today, November 8, I called and spoke to a very young woman about this issue and demanded to speak to someone. She told me there was nothing she could do and that I should just resubmit everything again. I said to her how can I resubmit the original stickers again as well as the severed cord when you guys already have it and she said I don’t know there’s nothing I can do for you just email them again. I told her that I have emailed them twice and they are not responding and if I have to launch a formal complaint I will do so and she just responded I can’t do anything for you. Email them again and resubmit everything again still not getting the fact that you can only submit originals once. I have provided them with everything they required and they are still refusing to reimburse me for the product. Please help me get my money back.
Although we are unable to directly help you with your refund issue, we can make some suggestions which we hope will be useful.
The CPSC’s telephone Consumer Hotline staff are available to assist you between the hours of 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Eastern time, weekdays (excluding Federal holidays). The Hotline number is:(800) 638-2772.
Head over to the Better Business Bureau website at https://www.bbb.org/ Here you should be able to find the phone number for the local BBB office who may be able to provide assistance.
USA.gov has a list of your State Consumer Protection Offices https://www.usa.gov/state-consumer This is where the government recommends going to file a consumer complaint.
This is the heater company’s recall email address 18inCeramicHeaterRecall@gmail.com which you probably already know. It will at least allow you to keep a paper trail of your interactions with the company.
One other possibility is the store you purchased the heater from originally may have a procedure in place to help with recalls.
Apologies again for not being able to help in any other way.