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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/nov/03/risky-tumble-dryers-putting-profit-before-people
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| Risky tumble dryers putting profit before people | Risky tumble dryers putting profit before people |
| (2 months later) | |
| Letters | |
| Fri 3 Nov 2017 18.51 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 14.21 GMT | |
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| How can it be the case that “An estimated 1m ‘faulty’ tumble dryers at risk of bursting into flames are still in UK homes” (Report, 1 November)? Two years ago, in November 2015, Whirlpool finally admitted that there were some 3.8m potentially faulty tumble dryers across the UK – prone to catching fire. Their response? Something along the lines of “we’ll get round to repair at some point, and in the meantime don’t use them unattended”. Whirlpool did not issue a product recall, nor did regulators require them to do so. | How can it be the case that “An estimated 1m ‘faulty’ tumble dryers at risk of bursting into flames are still in UK homes” (Report, 1 November)? Two years ago, in November 2015, Whirlpool finally admitted that there were some 3.8m potentially faulty tumble dryers across the UK – prone to catching fire. Their response? Something along the lines of “we’ll get round to repair at some point, and in the meantime don’t use them unattended”. Whirlpool did not issue a product recall, nor did regulators require them to do so. |
| When, in August 2016, a fire caused the evacuation of a Shepherd’s Bush tower block, Whirlpool stuck by this advice – and it was only six months later that customers were told not to use the dryers and unplug them. Even in the light of a much more recent and much more tragic fire in a West London high rise – at Grenfell Tower – triggered, it is believed, by a Whirlpool fridge freezer – no tumble dryer recall has been issued, nor have customers with a dryer they dare not plug in been recompensed. In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, “regulation” and “enforcement” to protect public safety very quickly came back in vogue, mouthed positively rather than spat out in disgust by politicians. How quickly that has changed, as tongues are bitten to preserve corporate profit.Steve TombsProfessor of criminology, Open University | When, in August 2016, a fire caused the evacuation of a Shepherd’s Bush tower block, Whirlpool stuck by this advice – and it was only six months later that customers were told not to use the dryers and unplug them. Even in the light of a much more recent and much more tragic fire in a West London high rise – at Grenfell Tower – triggered, it is believed, by a Whirlpool fridge freezer – no tumble dryer recall has been issued, nor have customers with a dryer they dare not plug in been recompensed. In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, “regulation” and “enforcement” to protect public safety very quickly came back in vogue, mouthed positively rather than spat out in disgust by politicians. How quickly that has changed, as tongues are bitten to preserve corporate profit.Steve TombsProfessor of criminology, Open University |
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