A light-hearted story of a dodgy kettle
Discussion
I bought a new kettle. It wasn't very good in that it splurted when you poured. But after a few whoops moments, I learned not to fill it full and to wait until all the boiling had subsided before pouring. No kettle before or since has been as bad. Anyhows fast forward a few months and someone not versed with the foibles of the kettle has a mega splurge and gets a painful burn. So I go and get a new kettle. A very nice splurt-free Dualit. Phew, back to normal kettle land.
On a dull Saturday evening I go on to the kettle vendor website, send a message to cust services telling them about their dodge kettle and invite them to do something. The response is very meh, leave it long enough to settle. A bit irked, I respond saying I was unimpressed with their interest level. They then ask me to send it back for investigation (offering to collect), very nice customer service.
A few weeks pass and I get a letter from their solicitor. Odd I think, I thought they'd say thanks for complaining, sorry about the problem, here's a new non-splurging kettle. Just normal customer service. I guess I was naive as I am now in the PI world. The lawyer wants a load of details from me with name, address, NI number, DoB, pics of the injury, time kettle left to stand, level kettle was filled.... Clearly just defending a potential PI claim. And mentioning I can get legal advice if I want to.
And to the question. The lawyer said it was the law that they need to report the person ID details to the DWP in case the person has had health-care because of the incident. I think she means 'claims any benefits' as the DWP are not the DoH. Is that true do you think?
And philosophically, I'm not going to putting in a PI claim. I'm not that bothered about the kettle. I'm a bit disappointed that you can't even make a product complaint and get a good bit of customer service!
Bert
PS a friend who has been involved in the dodgy PI world says a burn that leaves a scar is 'worth' £1500. Even without a scar, if I say I'm going to a no win no fee lawyer, they'll likely bung me £500 to stop me. What a crazy world we live in!
On a dull Saturday evening I go on to the kettle vendor website, send a message to cust services telling them about their dodge kettle and invite them to do something. The response is very meh, leave it long enough to settle. A bit irked, I respond saying I was unimpressed with their interest level. They then ask me to send it back for investigation (offering to collect), very nice customer service.
A few weeks pass and I get a letter from their solicitor. Odd I think, I thought they'd say thanks for complaining, sorry about the problem, here's a new non-splurging kettle. Just normal customer service. I guess I was naive as I am now in the PI world. The lawyer wants a load of details from me with name, address, NI number, DoB, pics of the injury, time kettle left to stand, level kettle was filled.... Clearly just defending a potential PI claim. And mentioning I can get legal advice if I want to.
And to the question. The lawyer said it was the law that they need to report the person ID details to the DWP in case the person has had health-care because of the incident. I think she means 'claims any benefits' as the DWP are not the DoH. Is that true do you think?
And philosophically, I'm not going to putting in a PI claim. I'm not that bothered about the kettle. I'm a bit disappointed that you can't even make a product complaint and get a good bit of customer service!
Bert
PS a friend who has been involved in the dodgy PI world says a burn that leaves a scar is 'worth' £1500. Even without a scar, if I say I'm going to a no win no fee lawyer, they'll likely bung me £500 to stop me. What a crazy world we live in!
I had the opposite (cue fascinating kettle story).
After 5 years of using a top-of-the-range Marks & Spenser's cordless electric kettle (no complaints there) it died. Being a hoarder, I though that I'd have the cable and plug off it "for a project" before I binned it. On opening up the base, I found to my horror that the live wire had been out of place and one of the screws holding the base together had torn through the insulation and was now, when plugged in, live itself! The screwhead was recessed about 2mm which had kept me from disaster.
These things happen, but lessons could be learnt about better design (so a misplaced wire was not in danger of touching the screws), so I bunged off an email to M&S with pictures, and offering to send the lethal item (base only) to them if they sent me a postpaid envelope. Their reply was that they couldn't deal with it at HQ, so I should take it to a local store and let the Customer Service desk take a look and decide how dangerous it was! As if they were qualified... Our local store couldn't do anything as it was a "Food Store" and it was an hour's round trip plus parking to take it to a big M&S. You won't be surprised to hear that it went into the bin, along with my estimation of the M&S customer service.
After 5 years of using a top-of-the-range Marks & Spenser's cordless electric kettle (no complaints there) it died. Being a hoarder, I though that I'd have the cable and plug off it "for a project" before I binned it. On opening up the base, I found to my horror that the live wire had been out of place and one of the screws holding the base together had torn through the insulation and was now, when plugged in, live itself! The screwhead was recessed about 2mm which had kept me from disaster.
These things happen, but lessons could be learnt about better design (so a misplaced wire was not in danger of touching the screws), so I bunged off an email to M&S with pictures, and offering to send the lethal item (base only) to them if they sent me a postpaid envelope. Their reply was that they couldn't deal with it at HQ, so I should take it to a local store and let the Customer Service desk take a look and decide how dangerous it was! As if they were qualified... Our local store couldn't do anything as it was a "Food Store" and it was an hour's round trip plus parking to take it to a big M&S. You won't be surprised to hear that it went into the bin, along with my estimation of the M&S customer service.
From the details given, I don't think they're "defending" a claim". I think that they think you are making one, on behalf of the injured person.
It is (broadly) true that any claim for injury you submit to an insurer must be registered with the DWP. This is because any benefits paid to the injured person as a result of the injury, are recoverable from the insurer. IE Your "victim" was on job seekers allowance but for a couple of weeks switched to "incapacity" benefit, then the latter paid benefit falls due from the insurer. Ditto if emergency treatment was sought at an NHS facility, there is a standard treatment charge recoverable, of about £665.
And this is why all those * (pick your favourite scapegoat) who attend hospital to "document" their "whiplash" cost us all so much. Each person who attends, costs the insurer £665 or more if they went in an ambulance. And that's just a single visit with discharge. If the person has a proper accident, then the NHS can recover up to about £44k in treatment charges if they were detained through serious injury.
If you're not making a claim, just ignore them, or better still tell them, they'll stop bothering you. But at the moment they're trying to "capture" you to deal direct, to save the costs of you going to some robbing, probably North Western England based solicitors from the CH or L postcodes.
It is (broadly) true that any claim for injury you submit to an insurer must be registered with the DWP. This is because any benefits paid to the injured person as a result of the injury, are recoverable from the insurer. IE Your "victim" was on job seekers allowance but for a couple of weeks switched to "incapacity" benefit, then the latter paid benefit falls due from the insurer. Ditto if emergency treatment was sought at an NHS facility, there is a standard treatment charge recoverable, of about £665.
And this is why all those * (pick your favourite scapegoat) who attend hospital to "document" their "whiplash" cost us all so much. Each person who attends, costs the insurer £665 or more if they went in an ambulance. And that's just a single visit with discharge. If the person has a proper accident, then the NHS can recover up to about £44k in treatment charges if they were detained through serious injury.
If you're not making a claim, just ignore them, or better still tell them, they'll stop bothering you. But at the moment they're trying to "capture" you to deal direct, to save the costs of you going to some robbing, probably North Western England based solicitors from the CH or L postcodes.
Thanks, that makes sense. I'm certainly not making a claim and I doubt technically I could claim on behalf of another adult without some powers to do that. It's very interesting to see this all in action - I had no idea it would kick off. Now I am where I am, when all I wanted was a little customer service sympathy that the kettle was poor, the idea of some money just sitting there is very tantalising. But I will not be claiming. I will re-ask for a new kettle though!
Bert
Bert
Jujuuk68 said:
From the details given, I don't think they're "defending" a claim". I think that they think you are making one, on behalf of the injured person.
It is (broadly) true that any claim for injury you submit to an insurer must be registered with the DWP. This is because any benefits paid to the injured person as a result of the injury, are recoverable from the insurer. IE Your "victim" was on job seekers allowance but for a couple of weeks switched to "incapacity" benefit, then the latter paid benefit falls due from the insurer. Ditto if emergency treatment was sought at an NHS facility, there is a standard treatment charge recoverable, of about £665.
And this is why all those * (pick your favourite scapegoat) who attend hospital to "document" their "whiplash" cost us all so much. Each person who attends, costs the insurer £665 or more if they went in an ambulance. And that's just a single visit with discharge. If the person has a proper accident, then the NHS can recover up to about £44k in treatment charges if they were detained through serious injury.
If you're not making a claim, just ignore them, or better still tell them, they'll stop bothering you. But at the moment they're trying to "capture" you to deal direct, to save the costs of you going to some robbing, probably North Western England based solicitors from the CH or L postcodes.
It is (broadly) true that any claim for injury you submit to an insurer must be registered with the DWP. This is because any benefits paid to the injured person as a result of the injury, are recoverable from the insurer. IE Your "victim" was on job seekers allowance but for a couple of weeks switched to "incapacity" benefit, then the latter paid benefit falls due from the insurer. Ditto if emergency treatment was sought at an NHS facility, there is a standard treatment charge recoverable, of about £665.
And this is why all those * (pick your favourite scapegoat) who attend hospital to "document" their "whiplash" cost us all so much. Each person who attends, costs the insurer £665 or more if they went in an ambulance. And that's just a single visit with discharge. If the person has a proper accident, then the NHS can recover up to about £44k in treatment charges if they were detained through serious injury.
If you're not making a claim, just ignore them, or better still tell them, they'll stop bothering you. But at the moment they're trying to "capture" you to deal direct, to save the costs of you going to some robbing, probably North Western England based solicitors from the CH or L postcodes.
Went shopping for a new kettle earlier this year when the Philips one we had started leaking through the switch hole and onto the base. A known issue apparently.
The Philips was useful, before becoming an electrocution hazard, as it was marked for a single cup boil. After going through lots of reviews and looking at fancy, read expensive, glass walled, LCD multi temperature and instant boiler kettles nothing appeared worth buying.
I ended up buying a basic, plastic Bosch kettle for less than £20. It will do one cup, boils really rapidly and pours well. It has excellent reviews, except for some people that think it is a bit noisy because their old lower wattage that took longer to boil was quieter.
Was that a good enough kettle based ramble?
The Philips was useful, before becoming an electrocution hazard, as it was marked for a single cup boil. After going through lots of reviews and looking at fancy, read expensive, glass walled, LCD multi temperature and instant boiler kettles nothing appeared worth buying.
I ended up buying a basic, plastic Bosch kettle for less than £20. It will do one cup, boils really rapidly and pours well. It has excellent reviews, except for some people that think it is a bit noisy because their old lower wattage that took longer to boil was quieter.
Was that a good enough kettle based ramble?
darker grapefruit said:
As this is a light-hearted thread:-
I went into a shop and I said, "Can someone sell me a kettle." The bloke said "Kenwood" I said, "Where is he?"
(Tim Vine)
Haha, brilliant, I do like a Tim Vine one liner, One of my favourites is the one along the lines of " I did have a joke about a badger, sadly it was too big to fit in the set."I went into a shop and I said, "Can someone sell me a kettle." The bloke said "Kenwood" I said, "Where is he?"
(Tim Vine)
Davie_GLA said:
And i'm reminded of one of the best threads ever created within this site where a bloke pissed in his (perfectly working) kettle. Still i laugh at that.
Wasn't it a mate of someone who pissed in hotel kettles? It's stayed with me ever since and I always spend a good amount of time washing out kettles in hotels from the fear of drinking piss tainted coffee.....
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