I am not sure that I shared this story. In fact I am sure I didn't. It was unsettling to say the least.
About 1-2 months ago, not exactly sure of the time, my Rowenta Iron caught fire. No worries. There was no damage. That there could have been was troublesome. As quilters we rely on our Irons, almost daily. The reality is I do not Iron my clothing nearly as much as I iron the fabric I sew.
I was up in my quilting space ironing several large pieces of backing as well as a quilt top. As I ironed each piece I would then drape it over my quilting table in preparation for loading the quilt.
Now this particular iron had it's peculiarities, as do many electronic devices I own. It often would release steam at random. Usually while it sat waiting for me to pick it up to iron the next piece. I assumed that this was a method the iron used to cool it's self when it started to get to hot. Perhaps it is, I still do not know. What I do know is that this particular day when the iron started to make popping noises and smoke started to stream out of the iron I thought it was cooling. It wasn't until I started to smell burning plastic and the smoke alarm went off that I realized, "This is not steam."
I immediately unplugged the iron. As I sat I watched the smoke continue to wisp out of the iron. I started to wonder if perhaps leaving it on the ironing board, which happened to be sitting next to my antique dresser wasn't just a really bad idea. I checked the handle and it was cool. I gently carried the iron out and set it in the driveway. There it sat for 15-20 minutes and smoked. For a good 15 minutes a steady tendril of smokes twisted its way out from between the metal plate and the plastic body. It was truly amazing. Here the iron was UNPLUGGED and it was still burning.
I thought it best to contact Rowenta and see if this particular model had had any recent recalls or safety warnings. The woman I got was remarkably calm, almost bored, as I explained how my home could have just caught fire. The first words out of her mouth were not, "Oh, I am sorry." or "I hope no one was injured." Her first words were, "How much property was damaged?"
What?
Now, I realize when you are working for customer service you could get a little callous towards life or death situations. But, Really? I explained to her that there was no damage and that I was calling to make sure this situation would not happen to another individual. Another individual who may not have the same 'luck' that I had. Again she gave me a bored response as she explained that the model I have did not have any recalls or safety issues. She was also quick to inform me that my warranty was expired and that they could not issue me a new iron. Again, Really? I offered to send her the iron in the hope that if there was an electrical issue that, again people could be warned. Finally I got a little 'carring' out of her but it was brief. Her next statement explained that if the technicians found and issue I would not necessarily be issued a new iron. Again, I NEVER asked for one!
She took my information down and insured me I would get a copy of the technical evaluation. Nope. Now I could still get one, but I am not holding my breath. Here is the model # DZ 1500 if you would like to check yours.
What I got was a brand-new-iron. Yesterday, much to my surprise, a brand-spankin'-new iron was delivered to my house. No report, explanation, not even any paperwork in the box. Just and iron. I feel a bit like I am being bought off. Okay, I feel a lot like it! Hush money. A bribe. I don't know. All I do know is that I feel a little guilty and a lot dirty. I haven't even taken it out of the box yet.
