Themomix has released a statement following allegations that a faulty seal on an appliance led to a Perth mother experiencing second-degree burns to her chest and upper body.
Danika Jones, who says that she has used the appliance every week since she purchased it two years ago, told WA Today that she was preparing a pasta sauce in her Thermomix when the door unexpectedly burst open, splattering hot liquid over her upper body.
“Towards the end of the [cooking] process, it was pureeing the sauce when it started making a funny noise and vibrating,” said Jones who recently had the seal of her appliance replaced.
“I walked over to turn it off and as I did that, it just exploded – the lid blew off and hot liquid went everywhere, all over me. The pain was intense.”
Thermomix say that the incident was reported to them over eight weeks ago and have since tried to contact with the customer on numerous occasions.
“We are aware of a reported incident with a TM31 appliance. This incident was reported to us eight weeks ago, and we have continually tried to engage with the customer involved to resolve this matter,” the statement reads.
“It is important that the appliance involved is made available for diagnosis, so that we can analyse how the TM31 was used and investigate whether operator error may have been a factor. The customer in this instance has so far declined to do this.”
In October 2014, the company posted advice to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) Product Safety Recalls Australia website which stated that in rare circumstances, a “potential product defect” relating to the Thermomix TM31 sealing ring “could lead to a scald or burn".
The advice stated that when a "potentially affected" Thermomix TM31 is operated at high RPMs, liquid or food may splash out of the mixing bowl when the user switches it to the ‘lid open’ position.
Thermomix say that the appliance was never the subject of a full product recall and reiterated that they have taken the incident very seriously.
“We would like to clarify that the TM31 has never been the subject of a product recall. As a precaution, the seal on TM31 appliances should be replaced every two years,” the statement continues.
“We want to reassure our 300,000 Australian customers that Thermomix products – as with any kitchen appliance – are absolutely safe, providing they are used in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.”