'No surprise' over fridge injuries
A woman whose father was “two minutes from death” when his fridge
burst into flames says she is not surprised there have been more
injuries, and a death.
Jo Mounger, above, 46, raised concerns about Beko fridges in the
Dartford Messenger more than a year ago.
Her father, Nicola Barone,was woken by his own coughing when an
electrical fault caused his fridge to catch fire.
Since then, London Fire Brigade chiefs have warned that some Beko
fridge freezer models are “potentially dangerous”.
In London alone, 15 people have been injured and one person has
died in fires which are believed to have involved Beko appliances
since 2008.
Numerous national newspapers have now reported that at least 11
people have died due to fires and carbon monoxide poisoning from
its electrical appliances.
Mrs Mounger, of Alamein Road, Swanscombe, said: “I’m not surprised.
It’s incredibly sad and it could have happened to my dad. I believe
he was two minutes from death.”
Fire broke out while Mr Barone, 73, was alone in his home in Park
Road, Dartford.
His wife Lucia was in Darent Valley Hospital having her leg
amputated after suffering a blood clot.
The Italian grandfather-of-four says his fridge was a Beko but he
could not make a claim because he did not register his fridge when
he bought it.
Mrs Mounger, an Asda distribution clerk, said: “Dad didn’t know to
register his fridge.
“It was definitely a Beko but we couldn’t prove it after the fire
because it was destroyed.
“Then we got a letter from Beko denying responsibility.
“It’s taken a year to get everything straight because of going
through the insurance.”
After the fire, Mr Barone’s health deteriorated.
Mrs Mounger continued: “He just needs a bit of luck now.
“What with the fire, the insurance battle and the long year of
struggling, all caused by a faulty fridge, plus selling his house
and moving to a bungalow down the road because mum had to have her
leg amputated, it’s been a very traumatic year for him.”
She added that anyone buying Beko appliances should make sure
they’re registered.
A statement on Beko’s website says: “Beko sincerely regrets any
incident linked to any of our products. We would like to express
our deepest condolences to the families and friends of affected
customers.
“The company strongly rejects any accusations that we have not
acted as timely or comprehensively as possible.
“Beko has always acted in accordance with regulatory guidance,
co-operated with all relevant authorities and abided by all
accepted standards of industry practice.
“Beko has mobilised every resource at its disposal to rectify and
raise awareness of the three product issues.
Activities include customer letters, outbound calling, national,
regional and specialist media safety notice advertising, the ‘Be a
Hero’ public information campaign, leafleting and door knocking
campaigns as well as posting extensive safety information on our
website.”
For more information visit http://www.beko.co.uk/ or call 0800
917 2018.
07/03/13