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Samsung products causing ‘havoc’: Choice

A faulty Samsung washing machine, believed to be the cause of a fire in a Melbourne home.

A faulty Samsung washing machine, believed to be the cause of a fire in a Melbourne home. Photo: AAP

Consumer watchdog Choice says it doesn’t want anybody to “die in the dark” from a Samsung product after another washing machine caught alight.

An elderly woman in Melbourne’s north had to be treated for smoke inhalation after her laundry room caught alight on Thursday.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade investigators say the cause of the blaze was a faulty Samsung top loader.

“The Samsung top loader had previously been recalled for safety reasons,” the brigade said in a statement on Friday, urging residents to check their machines.

Six Samsung washing machine models were subject to an Australia-wide safety recall in 2013.

Samsung has won back-to-back Shonkys from Choice after recalling its potentially dangerous Galaxy Note7 smartphone this year and failing to advertise its top loader washing machine recall on TV in 2015.

Video: Man’s jeep erupts in flames after his Samsung Galaxy phone explodes

Choice’s head of media, Tom Godfrey, says Samsung products are “wreaking havoc”.

“We don’t want to see anyone die in the dark as a result of a Samsung washing machine or smartphone failing,” he said in a statement.

Choice has urged customers to seek a refund for any recalled Samsung product.

Samsung said it had resolved 81 per cent of top loaders affected in September, but there were still around 27,000 machines still unchecked.

There have been at least 87 fires causing damage to property by Samsung washing machines in Australia.

The washing machine dramas come as Qantas, Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines became the latest airlines to ban the troubled Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on all flights.

The United States Department of Transportation has already banned the phones from all flights travelling in and out of the US.

Samsung has permanently ended production of the phones, and recalled millions globally, after complaints of exploding batteries.

The airlines cite the smartphone’s potential fire risk as the reason for the ban, which comes into effect on Sunday.

The battery of the Galaxy Note 7 has been known to catch fire, with the South Korean company issuing a recall for 2.5 million devices.

The ban will also include Qantas and Virgin’s low-cost airlines, Jetstar and Tiger.

It means passengers with the phone cannot fly with the device, even if it is switched off or is packed in checked or carry-on luggage.

Previously the airlines allowed the phone on board if it was switched off.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority hasn’t enforced a blanket ban on the device for all airline in Australia but is monitoring the situation.

– AAP

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