A reader tells us that Amazon is investigating product safety issues that are posted to its website:

I just wanted to let you guys know that Amazon has been tracking reviews posted for possible safety concerns. I had a rice cooker that decided to shock me several times, so I wrote an anonymous review back in January. Unexpectedly, a few weeks ago, I get an email from Amazon asking about the incident. Given the gap between the review and the email, I suspect this is a new program on their part. A copy of their email is below.

-teh

Dear XXXX,

Greetings from Amazon.com,

You submitted a potential safety concern for Aroma ARC7031G 6-Cup Rice Cooker and Food Steamer.

Thank you for taking the time to submit a safety concern. It is the continuous dialogue between our customers and Amazon.com that helps improve the overall customer experience on our site.

The safety of the products we sell is very important to us. We would like to gather additional information regarding your safety concern. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions below.

For internal reference, this has been assigned Concern ID XXXXX

Thank you once again for taking the time to submit the consumer safety concern. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks again for shopping at Amazon.com!

Sincerely,

Product Compliance Team

Electrical Shock I was shocked by this rice cooker twice. It is not properly grounded and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Please reply to this email and choose an answer for each of the following the questions.

1. May Amazon.com provide your customer contact information to the manufacturer of the product and/or relevant government agencies so they maybe contact you for more detailed information?

a) Yes b) No

Answer:

2. Was anyone injured by the product? If so, how many people?

Number 0, 1, 2, 3 …

Answer:

3. Did the product causeany fatalities? If so, how many people? Please enter 0 if there were no fatalities.

Number: 0, 1, 2, 3 …

Answer:

4. If anyone was injured, how severe was the injury?

a) No Injury b) Minor First Aid c) Professional Medical Treatment d) Hospitalization e) Permanent Disability f) Death

(Please select a – f)

Answer:

5. If anyone was injured, what type of injury was caused by the product?

a) Burn b) Choking/Asphyxia/Suffocation/Strangulation c) Drowning or Near Drowning d) Shock (All Types) e) Contusion/Abrasions/Swelling/Laceration f) Poisoning/Inhalation g) Head Injury/Head Trauma h) Fracture/Dislocation i) Nerve Damage j) Internal Organ Injury k) Other Injury l) None

(Please select a – l)

Answer:

6. What was the nature of the safety hazard?

a) Fire b) Mechanical c) Electrocution d) Chemical e) Entrapment f) Other g) None

(Please select a – g)

Answer:

Please add any additional comments or information about this product safety concern.

Answer:

Well, this seems like a very good idea. Of course, you can report unsafe products directly to the appropriate agencies…

For most items: File a complaint with the CPSC.
For automobiles: File a complaint with the NHTSA
For most food, cosmetics, etc: File a complaint with the FDA

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