FAULTY PRODUCTS CLAIMS & COMPENSATION

WHAT ARE FAULTY PRODUCT INJURY CLAIMS?

As consumers, we take it for granted that we can use the items we buy without them harming us or damaging our property. Sometimes poor product design or a lack of thorough safety testing means that a faulty product can cause its owner a personal injury or damage our environment. Under law, manufacturers have a duty of care to produce products that meet safety standards and do not expose consumers to risks and hazards during their fair use.

Despite any safety tests, even the most technologically advanced of products can develop problems and this can be found with everything from black market items produced without proper care through to famous brand products from a respected range. When this happens, it is a form of business negligence for which the manufacturers are liable.

Faulty products can include:

• • • Batteries which overheat and catch on fire, e.g. E-cig, laptop or phone batteries
    • Home appliances which overheat and burst into flames, e.g. tumble dryers
    • Home appliances which leak and cause water damage, e.g. washing machines
    • Toys with detachable parts that present a choking hazard for young children
    • Toys with sharp or pointed parts which can become exposed and a hazard
    • Foodstuffs with undeclared allergen ingredients, e.g. gluten or milk
    • Foodstuffs with accidental and inedible additives, e.g. broken plastic or rubber from the manufacturing process
    • Foodstuffs with contamination, e.g. listeria in dairy
    • Car faults such as non-deploying airbags or brake pedals that are not effective
    • Lead being found within children’s face paints
    • Insecure safety belts on high chairs
    • Hair straighteners giving the user an electric shock

To prevent problems from happening, manufacturers should put products through rigorous testing procedures, performing safety checks to spot any potential problems that might appear during a product’s use. If any safety issues do present themselves during testing, manufacturers should spot these and then amend the product design, or take steps to ensure that the manufacturing process is not a risk to the integrity of the product.

WHAT ARE AMONG THE MOST WELL-KNOWN FAULTY PRODUCTS?

In recent times, there have been some high-profile cases of faulty products reported in the media and the subjects of warnings to cease use or return a product. In October 2016, over four million Whirlpool tumble dryers, that were branded as Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda, were under a recall notice because of a fault which could result in a fire.

In September 2016, the batteries in around 35 (known) Samsung Note 7 devices were responsible for causing the gadgets to overheat and catch fire, just a month after the phone launched. Users were even using the term ‘exploding’ to describe the fault. Sales were halted and replacements were issued.

 The compensation amount will vary depending on the details of how the faulty product injured you and the severity of your injury. An expert personal injury solicitor at Coops Law can help you with an accurate assessment.

A FAULTY PRODUCT INJURED ME, WHAT NEXT ?

If you have been hurt because of a faulty product, contacting your GP or attending hospital should be your primary goal. The injury could take one of many forms, including a burn, a cut, a graze, a brake or a poisoning. A personal injury firm such as Coops Law should be next on your list of things to do.

Why would you contact a law firm? You’ll need to consider:

• • • The cost involved in fixing the problems caused by the faulty product, or how much to repair the product
    • Any medical costs incurred by yourself, such as for physiotherapy
    • The time spent dealing with the problems caused by a faulty product and that time’s worth
    • How to claim compensation to help to pay for the above three points

It would be wise to take photos of the damage caused by the faulty product, the faulty parts or the materials that are a contamination, if they are visible.

The law states that you’re entitled to claim compensation when a defective product causes damage. It’s a case of product liability.

COOPS LAW KEEP IT SIMPLE

At Coops Law we like to keep it simple. We promise to:

• • • avoid the complicated legal jargon, wherever we can. We ?nd it confuses people and makes them feel like they don’t know what’s going on.
    • give you a dedicated claims handler, who will deal with your case from the beginning right through to the end. Of course, there may be times when this is not possible. When this happens, you will be kept fully informed of why and who will be taking over.
    • explain what’s happening with the case, as it progresses, in a clear and concise manner.
    • be available for you when you need us. It’s important that you feel like you can contact us, to ask questions or for clarification, whenever you need to.

In short, we’ll take all the stress, so you don’t have to!

ACT NOW…

Making a claim for compensation needs to be a matter of urgency. There is what’s called a ‘statute of limitations’ on making claims for compensation. This means you can only do it for up to three years after the accident took place. Trying to start a claim after the three years has passed will be unsuccessful and there are, unfortunately, no exceptions!

‘NO WIN, NO FEE’

At Coops Law, we have taken the risk out of making a claim for all of our clients, which is why over 98% of our claims are No Win No Fee. This way, we can allow everyone access to justice, regardless of their financial position. If you choose to make a claim with us, there are no upfront fees or unexpected costs. as we take on the risk for you.

NEXT STEPS

The process is easy. All you need to do is contact one of our specialist compensation claim solicitors, for a quick, informal chat. There’s no obligation and it’s free. We’d need just a few minutes of your time to assess the chances of your case being successful. And, if you’d like to go ahead, we can start your case straight away.