The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is to contact thousands of people across the country following a recall of potentially deadly solar batteries.
Deputy Chair of the ACCC, Delia Rickard said the batteries, which may be branded LG, SolaX, Opal, Redback, Red Earth, Eguana or VARTA, could overheat and catch fire, causing property damage and injuries.
“The ACCC is reaching out to consumers who are likely to have recalled LG batteries to warn them of the fire risk associated with the faulty batteries,” Ms Rickard said.
“Consumers are urged to turn affected batteries off, keep them off and contact the manufacturer for a free replacement or a refund,” she said.
“LG will provide financial compensation to consumers who have higher electricity bills as a result of not being able to use their battery as expected.”
Ms Rickard said that so far about 2,900 batteries had been replaced or removed from consumers’ properties but LG and SolaX were trying to trace around 3,000 additional recalled batteries.
She said the recall had been updated twice to include new models, affected systems and dates of manufacture, “so even if your battery was not recalled previously, you must check your battery’s serial number again”.
“We remain very concerned about the fire risks these faulty batteries pose, so please act quickly,” the ACCC Deputy Chair said.
“Unfortunately, since October 2019 there have been nine reported incidents involving these types of batteries in Australia resulting in property damage and one injury,” she said.
“While we are trying to reach as many affected households as possible in the coming weeks, please don’t wait to be contacted.
“Check if your battery has been recalled and take action now.”
Ms Rickard said the ACCC would be directly contacting almost 5,000 households but warned people that scammers may use the recall to try and steal personal information or money.
“The ACCC would never ask for your details or payment,” she said.
“Never give personal information or money to anyone contacting you out of the blue and never give access to your computer or bank account.”
Further information on the batteries recall can be accessed at this PS News link.
