My mobile caught fire in the car – but Samsung blames me!

MY SAMSUNG phone was only a year old when it spontaneously caught fire in the footwell of my car.

I put it there after receiving a phone call (while stopped, of course), but as I drove off I noticed a strange smell.

I realised the device was on fire, and my first reaction was to throw it out of the window to stop the fire spreading. It was not plugged in at the time.

I bought it from Tesco, so I sent it to the firm’s repair team, but they told me there was nothing they could do. They suggested I contact Samsung as it was a public liability issue.

Following several emails, Samsung eventually told me the phone had only caught fire due to an ‘external impact’, having possibly been run over by a car after I had thrown it out of the window. I wouldn’t just throw my phone out of a window! Why would I do that?

P. O., Eastleigh.

SamSung is refusing to budge or take any responsibility. It says this was an isolated incident in which damage to the device was ‘a result of external reasons’ not related to your phone, a galaxy J3.

It says the damage to the front panel indicates it was separated from the device prior to ignition. a spokesman says the firm ‘takes customer safety very seriously’.

martyn allen, technical director at Electrical Safety First, says: ‘While a sudden failure without some kind of impact is very unusual, it is possible for a smartphone battery to fail without being plugged in.’

He says the best way to avoid accidents with your smartphone is only to buy chargers direct from the manufacturer or a reputable retailer, and not to leave the device to charge overnight or on soft, flammable surfaces.

If there are any technical experts out there who want to inspect the phone, we would welcome a second opinion.

I JOINED the RAC breakdown service in September. In October I contacted them at around 9am as I had a puncture. By 11am they hadn’t come so I rang again and said I had to collect my granddaughter. They replied: ‘Can’t you send someone else for her?’ My neighbour came to help. I cancelled the call-out at 11.35am. I complained, but they responded that it was out of their control.

On November 4, my car broke down. I had my daughter and two-year-old granddaughter with me. It was a freezing evening and we had no heating as the car wouldn’t start.

We rang RAC a few times and said our phone was running out of battery, and we were in a rural area. No one came, and eventually they said it would be after midnight before they could get to us. Luckily a passing pick-up truck stopped and brought us and the car home — we paid him £30. I have written and received standard responses and since joined Green Flag.

RAC has refused to refund me as the firm said I have used the service, even though on both occasions nobody came out.

D.B., by email.

WHaT a shocking excuse for a service. You told RaC that you were with a two-year-old and it still couldn’t be bothered to prioritise your call. no wonder you cancelled your membership. To all intents and purposes, it was worthless.

RaC told me: ‘We’ve spoken to your reader and apologised for not providing the service we pride ourselves on. We have agreed to refund the cost of her membership and the recovery charge.’

That’s the least the firm should be doing. It should just be grateful nothing worse happened, as you were forced to accept the goodwill of a stranger late at night.

MY SON and I got a letter from Halifax in August saying we were entitled to a PPI payment, which would soon be received.

A cheque arrived in our joint names, but obviously we have never had a joint account.

I asked Halifax to make a payment in my name as my son now lives abroad. We sent a letter from him agreeing to this but have received no response.

C. S., Prestatyn.

HalIFax’S PPI team has reviewed your case and apologises for the delay. as the loan was in your joint names the cheque was sent to both customers.

Halifax accepts it has taken too long to issue a new cheque and has provided you with a £50 goodwill gesture in addition to the £2,519 redress for PPI misselling.

a Halifax spokesman says: ‘as the joint loan was held in both names, we issued the PPI redress payment to both parties. We are sorry for the delay in providing a replacement cheque after mrs S explained the circumstances.’