Vape shop sued for over a Million dollars because of exploding battery

[Underwhelmed]

...leaves thread to go buy some stuff from the Vixen Vapors website...

Vixen Vapors also has several storefronts now as well as the website.

I went into their Fort Worth store and bought a bottle of juice yesterday.

See, Vixen Vapors in Pantego was my very first B&M experience back in the day, and at the time I had to drive nearly an hour and a half in the Texas heat with no A/C in my car to get there, so I guess it will be forever in my memories.

Last time I bought anything from them all they stocked for hardware were ego twists and c4 clearos.

Now they sell clone mech mods and attys, Aspire sub ohm tanks and cheap chargers and cheap efest batteries. They had a case of ProVari Minis and extended caps and AW IMR batteries, but that doesn't seem to be their focus since they were all the old original style minis, not the new ones.

It was early when I went into the shop. There was one other customer checking out as I came in.

I did notice, as I was waiting for my juice to be mixed, a large sign at the check out area letting anyone know that for everyones safety batteries should be kept in a protective case when not in use.

Sadly, I saw no protective cases for sale at this store. I'm not saying they don't have them, they may have them behind the counter or something, but they weren't with the batteries and chargers that were on display in the case.

 

[crxess]

McD's Case argument is as ridiculous as the courts judgment.
A Secure Lid was designed for Transport of liquids without fear of spilling. Removal of said Lid over ones lap while sitting in an automobile was pure choice.
Did this person Ever, even once, purchase a cup of McD's coffee before this incident? Even if just once the knowledge should have been warning.

Desperation for a taste or to add Sugar/Cream could have been just as easily accomplished by opening the perforated tab.

How many people attempt to Taste something they are cooking at a Boil on their stove top, EVERY DAY.

People are hazardous to their own health.

What is next? Back to Radios/Hair Dryers in Bath tubs?

 

[jseah]

I read the whole case and saw the pics for that McD's case. The coffee wasn't just hot, it was almost super-heated, and not anything like the temp of our coffee makers at home.....the employees at that location also noted that there were a lot of complaints and that the equipment wasn't operating properly and they had told management and the coffee maker was never fixed, etc. People who haven't done the research into this case, in depth, will not understand this.

As a previous poster mentioned, reading is excrutiating to some people and they won't do it, they just read a headline and make assumptions.

I do find it interesting that the VERY THING that vapers complain about, i.e. headlines about ecigs blowing up, without proper details, gives vaping a bad rap..........but the same people have NO PROBLEM jumping to the same conclusions about the McDonald's Coffee Incident.

Actually, it was found that McDonald's served its coffee within industry standards. McDonald's coffee was served at between 180-190 degrees and McDonald's claimed that the temperature was based on a consultant's recommendation to optimize the flavor. While the lawsuit claimed that home coffee makers served coffee at much lower temperatures (between 130-140 degrees was claimed), that (given the time period) probably only considered the common home drip coffee makers. My Keurig machine allows you to set the brewing temperature anywhere between 187 and 192 degrees. Espresso machines go even higher by brewing at 200 degrees. People who consider themselves coffee aficionados (i.e. snobs) want the higher temps because of the belief that coffee tastes best at those high temps.

 

[jseah]

Just came across this picture on gearbest;

A nine volt battery; I don't know what the chemistry of this particular battery is, but that "Not for Retail Sale" is something I've never seen;
the red band around the thing is interesting.
The "Pb" I suspect means it contains lead.
And the clear warning "MAY EXPLODE OR LEAK IF RECHARGED OR DISPOSED OF IN FIRE DISSE........ "

When you buy a TV, DVD players, Blu Ray players, etc.,the AA or AAA batteries that the manufacturer provides you with in the box for the remote control is packaged exactly the same way. Years ago when I had purchased a Sony portable Minidisc player, the battery that came with it was actually packaged in a hard plastic battery case.

 

[stevegmu]

There's quite a difference between what temperature coffee should be brewed at, and what it should be held and served at...

 

[Bad Ninja]

Well, no. The fact is McDonalds was serving coffee that was hot to the point of being hazardous to their consumers. They knew what they were doing and chose not to do anything about it, until they were sued.

Personal responsibility is one thing, negligence on the part of a manufacturer, or retailer, is something different.

The fact was, an idiot decided to open, and add condiments to, a hot cup of coffee while holding it over their lap.
I would think most adults would know better unless it was their first ever cup of hot anything.

The lawsuit gained traction when executive idiots at McDonalds offered an 800$ settlement.
The emotional response from the jury sealed the verdict.

Let me ask... So,....do you think it's safe to open a hot cup of coffee while
Holding it over your groin?

Neither do I.

 

[StormFinch]

so the facts are Mcd's served that coffee that hot because that was
the temperature that gave it the best flavor. the fact there were prior
complaints just means there were 700 other idiots that apparently
do not understand the concept of hot and by implication cold.
since man starting using fire the very first survival technique
a child learns is what is hot and what is not. the courts in there
divine wisdom simply chose to erase 50,000 years of human
evolution. did she complain on prior visits about the hot coffee?
back then as now they would gladly pop a few ice cubes in the
cup to cool the coffee down. it was common knowledge that
Mcd's coffee was hot. it is also not unreasonable to assume
that the concept of hot and cold is a universally understood concept.
with a priori knowledge of the concept of hot and cold the user of
hot and or cold products assumes the liability of proper handling
and care associated with said products. that is why the ruling
is wrong. one step closer to a society that has no concept of nor
desire to have personal responsibility.

mike

Really? Let me repeat the main point here; 3rd degree burns, 3 seconds. And at least one of those 700 or so settlements was where an employee leaned out the window to give the person their coffee and lost their grip on the cup, causing the contents to spill into the lap of the customer.

If you're stupid enough to put a mod battery in your pocket with your keys and it shorts, you have at least some lead time to get the pants off before your junk goes up in flames. Spill a cup of coffee at 170 degrees on you lap and Mr. Willie gets a skin graft no matter how fast you work to prevent it.

 

[jseah]

There's quite a difference between what temperature coffee should be brewed at, and what it should be held and served at...

The plaintiffs attorney argued that the coffee should have never been served hotter than 140 degrees. Was it ever established in the trial whether the coffee was freshly brewed or was sitting there for a while? If they are brewing at 195, it is impossible to serve it at 140 unless you let the coffee sit. I was curious, so I just tested my Keurig machine. It is set at 192 degrees and I stuck a digital meat thermometer in the cup while it brewed. The temperature in the ceramic cup right after brewing is 182 degrees. So unless they refuse to sell freshly brewed coffee (how many people do you know will ask for the coffee that has been sitting around for an hour or more instead of the freshly brewed pot), you're not going to see a significant difference in temperature.

 

[jseah]

The fact was, an idiot decided to open, and add condiments to, a hot cup of coffee while holding it over their lap.
I would think most adults would know better unless it was their first ever cup of hot anything.

The lawsuit gained traction when executive idiots at McDonalds offered an 800$ settlement.
The emotional response from the jury sealed the verdict.

Let me ask... So,....do you think it's safe to open a hot cup of coffee while
Holding it over your groin?

Neither do I.

Correct. Initially the plaintiff asked for only $20,000 to cover her medical expenses to date plus an estimate of her future medical expenses. McDonald's only offered $800. When they sued, her attorneys initially offered to settle for $90k and McDonald's refused. Right before the trial a mediator suggested that McDonald's settle for $225k and they refused. When the jury awarded her almost $3 million, the judge had reduced the award by almost 80 percent. Eventually, McDonald's settled for $600k.

 

[Underwhelmed]

**********

 

[stevegmu]

Nuances in coffee flavors generally disappear over 70C. It it is good coffee, it shouldn't be served as soon as it is brewed...

 

[crxess]

Nuances in coffee flavors generally disappear over 70C. It it is good coffee, it shouldn't be served as soon as it is brewed...

Hmmm, seems many Brewers disagree with that, recommending 195-205F or 90-96C
Cooler seems to degrade the extraction process.

 

[sonicdsl]

Let's steer this back to the vaping issue ok?

 

[StormFinch]

The fact was, an idiot decided to open, and add condiments to, a hot cup of coffee while holding it over their lap.
I would think most adults would know better unless it was their first ever cup of hot anything.

The lawsuit gained traction when executive idiots at McDonalds offered an 800$ settlement.
The emotional response from the jury sealed the verdict.

Let me ask... So,....do you think it's safe to open a hot cup of coffee while
Holding it over your groin?

Neither do I.

And the award was reduced due to her own negligence. She and the court admitted she was partially at fault. Suppose this was her first trip to McD's for coffee? There was no warning on the McD's cup to tell her it's hotter than any other coffee being served. Had she made the same silly mistake with coffee from the other handful of fast food joints, all she'd have gotten was maybe some first or second degree burns. It's a visit to the ER at worst and some burn ointment, not a month in the hospital and skin grafts.


**Edited to add: Sorry sonic...

 

[stevegmu]

..........

 

[AndriaD]

The fact was, an idiot decided to open, and add condiments to, a hot cup of coffee while holding it over their lap.
I would think most adults would know better unless it was their first ever cup of hot anything.

The lawsuit gained traction when executive idiots at McDonalds offered an 800$ settlement.
The emotional response from the jury sealed the verdict.

Let me ask... So,....do you think it's safe to open a hot cup of coffee while
Holding it over your groin?

Neither do I.

Anyone who even attempts to *drink* *anything* in a moving car, nevermind something blistering hot, clearly not only doesn't understand the physics of liquids in motion, they've never even HEARD of physics, or the word "slosh".

Andria

 

[crxess]

Let's steer this back to the vaping issue ok?

Works for me. Stated my thoughts on the subject.
Stationary Batteries unattached to any device do not just explode.

Even An Alkaline AAA can Explode in daily use:

 

[jseah]

Well, you learn something new every day. I always thought that just the ends of the battery were the positive and negative terminals. I never realized until I saw that video that the entire outside of the battery is the negative terminal and the only thing separating the positive and negative is a small gap and a thin piece of plastic. This does put into perspective why hybrid automobiles have warning stickers everywhere warning of the existence of the hybrid battery pack (so if you're in an accident and the fire department needs to cut you out of the vehicle, they take care where they begin cutting). Imagine the danger of having well over 100 of these cells sitting behind the rear seat.

 

[edyle]

Well, you learn something new every day. I always thought that just the ends of the battery were the positive and negative terminals. I never realized until I saw that video that the entire outside of the battery is the negative terminal and the only thing separating the positive and negative is a small gap and a thin piece of plastic. This does put into perspective why hybrid automobiles have warning stickers everywhere warning of the existence of the hybrid battery pack (so if you're in an accident and the fire department needs to cut you out of the vehicle, they take care where they begin cutting). Imagine the danger of having well over 100 of these cells sitting behind the rear seat.

Yep; that's something a lot of people do not realise, and it is one of the safety issues with the common bottom fired mechs.

 

[r77r7r]

Well, you learn something new every day. I always thought that just the ends of the battery were the positive and negative terminals. I never realized until I saw that video that the entire outside of the battery is the negative terminal and the only thing separating the positive and negative is a small gap and a thin piece of plastic. This does put into perspective why hybrid automobiles have warning stickers everywhere warning of the existence of the hybrid battery pack (so if you're in an accident and the fire department needs to cut you out of the vehicle, they take care where they begin cutting). Imagine the danger of having well over 100 of these cells sitting behind the rear seat.

Link to that video please?