A Cygnett brand power bank attached to an iPhone expanded and exploded while sitting on a desk. Photo / Cedric Tulot
“She looked up and there were sparks and smoke coming out.”
Mr Tulo said when he returned to his East Tamaki office his mother was shouting for him to bring a fire extinguisher.
“I thought, ‘What are you talking about?’ I ran up the stairs and there was sparks and flames on my desk. [It] Please sound the fire alarm.”
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He said the burning power bank damaged a desk, scorched the carpeted floor and destroyed his mother's phone, and that some of her hair was singed in the initial explosion.
The initial explosion knocked Cedric Tullot's mother out of her chair and singed some of her hair. Photo / Cedric Tullot
When they contacted the Australian company, Signet, they were told the power bank was the subject of a product safety recall earlier this year and there was no apology for what had happened, Mr Tulo said.
“It's frustrating because basically they just sent us a checklist to see what we did wrong and there's no way it was going to blow up. To be honest, I'm really pissed at the response they gave us. There was no apology or anything.”
The recall notice, which identifies five affected power banks, says customers should “immediately” stop using the products as they may overheat and catch fire.
“If the battery overheats and catches fire, it can cause severe burns and damage to property.
“Multiple power banks overheated and caught fire, causing property damage and injuries.”
The affected products were sold between September 7, 2023 and March 15, 2024.
Earlier this year, a product safety recall notice was published on Cygnett's website warning that several power banks had overheated and caught fire.
“The problem is, they keep saying it's part of a product safety recall, but we haven't received anything so how do we know? They certainly don't expect consumers to go on the internet and look up 'product safety recall',” Tulo said.
He said a week before the incident, his mother had been on a flight from Apia, Samoa, to Auckland with the power bank in her luggage.
“If there had been an explosion on board the plane, there's no telling what would have happened.”
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Signet chief executive Jason Carrington told the Herald an investigation had been launched into the circumstances leading to last Thursday's incident and the company was “actively communicating” with consumers.
The burning power bank damaged a desk, scorched the carpeted floor and destroyed a connected cell phone. Photo by Cedric Turo
“We are deeply concerned to learn of the injury suffered by a customer after using a recalled MagMove Dual Magnet Power Bank. Consumer safety and product satisfaction are Signet's top priorities, and we are committed to providing this individual with all the support and assistance they need,” Carrington said.
“Cygnett takes the safety of our products very seriously and has initiated a recall to prevent any potential harm. We urge customers who purchased MagMove products to immediately discontinue use and follow the recall instructions available on our website: https://www.cygnett.com/pages/magmove-product-recall.”
Ms Tulo said her mother was “in good spirits” after the incident but now refuses to buy any portable battery products.
Signet CEO Jason Carrington said an investigation has been launched into the circumstances that led to last Thursday's incident. Photo/Cedric Turro
“This is not a case of choosing a Temu branded battery pack, it is made by an Australian company which we purchased from JB Hi-Fi.
“I want people who have this product to know that they are carrying something potentially dangerous, especially because I think there are people who don't know about this product, even though they're allowed to carry it on airplanes.”
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Benjamin Plummer is a breaking news reporter based in Auckland and has been with the Herald since 2022.