Here in California, the law requires that all homes have working carbon monoxide detectors. So I headed out to my local Home Depot and picked up a combo fire and CO alarm.
When I got home, I removed the packaging, but I couldn't separate the unit from its base. Assuming it must be defective, I returned it to Home Depot and picked up another one of the same model. This time, I wanted to make sure I could remove the unit from its base before heading home. I opened the package, and I still could not separate the unit from its base. Some Home Depot employees said they had the same problem with the product.
At this point, I read through the manual, and it turned out this particular model had a feature that was supposed to prevent closure of the unit when batteries were not installed. Could this be the problem? I looked the unit over and, through the slots in the base, saw a latch in the battery cavity. When I pushed this button in (as it would be with a battery present), I was able to remove the base.
On further inspection, I realized that the design of this feature actually had the opposite effect as intended. The angle of the knob (attached to the latch) that was used to prevent closing of the unit without batteries actually allowed the base flange to ride over it, locking the unit into the base without batteries.
Once the base and unit were closed, this feature actually prevented opening it again if batteries were not installed.
Now just imagine what would happen if the base were installed in a wall or ceiling before the batteries were placed in the unit, and then you attached the base to the unit. You would end up with a useless alarm, and you wouldn’t be able to remove it without breaking it apart.
This entry was submitted by John Muren and edited by Rob Spiegel.
Tell us your experiences with Monkey-designed products. Send stories to Rob Spiegel for Made by Monkeys.
You have to wonder what type of testing was done with the unit. Considering the law in California, you know they, and their competitors, will be selling millions. I wonder that the retailer did not do something about this.
That's a mind-boggling Made by Monkeys example. I live in California too, and I find it hard to believe this thing is allowed to be sold here. The writer didn't actually say whether the retailer did anything about the problem product. If they didn't, it's not surprising--they're a typical big-box store. Especially with products this important, I prefer to buy from smaller, local places where the staff is knowledgeable and more likely to care about such problems.
Ann wrote: "If they didn't, it's not surprising--they're a typical big-box store."
Not so, Ann. There's money to be lost in accepting customer returns. My son works for a manufacturer of consumer products. The big box stores send all returns to a sort point where they are sorted and returned in bulk to the manufacturers for credit. Some smoke detector/CO2 monitor manufacturer is going to see a big box of detectors in opened packages but with covers stuck on and will figure out what went wrong.
Mr. Muren, would most of us recognise this product as a name-brand? And did you contact the manufacturer to let them know the magnitude of their ineptness?
I am wondering where this product was manufactured? The only thing I can think of is that it is in a place where these types of products are nonexistent – therefore their use is not properly understood and so the manufacturer is unaware that a problem exists...mass production of consumer products used in the U.S. that has moved to foreign soil has created similar issues which are sometimes simply a matter of cultural differences that once discovered are easily corrected, although not typically to the extent noted here...
I am wondering where this product was manufactured? The only thing I can think of is that it is in a place where these types of products are nonexistent – therefore their use is not properly understood and so the manufacturer is unaware that a problem exists...mass production of consumer products used in the U.S. that has moved to foreign soil has created similar issues which are sometimes simply a matter of cultural differences that once discovered are easily corrected, although not typically to the extent noted here...
Don't confuse manufacturing with design. These products could well have been designed in the Western hemisphere, regardless of where they are manufactured.
Regarding "RETURNS TO MANUFACTURER"...... I was friendly w/ a HOME DEPOT floor person several years ago. At that time, I had reason to purchase many items for my employer on a very frequent basis. And, since we had a Commercial Account, I always went to the same checkout station. A particular woman was assigned to this one station, and over the course of my many visits, we started a friendly chat session each time I went through her checkout line. At any rate, at a much later date, she wasn't there anymore, so I asked one of the other checkout persons, where Linda had gone. The answer was that she was no in the RETURN TO VENDOR area in the back of the store. So, being inquisitive, I went there to say hello. We started chatting about her new "assignment", and one of the things she mentioned was that it is HOME DEPOT policy that when there are customer returns for certain items that they DO NOT return them to the vendor. They are disposed of in a secure trash area. Now, this was on the order of 10 years ago. She had since transferred to a different store, and when I caught up w/ her there, she told me that the family was moving back to the state from whence they all originated. Is this still HOME DEPOT'S policy, I haven't a clue, but it was back then. So, maybe it is that given that this CO / Fire / Smoke Detector nmay have been made in China, it is NOT unreasonable to suspect that HOME DEPOT'S policy is to "eat" the loss, and toss these "defective" units. I'd be willing to bet that there is no policy in place with the distrubutor to send defective units back to China for refurbishing and/or testing, etc.
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