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Walmart expands Durabrand DVD player recall to 4.2 million
You know what they say about getting what you pay for? Well, the adage has turned out to be truer than normal in this case. Walmart, which sold some uber-cheap (like, $18 - $29 cheap) Durabrand DVD players in the US and the UK, recently issued a recall in the US for 1.5 million of the units due to 12 reported cases of overheating. The malfunctions caused various degrees of property damage, but no injuries, and now, as a result of several more reported cases of the same issue, the recall has been upped to cover 4.2 million devices. The recall, which originally covered only the silver units sold, has now been expanded to cover both the pink and purple DVD players which were sold between January 2006 and July 2009 exclusively at Walmart stores in the US and Walmart-owned ASDA stores in the UK -- Wallmart reached out to let us know that the players sold in the UK were actually a different spec, and thus not a part of the recall. Seriously, this just leaves us wondering: how many of these bad boys did they sell?
Walmart recalls 1.5 million flammable Durabrand DVD players
Remember those amazingly cheap doovde players Walmart was so proud of a couple years back? Well, they ain't so amazing anymore, unless that's what you'd call a device capable of spontaneously bursting into flames. Sold between January 2006 and July 2009 exclusively at Walmart stores in the US and ASDA supermarkets in the UK, the explosive Durabrand units are being called back due to 12 reported instances of overheating, including five that caused fires. You have to love the irony of skimping on a doovde player purchase, only to pay for it later with "enhanced" insurance premiums. We reached out to Walmart for comment, but they didn't know what a doovde was. Nevertheless, we captured the conversation after the break. Update: While we haven't yet got clear confirmation that ASDA is following suit, we'd be very surprised to not see the product pulled and returns honored in the UK in the same fashion as in the US. [Via CNN Money; Thanks, Keith]
Crazy-cheap DVD player to be sold in England for under $18
ASDA, the Wal-Mart-owned supermarket chain in the UK, plans to start selling the Durabrand DVD player for just £9, or around $18. While DVD players have shown up during sales for under $30 in the past, often creating mini shopping crazes, this is the cheapest one we've ever seen. Durabrand has even offered dual-screen portable players for under $300. This one looks to be sold at supermarkets as a last-minute purchase item alongside gum and gossip rags, maybe bringing DVD technology to the final 80,000 (the number they plan to make) people in England who don't already have them. We have to imagine that there will be DVDs for sale right next to the units, most likely the real purpose of the cheap player. It's not the prettiest of things, but -- hey -- did we mention it's cheap? [Thanks, Judith]
