Across the US, Amazon is recalling 350,000 of its Ring smart doorbells after reports of them being a fire hazard.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Ring Video doorbells sold between June 2020 through October 2020 appear to have a battery issue, in which they overheat “when the incorrect screws are used for installation, posing fire and burn hazards.”
So far, Ring has received 85 reports of doorbells installed using the wrong screws and 23 reports of doorbells catching fire, causing eight minor burns and property damage.
The Ring doorbell contains a high-definition camera, a motion sensor and a microphone and speaker for two-way audio communication. The smart doorbell integrates with its associated mobile app, Neighbors, allowing users to view real-time video from the surveillance camera.
The CPSC has advised customers to not install the recalled video doorbells and instead to check on the Ring website if their video doorbell is part of the recall.
In a statement shared with media outlets, Ring said: “We have and continue to work cooperatively with the CPSC on this issue, and have contacted customers who purchased a Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) to ensure they received the updated user manual and follow the device installation instructions.
“We have and continue to work cooperatively with the CPSC on this issue and have contacted customers who purchased a Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) to ensure they received the updated user manual and follow the device installation instructions.”
“Customers do not need to return their devices,” they added.
Amazon has received further backlash earlier this week, after the Europe Commission (EC) accused the e-commerce giant of breaking EU antitrust and competition laws through the use of non-public, third-party seller data – allegedly aggregated and analysed when Amazon makes strategic business decisions.
