On January 26, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall of a flashlight and battery set from BJ’s Wholesale Club. The “Superex SAFETO GO Family Pack,” available between July 2011 and December 2011, has been reported to overheat, smoke and melt when turned on, posing a fire hazard and risk of injury to users.
Although the CPSC’s recall listed BJ’s Wholesale Club as the sole importer and seller, the item’s label included the name of Toronto-based supplier Superex. Promo Marketing contacted the company, known for its automotive, safety and power-supply promotional products, about the recall. Representatives from Superex explained that the product in question was sold exclusively through the company’s retail division, and promotional products distributors will not be impacted by the recall.
“This product was never available in the promotional market, so the product recall is of no concern in the promotional industry,” said Geoffrey Gisser, vice president of retail sales and marketing for Superex.
“A Superex retail client voluntarily pulled an exclusive flashlight product from their sales due to two incidences of failure which could have affected a person’s safety. Nobody was injured and the product is unavailable elsewhere. Upon learning of this, Superex Corporate, parent company to Superex Promotional Division, followed suit in recall and retesting measures,” Gisser explained.
Representatives from the company told Promo Marketing that the product, which was made in China, had been fully tested at accredited testing facilities prior to sale and passed all tests. Since learning of the recall, Superex has had the product retested and has been unable to recreate the incident or find a cause of failure.
“Superex has been supplying retailers with a full range of original safety, automotive and travel products for 60 years and will always take the most cautious route any time we learn there are any issues with our products,” Gisser said.
