Posted on 07/24/2006 7:01:33 PM PDT by wouldntbprudent
Agencies, Retailers, Manufacturers Stand Idly By For Years While Glass Tops Explode
The sound of shattering glass is one of the most piercing, frightening and recognizable sounds on Earth. For owners of Martha Stewart outdoor patio tables from Kmart, that sound is pretty common.
ConsumerAffairs.Com has received hundreds of complaints about the glass tops of these tables spontaneously shattering, launching shards as far as 12 feet from the table. Almost every day at least one person files a new complaint and the complaints are strikingly similar:
(Excerpt) Read more at consumeraffairs.com ...
So is this Bush's fault, or Martha Stewart's?
Well they're outdoor tables, so global warming mist be involved; therefore it's Bush's fault!;)
mist=must;)
In an upcoming segment of the Martha Stewart show she will teach us how to make beautiful tables out of shattered glass. ;)
You're both wrong - it's Karl Rove's fault (Martha is another of his puppets.
Of course slamming a Colt 45 on the table while shouting "gimme the damn bawl." is certainly the fault of K Mart.
Just damn.
Ping, knowing how much you esteem Miss Martha!
Ah, c'mon: it's Bush's fault, of course.
Can't we send some of these tables to, say, Lebanon?
LOL, maybe we should send Martha Stewart!!
Exactly...A relative used to manufacture KD computer and office furniture and some had glass doors that were tinted and tempered.
One batch of several thousand pieces were improperly tempered and would explode at times. The glass company replaced them all.
Every thing I ever saw with Martha Stewart’s name on it also had China’s
The sliding glass door to my patio spontaneously shattered on Thursday--I thought someone was shooting at me (I live in LA.)
Made in China?
Both.
I remember many years ago when sliders weren't required to have tempered glass and from time to time people would try to walk thru them when closed. The large shards seriously cut or even killed some people. At least with the tempered glass it breaks in small pieces that aren't likely to seriously injure people.
I ran through one, still have the scars!
Couldn't be! It's fine China!
Do you think the ambulance chasers will be lining up to sue the mean queen? Lol.
No, it's Kmart's fault. They sold them to the dumb, cheap suckers who bought them.
My thought when I read that was she's just waiting for the class-action lawsuit.
Wait a minute, you're not being quite fair. Sometimes minute nerve damage will continue hurting for years. If the right nerve ending gets stimulated there's no visible damage but there will be pain. Ask anyone who's had something amputated; the phantom pain can continue forever. The same thing can occur on a smaller scale. Doesn't make anybody a mental midget for having residual pain from a small injury.
Is this that new "sensual spray" that's been all over TV?
You're prepared for anything, lol!
I thought it might be the difference in expansion rate of the glass tabletop and its metal frame when both are heated. The article seems to indicate that it is a manufacturing defect in the glass rather than a design defect of putting two materials with different characteristics when heated together. Same end result I guess.
Memo to self: glass topped table + klutzy FReeper = bad idea
Join the crowd, I wretched my back today!!
Thanks for posting this, but I must say I was surprised at the snarky tone of the article. I was also suprised they printed the phrase "my *ss'
I'd never have a glass topped table of any kind, but I'm glad to know about the shoddy products of this manufacturer.
Yikes! I was thinking about buying one of these tables earlier this summer. Glad I decided to stick with our old redwood picnic table. At least that won't be exploding anytime soon.
Hmmm. Maybe this is what was wrong with my window. I'm glad for the article. A shattering table is my worst nightmare.
That's a good one!
An old one I had, but certainly didn't make it.
Sorry, I missed this SA. My back's not bad, it'll go away tomorrow or the next day, lol. 'The pain'!
Quick fix: hurricane-style application of duct tape.
Interesting
Wow, I never heard of this happening. That could have been bad.
So, are you suing?
Maybe the tone was in response to those biops on TV portraying Miss Martha as intimately involved with even the manufacture of her line of spatulas and her imperiously demanding quality that meets her exactly standards.
Personally, I went to the aluminum deck furniture, tabletop with the grating look.
The tables with solid surfaces, I got sick of having to clean them every time we wanted to use them. The grate-type tops don't hold dirt or water and leaves blow off. They are at least servicable at all times.
YOur post brought up another thought: if you have a top that is susceptible to shattering, maybe you could apply an anti-bomb blast film to it on the bottom to keep it intact if it does explode!
This reminds me of the time a globe fell from a light fixture onto a glass table. It sure broke up the party that night.
"I went to the aluminum deck furniture, tabletop with the grating look."
You make excellent comments about that type of grated tabletop. I hope to be in the market for this type of furniture, probably not this year, but maybe next. I'll keep what you said in mind, it's just the kind of thing you can only learn from experience!
Also here's another lesson you might consider:
Those cushioned chairs look awfully nice (when you first buy them) and are usually comfy.
But guess what? OUtside, it rains. Even though the cushions are (supposedly) weatherproof, they are not fun to sit on until they dry out completely and over time, if they get wet more than a couple of times, they get a little yucky.
To avoid this, you either have to store the cushions somewhere after each use (not easy---think about how bulky they are, how much room they take up, how after a nice leisurely meal . . .) or you have to run out there and grab them when it starts raining or you just have to live with it and replace the cushions quite often.
Plus many of these cushioned chairs are UNUSABLE without the cushions---they just have straps or whatever. So if the cushions are in the garage drying, you can't use the chairs at all. And they don't look attractive without the cushions either.
After dealing with this for a while, my solution was to go back to the aluminum chairs (again, grated-style so dirt, water, leaves don't collect) and buy some cheap indoor seat cushions to throw on. These are light and easy to store and who cares if they get ruined. (Like the kind that are two for $6.00 at Wally World. At that price, you can even buy some for different themes, holidays.)
So when looking at chairs, ask yourself if it can be used (sat in) without a cushion. You can always add a cushion, as I said, but I've learned to avoid the cushioned furniture like the plague.
('Course it also depends on your climate.)
One other thing: the sling-style furniture (you sit in a sort of netting material) also can collect dirt, water and leaves in the bottom. And they usually come with glass-topped tables.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.