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Thermomix finally faced its day in Federal Court following CHOICE’s campaign and mass incident report.

The court action comes after CHOICE presented 87 incidents with Thermomix appliances – 18 of which required treatment from a doctor or nurse.

The regulator alleges that Thermomix violated several consumer rights protected under Australian Consumer Law, including only offering refunds and replacements under the condition customers signed non-disclosure agreements, failing to report dozens of injuries in due time and misleading customers by denying it knew its TM31 model had safety issues.

Thermomix has been fined $4.6 million for knowingly selling kitchen appliances which had the potential to injure users, lying about the safety of its products, and refusing refunds.

The company’s controversial TM31 model was recalled in 2014, following 14 reported cases of users being burned by hot liquids due to a faulty seal.

Lawyers for the appliance company and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) appeared before the Federal Court in Melbourne on Wednesday for a penalty hearing after Thermomix admitted four contraventions of consumer laws.

Justice Bernard Murphy said senior management at the Australian distributor knew there were issues months before it recalled the product in October 2014.

“In my view it knew, or should have known, earlier than that,” Justice Murphy said.

The judge said Thermomix was aware the TM31 mixing bowl lid could move during use, and knew there was a potential for hot liquid to burn and scald users.

In the past three years, numerous people have gone public with their stories of severe burns and scalding from their Thermomixes, which retail for upwards of $2000.

Thermomix Apologises

Thermomix responded with a public apology:
“Firstly, we want to say how much we regret what happened, are very sorry about it, and apologise to those who were affected. In Australia, Thermomix is not a big corporation. We’re a mother-and-daughter business sincerely dedicated to good food, family and nutrition.”

Free Upgrades

Thermomix is offering to give a new TM5 model to the 9,443 customers who bought a TM31 appliance during the three-month period from 7th July to 23rd September in 2014 agreed by the ACCC and Thermomix in Australia as the timeframe when customers were not informed about a potential safety risk.

For more information about this offer, please visit thermomixfacts.com.au.

Do you have a Thermomix at home? Have you had any issues at all?

Share your comments below.

We may get commissions for purchases made using links in this post. Learn more.
  • wow….and all the positive and amazing things I heard about these machines and how badly so many people wanted one.

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  • and so they should. I never would of trusted them anyway.

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  • cherz said
    17 Jun 2017
    9:12 pm
    MOM ran a comp to win a thermomix
    If you’ve ever dreamed about owning your very own Thermomix then you will not want to miss this!
    Simply click below and fill out your details below to enter the draw.
    Also a moms gift guide hamper that contained a theromix cooking for your baby and toddler book.
    I hope the mom that won these has had no problems also I know a lot of our mom community has these thermomix’s so pray they are OK as well.
    All my love and healing prayers to those folk that have been hurt by these machines.
    This is what I wrote last year and I agree with the ruling .

    Reply

  • I could never justify the space it needed & the cost so didn’t get one. My best friend however has one and with 3 littlies under 10 and she swears by it, shall send this along to her in case it’s being recalled.

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  • I love my thermomix and have had it for nearly 5 years and use it just about everyday! I learnt very early that I could no longer do guesstimate cooking but need to follow directions. Have never had a problem. A great invention and a great time saver! Love my thermi????❤️

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  • Aw, not good ! Thought Thermomix wassuch a trustworthy product, but knowingly selling a model that might burn & scald users due to hot liquid leaking, isn’t pretty.

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  • I’ve had a Thermomix since ’12, never had a problem and love it. I use it every day for multiple things. I stand by the brand.

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  • It is good that the truth has come out and people who bought these will be compensated/refunded.

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  • I hate it when companies put profits before safety. Unconscionable.

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  • No, I don’t have one – I couldn’t justify the cost. And why has it taken so long for a recall – many of these accidents wouldn’t have happened if this had been acted on sooner!

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  • They got a huge fine. They should have started the recall earlier indeed!!

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  • My mum has one, I hope hers isn’t faulty, so far no problems. I will share this with her thanks for the info! :)

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  • it is so insanely expensive that i would never even attempt to justify buying one as there are better things to spend money on. i wouldn’t want to be dealing with that issue now either

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  • A male friend of mine who isn’t known for his prowess in the kitchen has one of these and swears by them. He says you’d have to be very stupid and not following the directions to get burnt but does admit there are flaws with the concept. Nonetheless he won’t be stopping using his any time soon.

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  • I could never afford for one, i couldn’t see the fuss over it when we have pots and pans to use. People back in the olden days didnt have one. I dont see why this was a big thing. Just bummer on the problem now which i thought would have got it fixed a year ago or more over many injuries from that?

    Reply

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