General Electric Co. - G E

Review: 12-7-2013

GE Lighting

Attn: [redacted]

Nela Park

1975 Noble Road

Cleveland, OH 44112-1719

Dear Mr. [redacted],

I am dissatisfied with a GE product.

On 7-27-2012 I bought 9 GE 200 W A21 soft white bulbs. A copy of the receipt is enclosed. The box states that the bulb life should be 750 hours.

I thought maybe only one production run was bad, so I bought a few more GE 200 watt bulbs. These are to have a life of 0.7 years, based on 3 hrs/day use.

All of the GE 200 watt bulbs made in China seem to have the same problems.

The following is a summary of the performance of some of these bulbs, which were made in China.

. One bulb failed, and blew a 15 ampere Square D

circuit breaker.

. None of the bulbs used provided satisfactory

100 hours. After this time the bulbs started

turning black, with reduced light output. They

all failed within 300 hours.

Page 2

. Enclosed is a bulb that turned black, but is

still operating after about 200 hours.

. Enclosed is a bulb that turned black and failed

after about 200 hours of use.

. Enclosed is a bulb that burnt out immediately

when installed.

. Enclosed is a new bulb that has never been

used. I suggest you run your own tests on this

bulb, and determine its performance. I assume

you can accurately determine the light output

and life of the bulb.

I called your organization in October 2012, and reviewed the problem I was having with the GE 200 watt bulbs made in China. Enclosed is a copy of the letter that you sent me.

Unfortunately, GE still has not solved this problem, and perhaps has not even assessed the problem. This seems like an unacceptable performance for a high tech company like GE.

My wife and I are seniors, and we enjoyed reading with the GE 200 watt soft white bulbs that were made in the USA. Since your 200 watt bulbs made in China have a serious problem, do you have a recommendation on a replacement for this bulb?

I would appreciate it, if you will reward me for providing you with this information and the bulbs so that you can assess the problem and take the appropriate action.

Sincerely,

[redacted] Drive

[redacted], OH [redacted]Desired Settlement: I would appreciate it, if you will reward me for providing you with this information and the bulbs so that you can assess the problem and take the appropriate action.

Business

Response:

Company responded by phone. **

This has been resolved directly with the consumer.

Review: My complaint is about GE energy-efficient soft white "uses 28% less energy" 43watt modified spectrum general purpose halogen lightbulbs. I have several issues. First, the package reads "these bulbs ... provide NEARLY THE SAME LIGHT OUTPUT" as a 60watt bulb. That is an out & out lie. We replaced a burned out 60w with this one & could tell the difference immediately. It is much dimmer than a 60w bulb. Second, the first bulb burned out in 2 weeks, a ridiculous life span for a light bulb. Third, the second bulb EXPLODED !!! Thank the Lord that it was in a completely enclosed light fixture. If it had been in an open fixture or in a table lamp, there would have been hundreds and hundreds of shards of glass EVERYwhere. And what if someone had been next to or standing under it ?!!! I don't even want to imagine. We had put one of the bulbs in my child's bedside lamp. Praise God that it did not explode ! But the worse thing about these DANGEROUS light bulbs is that, apparently, GE KNOWS THAT THEY EXPLODE because there is a warning on the package that says "Pressurized lamp -- UNEXPECTED RUPTURE may cause INJURY, FIRE, OR PROPERTY DAMAGE." YET GE CONTINUES TO SELL THEM TO THE PUBLIC !!! GE needs to stop selling these light bulbs and stop making them. The front of the package says "GE's Best incandescent soft white line". If these bulbs are GE's best, then Heaven help us.Desired Settlement: I need no settlement from GE, unless they would refund my $6.48 plus tax. As stated in my complaint, GE needs to stop making these dangerous light bulbs and SHOULD STOP SELLING THEM !

Business

Response:

GE Lighting[redacted]Counsel1975 Natie RoadCleveland. OH 44112U.S.A.[redacted]Revdex.com of Greater Cleveland2800 Euclid Ave. 4th Fl.Cleveland, OH 441115-2408WA MAIL AND FACSIMILE FAX it 216-861-6365April 6, 2015Re: Revdex.com Complaint [redacted]Dear [redacted]:We are in receipt of your letter dated March 25, 2015 regarding consumer complaint ID [redacted] concerning certain GE Lighting light bulbs (Model: 13140314 PC: 66247 Res. #1215096). The consumer also contacted GE Lighting's Notional Customer Service Center on March 23. 2015 about the same bulbs. In response to the call received by the consumer, we have: i) contacted the consumer in writing; i)l offered coupons in the amount of $8 toward the purchase of GE Lighting products; and iii) provided a return authorization with a prepaid mailing carton so that the consumer may return the product to our laboratory for analysis.The type of bulb referenced in the consumer's complaint is a modi?ed spectrum general purpose halogen bulb, and the light output for that product is comparable to a 60 watt modified spectrum incandescent bulb (620 lumens vs. 630 lumens). This information is displayed on the product packaging, and the comparison is correct. The problem the consumer describes regarding short bulb life is not typical of the quality and performance of halogen type bulbs.The final issue described by the consumer is consistent with known risks associated with halogen-type lamps. See e.g., National Electrical Manufacturers Association ("NEMA") White Paper on Tungsten-halogen lamps (LSD 1-2003)1 Halogen lamps must contain a pressurized quartz capsule which gets very hot as port of normal halogen lamp operation. ld.. at pp. 3-4. Therefore, the halogen packaging that GE. as well as other manufacturers. provides to consumers includes safety information about the associated risks, and the ways that consumers can avoid or reduce these risks (including the potential risks from a ruptured lamp). Despite these risks, overall, a halogen lamp's increased luminous ef?cacy and greater lamp life relative to incandescent lamps are bene?ts that outweigh these potential risks.We hope that this information is helpful to you and the consumer.Very Truly yours, [redacted]Counsel