Thermomix – a Vorwerk company – has been ordered to pay a $4.6 million fine because it misled consumers about the safety of its appliances, which were recalled in Australia because a number of users were burned by hot liquids due to a faulty part.
Lawyers for Thermomix 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.
Under Australian Consumer Law, when a company becomes aware of its product killing or injuring someone, they have 48 hours to report it to the government. This information is then kept hidden from consumers.
Thermomix has previously admitted it knew nine women and a child were burned by its food processors before it issued a public safety recall, according to federal court documents.
The ACCC accused Thermomix of misleading users and prospective purchasers by publicly denying there had been a safety recall on the TM31 machine and saying it was “absolutely safe”.
Thermomix since admitted there was a recall and also admitted to 14 late notifications of serious injuries.
“I’m inclined to agree that a penalty of $4.6 million is appropriate. The conduct is particularly serious,”
Justice Bernard Murphy
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Thermomix Australia – A Vorwerk company – Is Being Sued By A Former Distributor
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
According to News.com.au an Australian based magazine, Thermomix a Vorwerk company is sued by a former distributor.
News.com.au:
THE $2089 Thermomix calls itself “the most advanced appliance on the market” and has thousands of zealous fans, but the cult kitchen brand is at the centre of a bitter, emotional legal battle with a “traumatised” former contractor.
The high tech food processor is supposed to make life easier, yet in the past two years the company has been accused of causing third degree burns, encouraging a toxic bullying culture and failing to be honest with its customers.
Now former contractor Elisabeth Higgins, 56, from Perth, is suing Thermomix Australia in the District Court of WA. She claims Thermomix took away her business and failed to compensate her, and wants them to pay her lost earnings of
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The Success Story Of Vorwerk’s Thermomix
by Ramya Chandrasekaran • • 0 Comments
Germany’s Waz newspaper explores the Thermomix success story and tries to understand what makes this food processor so successful.
Thermomix by Vorwerk is an incredible German success story. In addition to a food processor, the customer also gets a piece of security with him.
“Madness!” “Incredible!” Whoever attends a presentation of the Thermomix inevitably feels transported back to the time of the economic miracle when arduous, long daily tasks could suddenly be completed in a few simple steps. A time when the vacuum cleaner or blender looked like small miracles. Some sociologists say that machines played a significant role in the women’s empowerment movement. Listening to all this talk about the Thermomix you would think future scientists would award it a similarly important role in history.
The Thermomix can heat, mix, knead, beat, steam and
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German Direct Selling Vorwerk Closed 2014 With 2.8 Billion Euros
by Ramya Chandrasekaran • • 0 Comments
Vorwerk is looking back on an extremely successful fiscal year 2014. In the 131st year of the company’s history, the Vorwerk Group closed with a consolidated sales volume of 2.8 billion euros, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.8 percent – a new best result for the Wuppertal-based, family-owned company. The current year also got off to a promising start with sales at the end of the first three months of 2015 already up 19 percent on the corresponding period of the previous year.
The Vorwerk Group also generated a clear increase in its business volume, which also takes new akf group business into account, of 6.8 percent to 3.3 billion euros.
“2014 was an entirely successful year,” as Managing Partners Reiner Strecker and Frank van Oers announced today at the financial press conference. “In