BEWARE coca-cola glasses

My youngest (11) was drinking out of a free glass from Coke Zone (collect codes from coke bottles) last night just before bed. It was the first time the glass had been used and it SHATTERED in her mouth as she tipped it up to drink.

She has been left with 2 small cuts to her cheek and a cut on her bottom lip, which bled profusely. Apart from that, the poor child was terrified and (for now, at least) refuses to drink out of glasses. Thankfully the injuries are minor and she didn't swallow any glass.

This is not the first time. An Olympics coke glass we got from McDonalds also cracked after only a few uses, thankfully no-one was using it at the time.
We have now put all coke glasses out to go to the bottle bank and I am warning everyone I can of the danger.

I phoned Coke Zone UK and was put through to America, where a woman with the voice and compassion of a robot took my complaint, gave me a ticket number and said it'll be 5-7 working days before someone contacts me. wtf???

I'm going to write to Coke Zone uk (who do have an office in the uk) and send the pics I've taken, along with a complaint.

 

Holy mackerel. First up, I hope your youngster gets over the trauma quickly. That would freak me out.

In addition to complaining to Coca Cola in the UK, I would also be tempted to speak to Consumer Direct, which is the public facing front to Trading Standards. Its hard to judge from the photo, but to me the glass seems a fair bit thinner than you'd get on most drinking glasses. Perhaps this isn't just an unfortunate one-off, but rather a dangerous manufacturing defect caused by cost cutting. These glasses really need to be recalled.

If you haven't chucked the glass, I'd keep it for now. You might need it is evidence depending on how far you pursue this.

 

Clueless, I have kept the glass. this style of coke glass is always thin at the top and thick at the bottom, that's the problem I think.
I will phone consumer direct, thanks

 

Consumer Direct closed on 30 March 2012. A new Citizens Advice consumer service can now offer you consumer advice and information.

I just phoned them and they will pass it on to trading standards. they cant offer me any advice really, because the product was free, so theres no "contract" for it. But they will make sure the word gets out that they may be dangerous.

 

I don't know what to say, I'm completely stunned. Consumer Direct was an excellent and I'd say essential government service. Another thing to fall by the wayside in the latest 'austerity measures' I guess.

 

I guess so.

as a sidebar, I'd forgotten what were on MSE
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4239285

 

You'll always get people like that. Probably don't even have any kids. In my experience its those with no kids that are fastest to judge. Best just ignore such weirdos I reckon.

 

There are people on that MSE thread that annoyed me so much I joined the forum just so I could give them a piece of my mind. I hope you don't mind.

I couldn't get my usual username because its been taken, so on there I'm clewleswan.

 

aww clueless

 

This could have been so much worse...I dread to think about it. So glad the outcome does not appear to worrying.

 

I'm sure the glass must have had a crack in it, as I cant see it breaking like that without.

Possibly it had a knock at some time, either before you got it or after.

Tin mugs all round from now on then.

 

i also agree that it was a lucky escape and the accident could have had much worse outcome. I hope your girl gets a fast recovery.

I must say with my kids, especially the two older ones which are a bit of an earthquake, I tend to stick to plastic cups unless I am sitting centimetres away from them.
And even then, I just don't the idea of thin glasses nowhere near them.

By looking at your picture I wouldn't define that a shattered glass.
It looks like quite a neat edge.
The shattering happens with crystal glasses, from memory...

I quite agree with Pete suggestion that the glass itself may have had some bumps at some stage (not necessarily when in you possession, maybe during transport etc.) and with some further pressure on the same spots, it caused it to break.

It is really important to keep all the pieces of glass as an evidence I imagine.

But anyway very well of you to report the matter without delay to COKE ZONE and they better give you a satisfactory response!!!

 

I had exactly the same thing happen whilst drinking from a wine glass a few weeks ago and had pieces of broken glass in my mouth, but I put it down to having worn it out.

Some of my glass demijohns for winemaking have unexpectedly fallen apart, presumably from previous bumps, and when pasteurising juices in glass bottles I've also had them fall apart in the hot water, again probably from a previous 'bump'.

I've even had old glass vases decide to fall apart when the mid-day sun has fallen on them, perhaps from a 70+ year old manufacting defect, perhaps from a later 'bump'.

But with new glasses, pursue a complaint and some compensation.

And as for something being out 'free' absolving the manufacturers from any responsibility, Thalidomide was prescribed for 'free' from the NHS, but that didn't stop those who suffered the consequences from suing the manufacturers.

 

Hope and Pray Your Baby Gets Over This Horrible Trauma Quickly
And So Glad it was Not Far Worse!!! Could have well Been From All GC Members Thoroughly Deserved

And Tell Your Daughter My Misses Said She Has the Most Beautiful Head Of Hair Ever

 

Thanks everyone, your kind words mean a lot.

Pete, the glass looked fine when I unpacked it, so there was no visible defect. If there had been, no-one would have used it. Tin cups sound good or baby sippy cups

Mira, I've always made my kids drink in the kitchen so spills are easier to clean up. (need to do that with hubby really, he's a messy pup). On this occasion she was having a drink of squash right before bedtime & was sitting with me on the sofa. I heard it break in her mouth. Shatter is the wrong word, you're right, but it's all I could think of. And it didn't appear to be that thin. Else I'd have sent it back. Yes, Coke Zone has been phoned, now I have to wait 5-7 working days for a phone back. I have kept the glass for evidence and further photos & I will be complaining to coca-cola in London.

Thank you Mrs Folly Mon, my daughter is always getting compliments for her hair. She's just started high school and most days she comes home grumbling "I got called cute again!"

She doesn't seem any worse for wear now, just her lip stings a bit, as you would expect. I'm just so thankful it wasn't worse!