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Martha Stewart Table Tops Shatter, Consumers Complain

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 12, 2005
For the last three years, consumers who purchased Martha Stewart patio furniture at Kmart have been getting a nasty surprise: the glass tops of the patio tables have been spontaneously shattering.

Martha Stewart • Kmart Still Selling Shatter-Prone Martha Stewart Tables • Manufacturer of Martha Stewart Tables Declares Bankruptcy • A First: Consumer Gets Restitution for Martha Stewart Table • Sounds of Summer: Martha Stewart Tables Shattering • Sears Not Amused by Martha's Deal with Macy's • Martha Does Macy's • Martha Stewart to Begin Hawking Buicks • Suit Charges Martha Stewart Knew of Shattering Glass Patio Tabletops • Martha Stewart Table Tops Shatter, Consumers Complain --- • Consumer Complaints

Since April, when many consumers began pulling their patio furniture out of storage for the summer season, complaints to ConsumerAffairs.com have escalated. While some consumers have complained about the furniture’s “shoddy workmanship,” the shattering glass tops –- a potential safety hazard -– have been the predominant theme.

"I purchased a complete Martha Stewart Patio set in May of 2003. I housed it indoors in the winter months, and took very good care of it," Bridgette of Lewes, Delaware, said. "Just the other day, for no apparent reason, my glass top table shattered into a million pieces! I thought something fell out of the sky and hit it, but it did not. I am so disappointed!"

Megan, of Dix Hills, New York, reports an eerily similar experience: "We purchased the Martha Stewart Victorian Collection patio furniture set in May of 2002. We have always housed it for the winter, so it has never been put in any kind of bad element."

"Today, I was sitting in my den with my newborn son, and all of a sudden, I heard a tremendous crash. I looked outside and the glass patio table had shattered into a million pieces. My husband and I were stunned. We looked around for any item that may have fallen from the sky to create such impact, but we found nothing."

Megan tells us she phoned her local Kmart store and asked if they had ever heard of something like this happening. She was told they had received no other such reports. Strange, since ConsumerAffairs.com has been receiving reports like these since 2002.

Other complaints about the furniture set, which can cost as much as $2,000, have remarked about peeling paint, ripped cushions and rusting frames. However, none of the other complaints would seem to hold the potential for injury that the shattering table tops does.

A call to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission confirmed that there was no recall underway for the furniture. However, CPSC’s Michelle Fleming told ConsumerAffairs.com the agency would like to hear from consumers who have experienced the problem with the shattering glass.

Other products from the Martha Stewart line, however, do have a record with CPSC. In May 2004 Kmart recalled 588 boxes of Martha Stewart "Everyday" safety matches. The matches were found to possibly ignite upon impact, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

In January 2005 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia recalled about 1,700 Full Moon Lantern sets. The lantern can overheat and melt or ignite, posing a burn hazard to consumers, and the recall was initiated after only eleven consumer complaints.

A month later Kmart recalled Martha Stewart Everyday brand birch candle sets. The birch surrounding the candles may ignite, posing a fire hazard.

In April 2005 a recall order went out for Martha Stewart Everyday sunny meadow four-piece sanded votive candle sets. It was found that these candles can have a high flame, posing a risk of burn injuries to consumers. Kmart said it has received one report of a high flame with these candles. No injuries were reported.

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