PITTSBURGH -- A nightly snack turned dangerous for a Chelsea, Okla., couple when their microwave bursts into flames.
"I thought it was going blow up and the door was going to come off," said Connie Helt.
Helt’s husband was popping popcorn in the microwave when she saw a "big, bright, light."
"I mean, you could see it light up the inside of the microwave -- real bright, and sparks coming out the side of the microwave,” said Helt.
Helt called General Electric, the maker of the microwave.
Helt said GE told her there was nothing they could do.
"It was like, 'Sorry you spent $400 on our microwave and it blew up, caught on fire,' no big deal type of thing. That's the part that upset me, and I didn't want someone else to go buy a microwave and not see this," said Helt.
Still wanting to help others, Helt posted a complaint on
ConsumerAffairs.com.
When contacted for a response, GE wrote to Channel 4 Action News that "Helt’s situation is called arcing and arcing can happen with any microwave, regardless of manufacturer."
Another unsatisfied customer filed a suit alleging 20 microwave models in GE’s Spacemaker or Range lines are prone to burst into flames without warning.
GE did not comment on the lawsuit and said it had not seen it yet. The lawsuit was filed it in May. Those looking to file a complaint can do so at on
ConsumerAffairs.com.
More than 360 people have filed complaints about their GE microwaves.
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