A man from the United States claims his iPhone XS Max caught fire while kept in the back of his pocket. Josh Hillard from Ohio says the smartphone felt hot and then started emitting smoke. At the time of the incident, he was with his colleague in the break room when the phone caught fire out if the blue. He then quickly ran out to take his pants off, and another colleauge had to use a fire extinguisher to put out the flame.
“Left no other option, I had to exit the room since there was a female in the break room with me and remove my pants. I ran to the boardroom where I got my shoes and pants off as fast as possible. A VP of our company put the fire out with a fire extinguisher because he heard me yelling,” said Hillard.
Following the alleged incident, he went to the Apple Store to narrate the whole debacle and find out what kind of compensation would he receive. However, the victim was only offered a new phone, despite him asking further compensation for his burnt clothes and slight skin burns. Not satisfied by the response, Josh then tried to get in touch with Apple Care over the phone, but to no avail.
Victim says replacement iPhone XS Max isn’t enough
Hillard further added that he always showed faith in Apple as a brand, but now he seems to have lost his trust in the company as he isn’t satisfied by Apple Care’s. He is now seeking legal action in order to get more compensation.
Smartphones on fire remind us of incidents such as the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. That said, these types of incidents happen rarely as most handsets go though rigorous testing and safety measures. However, we do come across such news once in a while, so readers are advised to make use of authorized accesories and batteries with their smartphones to negate the possibilty of these incidents happening.
