"She just blew up," Banes said. "There was no pre-warning of something smelling hot. I saw no smoke. Just erupted into flames."
The toy in question is called the Beautiful Flying Fairy, which Banes ordered from Amazon.
"It didn't come in time for Christmas, but it did come last week," she said. "I thought, I'll go ahead and take it out of the package and charge it up. And thank God I did."
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Banes followed the instructions on the box and plugged it into her computer to charge.
"In less than two minutes, she erupted into flames at my desk," she said. "I promptly pulled the plug out of my computer and ran out into the loading dock and dropped her on the concrete."
Beth isn't alone. Brooke Osbeck from Michigan bought two of the Beautiful Flying Fairy toys, also from Amazon. She said that while one was charging, it started smoking. She reported it to the seller on Amazon, TYZEST, and wrote a review about what happened.
Through email, the seller did offer Osbeck a refund or a new fairy. They also asked her to delete her bad comments, which she declined to do.
Banes contacted Amazon and was given a full refund. She said she's surprised that even after reporting it, she could still buy the toy from TYZEST.
"I was really concerned this could happen to someone else that wouldn't be sitting right in front of it when it happened," she said. "So I decided to contact (ABC)."
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Now, the Beautiful Flying Fairy is no longer for sale by TYZEST.
"Customer safety is among our highest priorities," a spokesperson said. "We monitor the products sold on our website for product safety concerns, and when appropriate, we remove a product from the website, reach out to sellers, manufacturers and government agencies for additional information or take other actions. If customers have concerns about items they've purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly so we can investigate and take appropriate action."
The product is made in China, and nowhere on the packaging does it say who manufacturers it. It remains for sale on several websites.