XIKAR Discontinuing, Recalling Plunge Lighters
XIKAR is discontinuing and recalling their Plunge lighter due to a concern about a mechanical defect that may show up after years of use and prevent the lighter from fully extinguishing when the lid is closed.
Chris Geisert, VP of Marketing for XIKAR, sent out an e-mail to customers late Wednesday afternoon making the announcement that one of their products “falls short of delivering on our lifetime promise to you.” He said that while they believe the issue to occur in less than 1% of the lighters sold, they are taking the steps to get the lighters off the market. He went on to say that they are making changes to the Plunge model to prevent the issue and they hope to have the updated models available in February 2013.
Customers with XIKAR Plunge lighters are invited to take advantage of the company’s lifetime warranty, with Geisert saying the company will mail replacement lighters when they are ready around February. The warranty replacement offer will only be valid in 2013.
For more information or to file a warranty claim, visit XIKAR’s website or call 1-866-676-7380.
UPDATE (Dec. 11, 2012): A representative from XIKAR contacted me regarding this issue, as there may have been confusion regarding the word ‘recall.’ While the Plunge lighters are being pulled from store shelves so the issue can be repaired, they have not issued a recall on all Plunge lighters, since they believe only 1% of them are affected. I apologize for any confusion, and am posting the e-mail that was sent to XIKAR customers on Dec. 5 regarding the issue below. -Patrick Lagreid
Plunge Lighter Announcement– Please Read
Dear Patrick ,
As you know the essence of XIKAR is founded on two things, product innovation and extraordinary customer experience. Some of the pillars supporting that essence are humility, honesty, and transparency. In that spirit, I want to discuss one of our products that we believe falls short of delivering on our lifetime promise to you.I’m writing to you today to address our Plunge single flame lighter, as we believe it does not live up to the quality standards we expect.We recently discovered a potential defect in the Plunge lighter that may appear after years of use. This defect may cause the lid mechanism to wear, decreasing its ease of opening and closing. This defect has appeared in less than 1% our lighters sold. There exists a slight possibility that the lighter may not extinguish immediately if the closing mechanism is not functioning properly.
Because of this concern, effective immediately we have discontinued the Plunge lighter. We are making adjustments to the current lighter stock to prevent this unintended wear, and will provide Plunge lighters for warranty replacements only in 2013. The changes will be complete, and updated lighters will be ready for shipment for warranty purposes in late February 2013.
If you notice the lighter’s opening/closing functions do not work as well as when it was first purchased, or if you have any concerns whatsoever about your Plunge lighter, please feel free to utilize our Lifetime Warranty. We will be glad to ship you a revised model as soon as they become available in 2013.We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.Please call us if you have any questions.Chris Geisert
VP of Marketing
816-994-7154
XIKAR FOR LIFE!
Patrick Lagreid
I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.
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