Operator launched charging rewards scheme a year ago, but was forced to recall solution after a number of overheating incidents were found
EE has told Mobile News it will not be relaunching its Power Bar rewards scheme following a number of overheating incidents, instead opting to focus on new reward schemes set to launch this summer.
The operator launched the Power Bar scheme in April last year, and ran out of stock in under 24 hours. But less than three months later, the operator was forced to recall around 500,000 of the product after reports of one exploding made headlines.
Medical student Katy Emslie posted a picture on Twitter (right) showing burnt hands, claiming her Power Bar had exploded, while several other reports emerged of the power banks overheating.
EE sent the E1-06 batch for “rigorous stress testing” in August, with then-CEO Olaf Swantee claiming initial results showed the power banks were safe.
At its peak, around 1.5 million Power Bars were in circulation. In December, EE opted to recall all of them in return for a £20 voucher scheme. The voucher scheme ended in March.
EE has confirmed it will not relaunch the Power Bar rewards, and is encouraging customers still in possession of one to return it to their local EE store, with a “sizeable number” still in circulation.
A spokesperson said: “Our EE Power Bar promotion had a hugely positive response from our customers, however after careful consideration we’ve decided not to bring it back. We still sell a wide range of chargers and power packs to keep our customer connected. We’ll share news shortly about ways to stay connected at Glastonbury and the summer festival season, as well as some exciting new loyalty offers throughout the summer.”
EE declined to share any further details about these schemes.
