A Singaporean man recently took to Facebook to share his harrowing close call with a falling ceiling fan blade.
Sales development representative Matthew Ong, 34, had carried his three-month-old son out of his room mere minutes before the blade spun off the ceiling fan.
After inspecting the ceiling fan, Fanco, the supplier, has allegedly ignored Mr Ong’s requests for compensation.
In response, he chose to share his ordeal to warn other Fanco ceiling fan users about potential dangers.
Mr Ong recounted his experience with the Fanco product in a post on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Monday (22 April).
Around 6.10pm on 30 March, he switched on the Fanco ceiling fan in his master bedroom, where his three-month-old son usually sleeps.
Moments after removing the infant from his cot in the corner of the room, Mr Ong heard a loud crash.
Upon returning to investigate, he discovered that one of the ceiling fan blades had detached, striking a wardrobe in the room and landing just inches away from his son’s cot.
Source: Matthew Ong on Facebook
The two were only a few metres away from the room when the terrifying incident happened.
Two days after the incident (1 April), Mr Ong emailed Fanco to request compensation for the damages.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ong
Fanco promptly responded, assuring Mr Ong that they would send a technician to examine the ceiling fan.
Following the inspection, the technician informed Mr Ong that the blade detachment occurred because the fan was “off-centre and too close” to the wardrobe.
Mr Ong found this explanation to be unusual.
Since purchasing the item in 2021, Fanco has sent a technician to service the fan twice and the issue was never brought up.
After rejecting Fanco’s proposal to replace the fan’s blades, Mr Ong persisted in seeking compensation for the incident.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ong
After the inspection, Mr Ong sent multiple emails to Fanco to follow up with his compensation request.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t heard from them since. He was also unable to reach the company via its phone line.
Image courtesy of Matthew Ong
Mr Ong told MS News that he is still pursuing a full refund of the S$138 ceiling fan from Fanco.
Since the incident, he has replaced all Fanco fans in his home with KDK fans and installed them in the same locations.
Mr Ong also consulted with the KDK installers to ensure the ceiling fan’s positioning was not hazardous, and they confirmed it was safe.
He is now cautioning other Fanco users to be vigilant about the potential dangers posed by their ceiling fans.
MS news has reached out to Fanco for comment.
Also read: False Ceiling Falls At Queenstown HDB Flat, Contractor Offers Free Repairs As Compensation
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Featured image adapted from Matthew Ong on Facebook.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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