Mother says off-brand iPhone charger melted, burned daughter

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A local mother thinks a discount store should immediately recall an off-brand iPhone charger. She says her daughter's charger melted when it was plugged into an outlet in her bedroom.

"I like to save money and Apple chargers are, like, $30," Paulding County mom Angela Zenus told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh.

But Zenus says the $5 bargain she got on an off-brand charger at discount store Five Below wasn't worth it.

"My first reaction was it could have burned down our house," Zenus said.

Zenus says the close call happened in her daughter's bedroom.

Nine-year-old Kendall showed Kavanaugh where she had plugged the phone charger in before she climbed into bed, just a few feet above the outlet.

"It smelled like burning plastic," Kendall said.

"We do leave our chargers plugged in all the time. She was smart enough to notice it and see it," said her mother.

When Kendall unplugged it, it was hot the touch so she pulled the cord to show her mother. The charger had noticeable charred edges and the heat melted a hole right through it.

Kavanaugh emailed pictures of the burned charger to Five Below, a discount store that sells everything for $5 or less.

A corporate spokesperson acknowledged that it is a charger they carry.  They say it's manufactured by Vivitar and Five Below purchases directly from that company.

A spokesperson emailed Channel 2 Action News saying, "At Five Below, safety is of the utmost importance and we take all product concerns seriously.  This is the first we have heard of this incident.  We immediately contacted the manufacturer and are looking into it."  

Zenus thinks the store should go a step further.

"I think they need to look into maybe recalling the ones that they have," she said.  "I'm sure this is not the only person this has happened to."

Five Below officials said they haven't had any other complaints on this particular charger to date.

"We could have lost everything," said Zenus.

Kavanaugh also contacted the manufacturer of the product, Vivitar. As soon as we get a response from them, we will update this story.