• Report: #542931

Complaint Review: Werner Ladders

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  • Submitted: Monday, December 21, 2009
  • Last Posting: Tuesday, December 22, 2009
  • Reported By: Bobthebuilder — Dallas Texas United States of America
Werner Ladders
93 Werner Road Greenville Pennsylvania 16125 United States of America

Werner Ladders 6 foot aluminum stepladder failure resulting in injury Greenville, Pennsylvania

*General Comment: sounds like


4Author 4Consumer 0Employee/Owner

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My stepdaughter has a new home and wanted some Christmas decorations above the masonary entrance to her front door.  She had a new Werner Type III 6 foot aluminum stepladder which I used.  I thought it was very light weight and flimsy for a 200 pound load. So I took aa great deal of care to make sure it was firmly and evenlt set and went up a couple of steps to ensure it was stable.  I climbed carefully to the top step holding on to the concrete cornice for stability.  I put a masonary nail in mortar and while holding on to the cornice put my right foot down one step and SLOWLY applied my full weight on that foot in preparation to lowering my left foot to that step.  The ladder suddenly and with no warning collapsed and I fell sidewards on to the stone entry way.  I landed on my right shoulder and my head bounced off the stone.  I was transported by ambulance to the hospital where it was said my shoulder was shattered.  A shoulder surgeon has reconstructed the shoulder which has been very painful and will require months of rehabilitation.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/21/2009 7:53:03 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/hardware-tools/werner-ladders/werner-ladders-6-foot-aluminu-cb4f2.htm.

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
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#1 Consumer Comment

Got what you asked for...

AUTHOR: GypsiesinthePalace - lawrenceville (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Monday, December 21, 2009

Did you read the warning on the ladder?  It says what any human should already know.........you do not use the top step of a stepladder to stand on.  Plain common sense.

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#2 Consumer Comment

Safety...

AUTHOR: Robert - Irvine (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Monday, December 21, 2009

Since you were able to write this report with a shattered shoulder, it appears that in the end you will recover. 

However, this is exactly why they have all of those safety warnings on the ladder.  One of those warnings is that you are to never use the top step.  If you have to hold onto the house for "stability" even if you missed the warnings on the ladder that should have a very big clue that you were not in a safe situation.

You can take a "great deal of care", make sure it is "evenly set", climb as "carefully" as you want, and you can step down "slowly" all you want.  But if you use the ladder outside of the warnings there is really only one person to blame.

By the way a 200 pound ladder(Type III) is the lowest rated ladder and is considered "light-duty". 

 


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#3 Update By Author

I said top STEP, NOT top of the ladder

AUTHOR: Bobthebuilder - Dallas (USA)

SUBMITTED: Monday, December 21, 2009

I clearly said the top step, which is clearly one level below the top of the ladder marked in red with the no step warning on all modern stepladders.  The ladder failed when I slowly and carefully put my weght on the second step from the top (2 levels below the don't step warning).  It appears the weld failed in the lightweight tension bracket which is locked in place when the ladder is used, but that failure could have occurred after the right side legs buckled near the bottom.  The ladder was not misused,

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#4 Update By Author

top step vs next to the top step

AUTHOR: Bobthebuilder - Dallas (USA)

SUBMITTED: Monday, December 21, 2009

A point has been made about not using the top step even though it is called a step.  I would point out the ladder failed when I put my weight on the next lower step.  Yes, type III is the lightest duty (200 pound load) as also mentioned in a comment, but that is supposed to be the safe load. If I fell off the ladder because I was not in a stable position it would clearly be my fault.  The failure would most likely be the ladder kicked sideway with little to no damage certainly not the breakage that occurred. The ladder material failed by buckling which should not have happened in a straight vertical load as applied.  It is interesting that even on ripoff.com there are at least 2 other similar failures (like on the 3rd step from the bottom).

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#5 Consumer Comment

werner

AUTHOR: Dan - buffalo (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Monday, December 21, 2009

does not make a 6 foot type III aluminum stepladder. Check their web site (wernerladderdotcom) The only type III are platform ladders and the highest you can stand on the tallest one is 33.5 inches, so if you were on the platform (33.5 inches up) and were stepping down to the next lower step (approx 22 inches up) I can't imagine "shattering" a shoulder from such a low height. Also a 200lb rating is under optimal circumstances (firm , level , stable setting, not overreaching either upward or sideways), so if you weigh any more than 150 lbs you should not have been using such a light duty ladder.
Sorry, but something isn't right here.

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#6 Update By Author

ladder is marked Werner type III and is aluminum

AUTHOR: Bobthebuilder - Dallas (USA)

SUBMITTED: Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The ladder is marked just as I said.  It was purchased at The Home Depot or Lowes here in Dallas.  Just because it is not online at Werner's does not mean they did not make it.  Large manufacturers make specials for stores all the time.  We bought Pella sliding glass doors at Lowes that are not listed on the Pella web site (they are all plastic and glass).   We even went to the Pella factory store and they could not sell them but could install them.  I have not gone to the Werner web site to see if the failed ladder is available from them or made any longer.

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#7 Consumer Comment

Sounds like

AUTHOR: ralee@telusplanet.net - REd Deer (Canada)

SUBMITTED: Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Sounds like the Werener's employee got you pretty wound up.
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