The below review of the DOOMAY thermometer/clock, on June 16 2023, was refused by Amazon because it dared suggest that a safety warning about the button cell battery in it should be added. To be precise, they do not actually say what part of my review they rejected (see the end of this page). They also did not say what, was wrong with it; instead they gave six possibilities (Profanity, Harassment, Hate speech, Sexual content, Illegal activity, and Private information), and I am to figure out myself which ones apply. But five of these reasons are fairly objective and clearly do not apply to my review, below, as a quick reading will confirm. That leaves harassment. I am *harrasing* the vendor with my *suggestion* that a warning about the button cell is included. (I may note that I also twice posted a question about the safety of the clock on its web page, but these questions simply disappeared into nothing.) Clearly then, Amazon has much more mercy for this poor, poor, vendor, relentlessly being harrassed into providing standard safety information, than it has mercy for these very few, if any, children who are stupid enough to swallow batteries.
Well, obviously I do not agree with Amazon, but it is Amazon, not I, that can decide what information (questions, reviews) it elects to publish on its own web site, including on safety. All I can do is post my review here on *my own* website, so that any lawyers for the parents of these very few, if any, stupid children may be able to find it here.
As far as the review is concerned, I took out the footnote and resubmitted. So far, after almost 5 days, I have not received any response, and I am not holding my breath. UPDATE: on July 4, I still have not received a response, of any type, to my modified review, and it is not posted. So, like my two questions, the modified review has disappeared in thin air.
I did notice however that on the Amazon web site, now the battery is identified as a CR2450 instead of a CR2 in the most visible place (see pic 5). Frankly, I suspect the incorrect CR-2 was deliberately used to keep people from questioning the battery until it is battery-replacement time. I hope that at least I contributed to it now showing the correct battery in the most visible place. (As pics 7 and 8 show, it is still misidentified as a CR2 in at least two other places.)
As you can see in pics 1-5, there is not a trace of a warning about the battery anywhere.
I am happy this clock: its white frame goes very well with my interior, and the large numbers in its display are easy to read. (However, I would have preferred if the time was in the big digits; I would be willing to get up for the humidity, but not for the time.) In comparing the clock in a certain spot to a bamboo version I also like, my handyman preferred the DOOMAY clock for being more consistent with its surroundings.
But there is one issue I must object to: its lack of commitment to safety. This clock comes with a CR2450 battery. If no battery was included, I would have no big issue. But it does, and if you buy a CR2450 battery in a store, it comes in child-proof packaging (and maybe adult-proof too). For example, the following warning is given on the Energizer web page:
"KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Swallowing may lead to serious injury or death in as little as 2 hours due to chemical burns and potential perforation of the esophagus. **Immediately see doctor, have doctor phone (202) 625-3333.** Keep in original package until ready to use. Dispose of used batteries immediately." https://www.energizer.com/specialty-batteries/2450-battery
But DOOMAY provides zero warnings about this battery (see also my footnote below). I asked my handyman whether he thought that a small child having the intact clock could get at the battery, and he did not think so (which was also my personal opinion). Still, these are just educated guesses; to be safe, I would not put this clock on low tables, like shown in the product pictures, or anywhere else that a small kid could easily get at it. Note that I found that the thing slid slowly down my fridge (which has a somewhat rough surface), so I would recommend using the magnetic sticker or velcro instead of simply sticking the thing to a fridge.
Still, I believe the more likely risks would come when it is time to replace the battery. (Note that when new, you can simply pull out a paper strip to enable the battery without opening the cover.) What if, say, someone opens the battery compartment, notes the battery specification on his/her shopping list, and throws the "spent" battery in a waste basket? To guard against eventualities like that, I strongly recommend that you put a suitable warning on the clock; see the pic.
There is another concern; my handyman noted that the thin plastic beam that locks the battery cover is easily broken. I already knew that; it has happened to me at least once before. What if, say, someone opens and breaks the cover, throws the spent battery in the waste basket, puts in a left-over new CR2450 from the kitchen drawer, and puts the clock with the broken battery cover back on a low table?
For concerns like these, if you buy this clock, I strongly recommend that you put a warning on it, maybe like the one shown in the picture. (Which is what the manufacturer should have done in the first place.)
FOOTNOTE: Twice I put a question on the web page of this clock asking for comments on the safety of the clock. Normally when I ask a question, within 24 hours I get a notice from Amazon that either there is an answer, or that there is none. But both of these questions about safety **disappeared into nothing**. The second time this happened I kept a copy of the question; it was: "As swallowed CR2450 batteries can cause painful dead in as little as 2 hours, what does this thing do to prevent children from getting at the battery?". I believe that Amazon should *not* have a policy to allow vendors to simply make reasonable questions of customers about safety disappear. After all, these vendors may live in countries where life comes much cheaper than in the USA. If someone from Amazon in the decision-making higher echelons of Amazon reads this, I strongly recommend that they think some more about this policy.
From: Amazon Reviews <no-reply@amazon.com>
To: amazon@dommelen.net
Subject: We couldn't post your review of DOOMAY Digital Thermomet...
[SNIP]
Hello,
We couldn't post your review because it doesn't meet our guidelines for
one or more of these reasons:
* Profanity
* Harassment
* Hate speech
* Sexual content
* Illegal activity
* Private information
Please edit and resubmit your review. Before you do, make sure it meets
all of our community guidelines.
[SNIP]
