Last week the Bennett family toaster died. Its last moments were spectacular with arcing, sparks and flames.

I suspect it was dangerous.

It is a Tefal model we bought last year. When it gave up the ghost we did the usual sales receipt hunt so we could take it back to the shop and get a warranty replacement or refund.

Although the toaster is 13 months old and the company claims it isn't covered by the warranty, New Zealand's Consumer Guarantees Act says otherwise.

A new toaster should toast for more than a year.

The issue is moot because we lost the sales receipt.

I called Tefal's 0800 700 711 customer support line.

When I explained what happened the representative told me  to take the toaster to a repair centre.

I hadn't mentioned the missing receipt although, technically I could argue proof of purchase isn't the point. Goods should be fit to do whatever they are sold to do regardless of paperwork.

But that's not my point. The toaster only cost $80 – which I had already written off. In fact by this point we had already bought a new toaster – though not from Tefal.

I wanted to report the dangerous arcing to the customer service representative. My aim was to give them valuable feedback that could save people's lives and help the company build a better toaster.

But the customer service representative wasn't interested.

I also had a very clear impression she was trying to get me off the line as quickly as possible.

When pressed she said she was "transferring me downstairs" whatever that means.

The call transferred to a voice mail line where I left a short message and a telephone number where I could be contacted. The phone hasn't rung.

So the only conclusion I can draw from this is that Tefal isn't interested in a potentially dangerous problem with its products.

This scares me.

Moreover, what is the point of a business having customer relations when this kind of information isn't collected? Or am I completely out of touch with realty expecting a manufacturer to care about these things?