One problem Apple probably didn’t expect to inherit when it purchased Beats for $3.2 billion? Dangerously faulty Bluetooth speakers. According to a notice posted on the company’s official website, the tubular Pill XL is a fire hazard. Apple recommends owners stop using the speaker immediately, and is launching a voluntary recall of all Beats XL devices.
“Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL may overheat and pose a fire safety risk,” reads the press release. Apple claims there have been eight documented instances of Pills overheating so far, one of which was severe enough to burn a users’s fingers, while caused damage a desk.
If you’re the owner of a black, white, pink, metallic sky, or titanium Beats Pill XL, Apple’s willing to offer a compensatory refund if you return it. Here’s how to get it:
- Contact Apple for a $325 Apple Store credit or electronic payment
- Wait to receive a postage paid box
- Ship the speaker to the provided address
Given the relatively low rate of incidence — Beats has sold about 222,000 Pill XLs in the US and 11,000 in Canada — Apple’s proactivity is a welcome surprise. The company doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to remedying product defects (it infamously denied 2011 MacBook Pro users who suffered crashes and critical hardware problems recourse until prompted by a class action lawsuit), but seems to have gotten out ahead of the Pill situation. The company is even offering $25 over the Pill XL’s retail value.
It’s in Apple’s best interest, of course, that any negativity around the Beats brand dissipate quickly. Ever since rumors emerged of a new Apple music subscription service built on the foundation of Beats Music, a platform Apple acquired as part of its aforementioned purchase, the two brands seem to have become inextricably associated. That’s also thanks to the proclivity of Beats products in Apple stores — the company notes that the Pill XL was introduced by Beats way back in November 2013, but Apple offered them for sale in brick-and-mortar locations as recently as this month.
