Caruso and dual voltage claims.......??????

**julliams** · November 30th, 2011, 03:30 AM

Can anyone clear this up for me? I just purchased model C97958 which can be seen here http://www.fishpond.com.au/Health_Be...eywords=caruso

It says that it can be used on foreign currents, the Amazon page on the same product says it has dual voltage but.... the leaflet it comes with states that it "only operates at 120V, 60Hz." Now in Australia we operate at 240 V so I will basically blow this unit up if I try to use it here.

Does anyone have any experience with this or knows if it is dual voltage????

I've waited 2 months for this unit to arrive and now I can't use it

Not Happy!!!

**Lissandria** · November 30th, 2011, 04:13 AM

That sucks dude.

I hope someone comes along to help you soon.

**Cjatje** · November 30th, 2011, 04:39 AM

Maybe some sort of transfer to put inbetween? Maybe it's best to go to a hardware store and just ask?

**julliams** · November 30th, 2011, 04:48 AM

A converter will cost me an extra $55 which is more than the unit is worth.... and what if I don't like the results?

I've been looking on Amazon and some of the reviews complain that it's not dual voltage. Why on earth would they make such a claim like this that isn't even on the box????

**Cjatje** · November 30th, 2011, 05:04 AM

Wow, that a lot of money :s
And it really su**s

**Lassie** · November 30th, 2011, 05:50 AM

Goodness! I was eyeing it up on fishpond to buy till i read your post!!

I'd suggest you email fishpond (i have always found their service to be very good)
They really shouldn't be selling a product in australia, for australians, if its entirely the wrong voltage (unless of course they stated so in the advertisement)
Ask them if it is suitable for usage with AU voltage, and will they refund if you plug it in and it blows up (ie, will they take responsibility if they give you the wrong info)

Let me know how you go!

**Shield31** · November 30th, 2011, 07:04 AM

julliams,

Maybe the information on this page will help.

http://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?m...roducts_id=237

One question: Does the water heating unit have a plug on it that will fit right into your electrical outlet?

Mark

**UltraBella** · November 30th, 2011, 07:43 AM

They are not manufactured as dual voltage. You will have to have a converter, and if the claim is that it works in Australia, then the converter should have been included.
I took my Caruso with me to England and used it there with a converter, it worked perfectly. However, converters there were very inexpensive, we had at least 10 of them plugged in throughout the house.
Sorry you are having this issue, it must be so disappointing

**FrozenBritannia** · November 30th, 2011, 08:23 AM

If it is dual, it will have a switch on it somewhere. I have some electric curlers which are dual, and they have a switch .... However they still only have the end to plug into our outlets here, so I am not sure what is up with that?

**julliams** · November 30th, 2011, 05:24 PM

Ok guys,
I think I have got to the bottom of this. Caruso (HelenOfTroy) first sent me this:

Dear ___________, Model C97956 and C97958 have the dual voltage capacity. You can check on the box which should state that.

Then I sent back saying that there wasn't any info on the box and that it said 2009 on the bottom. So then she wrote back:

I’m sorry but you did receive an older model which may be that it is not a dual voltage steamer. The new model do have that capacity again I do apologize for the mis-information.

My thoughts? Change the model number!! If you are going to change something like that, surely the product should have a different model number! ARGH!!

Fishpond say that they will refund it and will change the info on their website. What an annoying ordeal. I do want to point out though, that in my search for a Caruso, I have come accross a similar product from Vidal Sassoon. But guess what? They don't sell it in Australia!

Well, it's not anyone's fault but I could have had a nasty accident here at my house if I hadn't double checked that and went ahead and plugged it into my universal travel plug. Certainly the motor would have blown out, and could have led to a fire.

Sheild31 - thanks for the info. From what I understand the unit itself has to be dual voltage and then I can plug it into an adapter and then into my own socket. So no, the plug it comes with is the standard US plug, but it's the fact that the unit itself does not convert that is the problem. I can buy a converter but I'm looking at $55 for one that has the "c-tick" which is the legal product within Australia. It's just not something you want to play with. I had a friend who lost the top of her house thanks to a curling iron, so I'm a little wary of using the correct tools for the job.