to think Maxi-Cosi car seats ought to be on Watchdog?

[Roodlepippin]

Have just had shaking-with-rage argument with Maxi-Cosi about a potentially lethal car seat. Please tell me, am I being unreasonable to think they should fix it, even if it is a few months out of warranty?

Thought DS's car seat (Maxi Cosi priorifix) was basically ok until he wet the seat while potty training. We took the cover off to wash it and discovered a part of the seatbelt strap was practically frayed through.

The worst thing is that the damaged part of the belt is hidden down inside the back of the seat, under the cover, which means any damage is invisible in normal use. You have to take the seat out and completely dismantle it in order to see the damage. (my husband likes to do things properly...)

The thought of the strap giving way in an accident gave me palpitations so we called Dorel, who deal with maxi cosi products in the UK. They were quite dismissive and told us we would have to courier the seat (at our expense- at least £15) to their service centre in Norfolk and then pay them £50 to replace the seat belt. We would also - obviously - be without a car seat for the 3/4 weeks it would take to repair it. So no car journeys for us for a month. Either that, or buy another one for the duration.

For a seat which is less than three years old, which is designed and expected to be used for at least four years, this seems pretty outrageous behaviour to me. Am I being unreasonable?? Would a manufacturer think it was ok for the seatbelts on a three year old car to be frayed through?

More importantly, if our seat is like this after less than 3 years of perfectly reasonable use, how many other potentially dangerous seats are there out there that other parents don't know about? Has anyone else checked down the back of their maxi cosi recently?

I got absolutely nowhere with Dorel, who gave me the distinct impression they couldn't give a flying fig. I can't work out whether I've got unrealistically high expectations or whether they really are in the wrong...?

[SloanyPony]

They are in the wrong. I have that seat - and its a pretty expensive seat too. That's irrelevant though I suppose, in that safety is paramount and you expect a certain degree of safety regardless of the cost of the seat as there is a minimum standard and that minmimum standard is a good standard!

However, I'm thinking its probably a very unusual case. My son has puked on his a couple of times and we've had to have the entire cover off etc and ours is fine. Having said that, ours was manufactured with a bolt missing (not a structurally important bolt, but still) and I took it back to Mothercare, who sent it off to them free of charge and got it fixed and back to me free of charge.

Not much use to you now but it always pays to use shops like Mothercare or John Lewis when it comes to this kind of thing - both are VERY GOOD at sorting out problems, even out of warranty, under the sale of goods act which gives you 6 years.

I always buy major or more significant baby/kiddy purchases from them.

Its very bad though - I'd imagine you'd want to take it further. If you are unsure of your "rights" regarding the sending it back at your expense etc, I'd run it by Consumer Direct - give them a ring in the morning - as you might find you dont actually have to do that and that they are obliged under the sale of goods act.

Good luck

[Marjee]

Thats terrible! I'm sorry I have no advice for you but thanks a lot for the warning, I have a maxi cosi priori xp which I'll be checking thoroughly in the morning! I'd be going straight to trading standards, they can't get away with putting your dc at risk like that

[thisisyesterday]

call trading standards. this is unacceptable

i didn't think my opinion of Dorel could get much lower... turns out it could!

[Doodleydoo]

Have you tried taking it in to Mothercare? the reason I ask is that before xmas found myself in a similar situation with the Tobi, we couldn't get the straps to loosen at all, took it into the local mothercare who agreed that it shouldn't happen - I admit I didn't tell them i didn't buy it from them but I also admit that they never asked! Anyway they replaced it for me taking up the issue with the company themselves rather than for me to do it. They were very very helpful so might be worth trying it out!

[tethersend]

You are covered by the Sale of Goods act which stipulates that the retailer rather than the manufacturer has a responsibility to repair or replace any goods sold for 'a reasonable time' after the point of sale. This reasonable time is generally acknowledged to be six years.

Bugger the warranty, contact the shop you bought it from and exercise your consumer rights by demanding a repair or replacement, as you are entitled to.

Assume that it's a fault for now- although maxicosi could well have a case to answer.

[tethersend]

Sale of Goods act

[Roodlepippin]

Thanks everyone for very useful responses. I've calmed down now - it helps to be told that I'm not being ridiculous! I hope everyone else's seats have proved undamaged.

Probably unwisely, we bought the seat online from twoleftfeet.com, which promptly went out of business, so not much joy with chasing up the retailer. I might try Mothercare (good tip!). Will definitely contact Consumer Direct too.

My new problem is how I can courier the blasted seat to Norwich - I'm going to have to package it up as best I can and DH reckons it has to be properly packed in a cardboard box; this is quite a tall order for a big car seat with an isofix 'leg'. Can anyone recommend a courier service?!

[thisisyesterday]

hmmm i think i would ring Dorel back and say you've spoken to consumer direct who were very interested in this
if they drag their feet i would have no qualms at ALL in mentioning that you are thinking of taking it to the daily mail too (they really would love a story like this)

THEY are the manufacturer, and if they want to look at it THEY need to pay to courier it to bloody Norwich.
IF they decide it is your fault it has broken (which is highly unlikely) then they can charge you the fee... but i would not be sending it under my own steam.

[DetectivePotato]

YANBU, something like a carseat that is designed for a number of years use should not have a frayed strap. Like you said, you couldn't even see it. Thank god you didn't find out about it in an accident.

I wouldn't let it go at all. Don't know anything about rights etc after this length of time but if you don't get anywhere with the retailer or Dorel, contact Watchdog and see what they say. They may be able to point you in another direction.

Can't imagine Maxi cosi is going to want the bad press.

[StealthPolarBear]

yanbu - I have a priorifix, thanks for the warning
I have recently noticed that the straps are getting a little frayed and have "buy new straps" on my to do list BUT they are not worn through, just a little frayed at the sides iykwim. And I know that's from us pulling the buckle up and down the straps.

Think I will take it apart as soon as I get the chance and have a good look at all the straps.

[mamatomany]

Buy Britax people and rear facing at that, just goes to show 2nd hands seats could be a disaster too even if they look ok.

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

I was just about to get out and give DS's old MaxiCosi seat a good clean so I can use it for DD. The straps are rather frayed where we have tightened and loosened them for the past 3 years so god knows what it looks like at the back.

Also as a Mothercare employee it's rather refreshing to see people on here sing its praises for once!

[StealthPolarBear]

I bought the priorifix as it was the best of its kind at the time.

Good point about 2nd hand seats...I hadn't even thought of that

[sheepgomeep]

we too had trouble with a maxi cosi car seat, the seatbelt mechanism jammed and it couldn't be fixed.

Mind you the Britax we bought as a replacement is crap to, after 6 months the buckle is knackered and the belt comes away from it, lethal

[onadietcokebreak]

Also how did you pay for it?? If on credit card your then they are jointly liable. Give consumer direct a call.

[DetectivePotato]

Its made me think now. Even though I have a Britax, I got the group 123 as I wanted to it last as long as possible. Now I'm wondering how long the straps will last with the adjusting that we need to do.

I know people do it as they can't always afford new but I thought it was recommended that you never buy a 2nd hand car seat.

[StealthPolarBear]

well not so much 2nd hand, but once I'm done with the baby seat I'd pass it on to someone as a spare, someone who trusts me when I say it's never even been in a small bump. But of course that might not be safe!

[DetectivePotato]

That wouldn't be so bad Stealth.

Its different when its someone you know and trust. I would happily do the same with my friends too.

I was thinking more of picking up one from the paper or a carboot or something where you couldn't be sure of the history. But like I said I appreciate that people cannot always afford a new one. They aren't cheap at all!

[CarGirl]

If you read the instruction booklets I am 99.9% sure that they all say you should inspect the car seat including straps regularly for signs of wear and tear.

We rarely use our car so obviously our car seats will have worn at a much slower time rate than someone using them for 6 trips most days IYSWIM - it's the doing and undoing that would wear the straps quickly.

Still think their attitude absolutely stinks though!

[DorelUKCustomerCare]

Good Afternoon Everyone,

We're very sorry to hear of your disappointment. Safety is a priority for us and so is providing first class customer service.

If your product is under warranty (12 months for fabrics, 24 months for mechanical items such as pushchair chassis or carseat shell) you should approach your retailer with your proof of purchase paperwork. They can then make arrangements for the unit to be sent to the engineers for full inspection/repair work required under the warranty terms and conditions.

If your product is no longer under warranty, if you do not have a proof of purchase or if you are unhappy with the response provided by your retailer we are happy to assist you as much as we can if you would like to contact the customer service department directly. You can call the department on 01284 413 141 Mon-Fri 8.30-4.30 or you can e-mail to [email protected] or you can fill in the contact form on the website www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/gb-en/service/contact.aspx

We hope this information helps :)

Please note that we do not recommend second hand carseats are purchased as you do not know the history of the seat nor can you be sure it is a suitable fitting in your vehicle. While we appreciate carseats can be an expensive purchase we believe our products are high quality and offer optimum safety for the occupant of the carseat when they are fitted and used correctly. Its important to ensure the carseat you purchase is suitable for you, your child and your vehicle so we always recommend a physical fitting from a carseat fitter trained member of staff at an authorised retailer prior to purchase. If you have any questions we are happy to help, you are more than welcome to find us on Facebook as well if you prefer www.facebook.com/doreluk.customerservice :)

[AmazingBouncingFerret]

DorelUK you are about 2 years too late for this particular customer. I imagine her child is on a highback booster seat by now!

[keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal]

@ AmazingBouncingFerrret

[HappyHarmony]

Are Dorel doing advanced searches for any posts that have their name in and posting replies? How very odd they suddenly reply to this when the last post had been in July 2010