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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be cross with Mothercare?

226 replies

famishedpotato · 14/11/2018 13:41

I bought a 0+ Joie Gemm carseat online from Mothercare ahead of DD's birth in August. Well, at 15weeks old she doesn't bloody fit in it!

She's only 6kg, but the straps are too tight to close round her because she's very long. Contacted Joie to ask if it's safe to remove infant insert before the proscribed 10kg if she just doesn't bloody fit, they say no... Sometimes babies just don't fit, try a different seat.

Contacted Mothercare to ask for a refund and they've said sure... If I take it in to store. They've just closed my nearest store though, so the next nearest store is over an hours drive away... And I don't have a sodding car seat!

AIBU to say they ought to sort this out without putting all the hassle and expense on to me? I'm a new mum, and it's their megacorp that sold me a crappy product!

OP posts:
HairyPotter · 14/11/2018 19:28

Mothercare must have dramatically improved their customer services. I worked for them for a very short time and we were told to avoid refunds and indeed exchanges where at all possible.

I lasted about 4 months, honestly the worst company I’ve ever had the misfortune to work for.

Lazypuppy · 14/11/2018 19:40

@HairyPotter its because refunds are killing the high street, especially web returns. Store didn't get the sale originally, but now its getting the refund. I used to be a store manager and there some days we'd end on a minus because of the £1000s of web returns

Laiste · 14/11/2018 19:40

I spent months struggling with the length of the between the legs strap on our Maxi Cosi 12 mths/3 yr seat (or whatever). Shoulder straps were easy to lengthen, but this bottom strap was a simple teeny short bit of webbing with the clip on. Got to about 18 months and it was awful trying to get these long bloody shoulder straps all the way down to the catch.

One day i took the entire thing apart for an extra good wash and discovered that beneath the plastic carcass there was a little plastic toggle on the between the leg strap which, when removed released another 2 inches at least of leg strap. There was nothing about this in the booklet!! It was bliss! I was over joyed! I could shorten the shoulder straps back to a reasonable length and was no longer having to ferret about between DDs legs to find the clip.

^^ true boring story. But it might help someone somewhere :)

Bluebelltulip · 14/11/2018 19:45

I would definitely take the seat into store or another place that sticks it and get it checked (borrow someone else's seat if necessary), you should still have plenty of strap if they have been moved up. Taking into store will allow your seat to be compared to others to see if it's a fault with your seat if not then you can also get help picking a new one.

HairyPotter · 14/11/2018 19:47

LazyPuppy, oh yes absolutely that’s the case these days but Mothercare was a good few years ago so well before the boom in online shopping. A faulty parm (and I was proven to be faulty after 6 months in their workshop) collapsed with a new born in it and we still couldn’t exchange it for the poor customer.

And as for the loaner prams we had to offer customers... I was embarrassed to work there.

NotUmbongoUnchained · 14/11/2018 19:50

Get a maxi cosi pebble. My daughter and son sit in that until they were nearly 2.

Coconut0il · 14/11/2018 19:52

Mothercare and Halfords were both on watchdog over car seats. I'd definitely join the fb group suggested above and visit the in car safety centre if you can.

bobstersmum · 14/11/2018 19:57

Had the gemm for my chunky dd, she fit in it til about 8 months easily. The straps are adjustable you have to undo underneath and reattach, I've never heard of such a small baby not fitting in an infant car seat. Dd was 9 lb born and came home in it, it's quite a wide seat compared to some.

Mineisthebestdog · 14/11/2018 20:34

@HairyPotter Snap! I hated working for them too and felt like I provided terrible customer service a lot of the time because of the policies they had in place. The loan pushchairs were a complete embarrassment and absolutely disgusting!

It was a long time ago though and I'm hoping they've changed now as they are frequently listed as one of the best companies to work for.

TheFantasticFixit · 15/11/2018 01:08

Oh maaaan. It’s so obvious she just hasn’t found the button to lengthen the straps at the bottom of the seat and is going to go striding into Mothercare, full of the joy of spring if this thread is anything to go by and find that all along, the only issue with this ‘shitty’ seat is....

USER ERROR.

🙈

FeckingEjit · 15/11/2018 03:04

OP try to ignore the sarky and rude comments. We have all been there don't worry. A new baby, lack of sleep and 100 new baby gadgets to figure out how to use. We all make mistakes. You will know for next time how to loosen the straps so that is all that matters. I wouldn't take any of it to heart, you're just a new mum trying to plod along and got a bit stuck with something which was new to you which is entire understandable and very common. There is no real harm done, and I'm sure this will be something to laugh about later down the line.

sonandhelpneeded · 15/11/2018 05:21

Wow! OP you are being way over the top about this!

So you don't want to take it on store? Do you still have the box to return it? Will you pay for the return postage? Or do you expect them to come at a convenient time to collect it?

I'd say it's user error as to why your baby doesn't fit and they want you to take it into store so someone can show you the error!

I also cannot believe that you've left this situation go so long that your baby now will not fit and you can't use the seat (and therefore the car) at all! You should've dealt with this earlier.

Eemamc · 15/11/2018 06:05

My 98th centile for height and weight 1 year old STILL fits in the Joie Gemm. She has been on this centile since 6 weeks. I’m a bit confused by the situation tbh. Your child must be extremely long according to the norms if she doesn’t fit. How else should a car seat manufacturer make the car seat if it isn’t against the norms?

MidniteScribbler · 15/11/2018 06:37

Oh gosh, can you imagine the OP when her child gets to school age?

HashtagTeamRaven · 15/11/2018 06:46

You know the medium literally IS average right? So medium would be 50th centile.

jaseyraex · 15/11/2018 06:53

Mothercare will have one of their in store car seat experts try and fit your baby in the car seat before they even consider refunding you, unless Joie have been in direct contact with them which is unlikely. They refund, repair or replace if the car seat is proven to have "gone wrong". Unless theres a fault, theres nothing wrong with your seat. I'm an ex mothercare manager.
DS is 99th centile for height, always has been, and comfortably fit the car seat you have until he was around 11 months so imo you're doing something wrong.

PattiStanger · 15/11/2018 07:19

Now that you've said you can't adjust the length of the straps I'm sure with everyone else that you must be mistaken, no seat would have 1 length only straps

Iaimtomisbehave1 · 15/11/2018 07:45

@famishedpotato

Really, I think you've made a mistake. I've just been on their website and looked at the manuals for all their car seats (I don't think I missed any).

Every one if their 0÷ seats has shoulder harness adjustments. You pull the strap physically out of the back of the seat, and put then through a slot higher up to accommodate length. Then the straps can be loosened or tightened.

Could you attach photos of the back of the seat showing us whether it's a solid back of whether it has slots in It?

AvoidingDM · 15/11/2018 07:58

Op if the straps can't be adjusted, Which i struggle to believe, how do you tighten them to ensure they are holding the infant securely?

There is bound to be youtube clips with your car seat. If you can't understand the written instructions then find demos on youtube.

AvoidingDM · 15/11/2018 08:01

Don't what ever you do buy a new seat thinking your guaranteed to get cash back from MC.
They want one of their car seat people to see exactly what you are saying and probably show you where your going wrong.

mrkaykay · 15/11/2018 08:35

Most new born inserts are in two parts. A head hugger (the bit you still need )and a foam wedge (which can usually just be taken out like taking a pillow out of its case leaving the head hugger.

AvoidingDM · 15/11/2018 10:05

Op there isn't any bits of packaging on your seat that you haven't removed is there?

Another question can you get LO in it in just a sleep suit, so you have less bulk and stick a blanket over the top to enable you to drive to MC?

I'm 100% convinced that there is operator error, rather than a duff seat.

dreamingwondering · 15/11/2018 10:11

I've just checked the manual for that seat and you can definitely alter the height of the straps by rethreading them through the back.

bobstersmum · 15/11/2018 11:02

Has the op disappeared with embarrassment because she realised how to adjust the straps...

sonandhelpneeded · 15/11/2018 11:04

Has the op disappeared with embarrassment because she realised how to adjust the straps...

^^this

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