Joie seat twisted straps

[DevaneyRob43]

Has anyone had an issue with the straps twisting on a Joie car seat from Smyths?
We took the first one back and was told it was faulty. The assistant installed us a second one but this has developed the same fault.

What do you mean by twisting? In my experience Joie seats are prone (more prone than other seats) to suffer from the shoulder straps becoming twisted at the point where they pass through the buckle. It’s not a fault though, maybe a design flaw, but you have to be a lot more careful/gentle with them than other seats I’ve used and keep an eye out for them starting to fold - and fold/twist them back again. Is that what you mean or something else?

Yes it's this I think. My wife does the straps up and says they twist easily at the top so they don't sit comfortably on my granddaughter.
Thank you for replying.
I think we are going to try for a refund and a different seat.

It's a common issue with Joie seats, doesn't mean it's faulty. You can fix the twist this way - basically fold the strap so it forms a triangle, and pass that through the buckle: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L_gVLW_gehA

To prevent them getting twisted in the first place, try to avoid the scenario where you are fishing around below the child for the straps - use the button at the bottom to fully loosen the straps when removing child, before unclipping the harness, and then lay the longer straps out over the sides of the seat. Some Joie seats have little elastic hook things for this purpose, but I find they don't work that well.

It's a common issue on cheaper brands because it is where the gaps in the buckle are slightly wider which is cheaper to make as it uses less plastic. If you want to avoid it entirely, you need a more premium brand like Cybex/Maxi Cosi/Britax.

It is not just a comfort issue though, it is a safety issue as well, so defo always untwist when you notice this has happened.