Babystyle quicksmart easy fold stroller product recall

[Em308]

Hi there

I'm completely new to Mumsnet so have no idea how this works - so sorry if i'm doing something wrong! I have joined because i want to make other parents aware about the quicksmart stroller. I bought this very compact and light weight pushchair for our holiday but thought i better give it a go at home first in case there were any problems. Thank god i did! After only three very short trips it felt as though the chassis was going to snap just trying to get up a curb and i daren't put my son in it again. It felt incredibly unstable and downright dangerous. I took it back to mothercare (had bought on line - not available in store to practise with!) to be told that there was always give in the frame and that was normal. I wasn't happy with this and insisted it be sent back to the manufacturer - today i was telephoned to be told to take my receipt into the shop and i'd be given a full refund. Apparently the manufacturer has recalled the product. I have been on the mothercare website and this stroller is no longer there, however there is no recall announcement / warning and the product is still available on numerous other websites including the manufacturers own. This pushchair is suitable for children from the age of 6 months! Knowing there is sufficient defect with this product to warrant a manufacturer to recall it has really worried me to such a point that i felt i had to let other parents know about it. Civic duty and all that...
I guess that's a long enough rant - i think you'll all get the message. Hope someone finds this useful. Emma.

bump
this will put it in active convos bump in the morning

Thanks for 'bumping' me. (I've just spent a wee while working out what a bump means though!)

bump

Emma

I am desperately looking for a really light and easy to fold / manage pushchair. My Mother is my son's primary carer and we bought a bugaboo which has been disastrous for her but fine for me....Too many fidlly buttons and thum manouvers required, and its not the lightest pram about.

As a result I have been looking and found the quicksmart stroller and was really excited...until I found your review...

Now I am a firm believer in "where there is smoke there is fire" but just wonder whether this is a one-off batch quality control issue or whether there really is a fundamental design issue and this pram is just never going to work...?

Anyone gathered any further information on this, is it a full product recall.. I have looked around for any other reviews on the quckstart but can't find any....

Also given that my problem is about finding a replacement for the bugaboo that my mother can operate (she is really petite and already has injuries from the bugaboo so needs something that is really easy) - Anyone with ideas... at this stage budget is not an issue (providing it is not more than a bugaboo which is extortionate..)

Thanks

TatR

thanks for info

Hi TATR

I have queried the Quicksmart with a couple of local shops and have been told there's a product recall, Mothercare have taken it off their website completly. Even though i quite liked this pushchair, it WAS a nightmare to fold, so your mum would definitely have struggled. I've ordered the Britax verve and will let you know how that goes when it arrives! My friend has the M & P's Aria and thats incredibly lightweight (only 5kg!), easy to fold (although a bit bulky when folded) and suitable from birth. So maybe that one would be better for your mum. Good luck in the minefield of pushchair purchasing! Em.

hi i have been looking for a pushchair to fit in the boot of my zafira(with all seats up) the quicksmart was on my list as was the quinney zapp. only i wanted a lie back. good news i found on ebay the petit star zia. just like the zapp only suitalble from birth, lightweight,small easy to fold and less than £100. good buy!!!

Really surprised to the see the comments about the Quicksmart easy fold buggy. I brought one to take on hols and I love it! The chassis is bouncy, but just feels like a great suspension to me. My lo has been really happy to travel in this one and I find iteasy to manouvre and (now practiced) quite easy to fold.

I had a Babystyle quicksmart easy fold stroller and it did break! in half!!!
luck for us our son did not get hurt!
i was cross that they new about this but did not do a recall.
we were told to put it in the bin and we had it replace by the shop we got it from withe a BRITAX VERVE the same as Em308.
i only found this sit because i was looking for reviews on the britax! I am having problem with my Britax Verve!!! the same as Em308 replaced hers with.
The front wheel gets stuck in dip and bumps in the pavement, when this happens the pushchair go?s over and once I only just managed to not fall on top of it too.

We have had about 6 near missing with it now!

This is not the only problem, my son can tip the whole pushchair over if he leans forward too much, and he has tipped the pushchair over 3 times now and has hurt himself twice.

I decided to look online to see if this as happen to anyone else and was shocked by how many I found.

i even found a child who had been hurt!

today i have email watch dog as britax don't think they have a problem with it!

hi there, i have also been looking for a light, small folding stroller. I have a 2 year old and a 10 month old and i would like to use the buggy for both of the children when out with just the one of them or when they go to grandparents house. i would also need to be able to use a buggy board with the pushchair.

So far i have found the petite star zia,quinny zapp, britax verve and the quick smart (now put off the quick smart).

would anyone be able to help me? i don't know which is best for me? any advice welcome

thank rachel

There's a Bebeconfort Vit at playgroup that looks the bees knees if you truely just need a pushchair, ie. no recline, shopping etc.

hmmm i've bought a quicksmart. just waiting on it arriving. i'll let you know if it's been improved and strengthened.

it was a year ago since the op posted.

we have a bebe confort vit, its a fab car buggy or one to use for public transport as its only 4kg and the easiest one hand fold you could imagine, but no recline so not good for younger babies. it has a little bag and we don't miss a basket as it pushes one handed, leaving a hand free for everything else. The only fault is that due to its low weight the wheels are tiny, and its not the smoothest push. overall would recomend as a perfect holiday buggy, or just popping out/tube buggy. (weighs half the weight of a zapp by the way, no idea how they get away with marketing that as lightweight!)

I have been looking for a new push chair yet again.
I had a quinny buzz when my son was born til he was 8 months. I made the mistake of selling this because it was really big for me to handle by myself on public transport (taxis).

I replaced it with a normal 4 wheel pushchair which i disliked straight away so bought a kite stroller from mother care. this was the worst choice ever as it does not recline so my son is left sitting up to sleep! This pushchair would be great if you were going on holiday and your child wouldnt be in it for long. even adding a changing bag to the handles with a few nappies and a pack of wipes tips this push chair up! many times this happended to me and family members.

I really like the quinny zapp, britax verve, quick smart, Mutsy Spider and the Petite star zia.

I was going to buy the britax verve which I have been thinking about for some time. A friend did a review on this and found it tipped up on nearly every bump! I was put off immidiatly.

I narrowed it down to petite star zia and quick smart and recently the quick smart has gone down to £59.99 on ebay. I'm so glad i double checked the reviews as reviews on ebay said it was great.

I couldn't imagine my son getting hurt by a push chair by me blindly not checking reviews. I ill from now on, everytime i decide to buy one (every month) lol
I want the petite star zia now but still like the look of quick smart.

Any comments on this ??
many Thanks Rach x

they had a fault. it was recalled,

that was a year ago, and i've seen many,many,many reviews to say it's a great lightweight stroller.

but it definately says 15kgs is the weight. this will obviously include any shopping or bags you attach.

i've asked many people about buzzes. i had one and it fell to pieces. screws falling out, brakes failed, handle stopped working.then started to fold itself down all time as it wasnt clicking open properly.

but everyone else says it was a fantastic buggy and they've had no problems.

i think there will be the odd stroller which is badly manufactured on the production line.

but so far i've only come accross this one bad review, and it's dated a year ago. and product was recalled.every other one i've seen gives a minimum of 4/5 or 5/5 rating.

but mines is due to arrive today or tomorrow. i shall get back to you once i see it in the flesh!

oh, and i've had a zapp. and it would have been perfect if only it would have reclined.

i do wish quinny would take note and add this feature

the tipping issue can be solved by a set of buggy weight on the front wheels. just watch your weight limit

Thanks for the help.
I never looked at the date lol typical me !
iv made my choice then quick smart all the way lol
If there was a problem tho lyk it snapping is it a manufacturing fault and can it be refunded?
Im new to all this and have rushed into the last 2 push chairs i have bought.
It was my aunt and uncle who bought the buzz from a proper pushchair shop.
I actually stil have the car seat lol its laying around collecting dust!
I need something that reclines for definate as my son sleeps alot wen i take him in town from boredom lol of me shopping and taking ages to come home
thanks again
Rach

got my quicksmart today. reclines more than enouh for sleeping, i got the comfort pack and footmuff. it looks very snug with these on. folds up with these still on and into bag.

has a net on back for raincover which is handy as it leaves basket free.

notice on the instruction manual, you can put up to 2kg in the small basket (goodness knows how you would fit anything big enough in there that would weigh 2kg)
this 2kg is on top of you 15kgs child allowance.

seems pretty sturdy to me. definately more stable than my zapp i used to have.

i'm looking forward to taking it out.

Hi,

This is my first time to mumsnet. I was looking for a bit more info on the Quicksmart buggy and here I am.

In the past few years I have had plenty of different buggies and i am still searching for 'the one'. I have recently bought the Quicksmart as an upgrade from my Quinny Zapp, which all in all is the worst buggy I have ever had and will be glad to be rid of it. The problems I have encounted are it is very overpriced, flimsey, tip's over easy, doesn't recline, no space for shopping or raincover, (don't even get me started on this you may as well use clingfilm!) and not easy to put down, I will be the first to admit I was bought into it's looks. I have also had the Quinny Buzz which has many of the same problems as the Zapp with the added issue of it's size and weight, it's massive even for a travel system. The Quicksmart however appeared to tick all the boxes. I have bought it from Next, surely if it had been recalled a store like Next wouldn't be selling this product? It arrived yesterday and I have to say I am very impressed and can't wait to try it out. I am a bit worried after reading all the above but time will tell, I have searched the internet to find more info on the recall but can't find anything and as previously pointed out the first posting was a year ago. I will keep reading to see how everyone get's on with their Quicksmart's as for me I have to say I am very happy with my choice and looking forward to taking it out for it's first test drive.

At the minute Quick Smarts are on ebay for £59.99 !
I have searched reviews and quite alot say it is a great pushchair so i will be purchasing one as soon as my money goes into my account lol
I cant wait to buy this and have a play with it before i go on holiday lol.
My son will be staying with my aunt and im in need of a new push chair straight away as i go on the 25th sept and my kite stroller from mothercare is no good the wheels keep locking and my aunt will hate it.
Thanks for all the help everyone and i will be in touch when i buy and recieve my quick smart
many thanks
Rach x

Hi,
my quicksmart arrrived last month and i was going on holiday and my son was staying here so i had a few days with it and it seemed fine.
but now when i push i notice that the back wheels are a little out and they seem to push funny and feel like there going to fall off.
Im quite annoyed now as this is the 8th pushchair i have had in 18months !
i really like the pushchair just not so sure about the wheels.
and also i have 3 steps outside my front door and i have to have someone to help me pick the pushchair up (son inside) to get in my house or i have to take him out and pull it in myself as the brakes (on back wheels) scratch and get caught on the steps !
Anymore pushchairs in mind ? lol
Many Thanks, Rach

just to add to my reveiw of the bebe confort vit, we've had it just over a year now and the foam has come off the handles, makes it very difficult to push. It's also a bit of a nightmare with kurbs due to the teeny wheels. If you're looking for an easy folidng, lightweight pushchair that reclines I'd go for a baby jogger city mini. (argos and kiddicare sell them) They're very cheap and considered to be one of the top names in the US, my friend has one and it pushes like a bugaboo but with a one hand fold. Can'tfind a bad reveiw on them. Definately recommend (and would buy one myself, but hubby says no more buggies till the next kid!)

Well having bought a Quicksmart in November, I was initially very pleased. Very lightweight and great recline for my 2 yr old.

However the back wheel has just completely fallen apart, on my way to the nursery with my daughter in it!! I had to struggle back home to change back to my good old Quinny Zapp. Have contacted Kiddicare, where i bought it, and they have advised if I send pictures of the damage they will request a new wheel from the manufacturer's for me. Not sure how easy it will be to fit, but worth a try....

This thread is old but I thought I would add a note for anyone searching around for info on the Quicksmart now.
I bought my Quicksmart at the beginning of 2009 as we were going on holiday with our, then, 13 month old. It was perfect. The airline loved it as it was small and packed neatly into its bag and was light for them to carry into the hold from the gate. Our son was comfy in it and slept in it fine. We still have it now for our second son and I am selling my M&P Luna Mix to just stick with the Quicksmart. It has flown to Tenerife, Turkey and Spain, been thrown around by luggage handlers, chucked in the back of the car by me (when my husband was annoying me in the rain) and it has survived with not a scratch or bent wheel to show for it. The only wear and tear is showing on the handle as since having my second son I push it one handed so there is now a split in the foam on the handle, I am just going to glue it and make a fleece cover to go over it. It manoevures great, easy to push even with no baby in it (a lot of buggys tip up when you push them empty). It did fall over backwards 2 days ago when I took my son out and forgot I had a bag full off frozen stuff on the back of it but that is kind of to be expected with a dinky buggy and no buggy weights. The basket is on the small side but I solved that with a £2.99 purchase of a shopping net to go on the back of the seat. The raincover fits in the tiny net pocket on the back of the seat (don't know any other manufacturer that provides a storage spot for the raincover). Also the hood can be lowered to provide more protection from the sun as the straps wrap around the frame and popper on; if you don't wrap them round, just popper them on, it sits lower shading baby. I also found once my son was asleep I dropped the hood right down over him sheltering him from the wind too! It is easy to collapse and open; and you can do it in seconds once you get the knack; get amazed looks from people when you pick it up out of the boot and open it fully one handed. It will fit in the footwell of the car so I can load my boot up, stick the kids in and put the buggy in the footwell below the littlest kid. It takes up no room in my hallway too so I don't keep bumping into it. I am more than happy with this buggy. I did give it to my sister a while back as she is a paediatric nurse and needed buggies on the hospital ward. I had my Mamas and Papas Luna Mix but in the end I just wanted the Quicksmart back so I got a cheap koochi buggy and swapped with my sister for my wonderful quicksmart. Took a lot of begging on my part as the parents of the kids on the ward really liked it and were arguing over who got to use it. The smaller M&P buggy liners fit perfectly too, I got a used one on ebay for £4.

Honest downsides:

• It can't be folded one handed but who on earth would want to hold a baby and collapse a buggy at the same time, I would fear dropping my son
• The travel bag is flimsy. Mine got a small tear in it on its fourth plane trip and it has frayed a lot during storage so I plan on lining it with fleece material (which I have in abundance after a mistake 99p bid on ebay!).
• The front right wheel sticks occasionally and you have to give it a little push to straighten it but that is only whenever I take over the driving from my husband so it may just be his pushing ability as it never happens when I do it!
• The brake 'pedals' stick out back quite a way beyond the wheels meaning that bumping up stairs is a bit of a pain. I got over that by just bumping it anyway as I am hoping the ends will snap off. Looking underneath the pedals they could have been made a little shorter. I am thinking of taking them off completely and replacing with a metal plate coated in rubber (hubby an engineer so I am lucky in that respect as he can do bits like that) but just snapping off and rounding the ends to make them safe would work fine and you could do that with utensils from your kitchen if you had to. Mine has been bumped up loads of stairs with no signs of snapping yet after over 2 and a half years of use so it has been built well.
• Not tried it in the snow but I am guessing it will be totally naf so I never will. My youngest will be walking by the time the snow comes so he will have to walk or I will pull him on a sled!

They have released a new one that is a 3 wheeler that packs into a backpack. I am not sure I like the look of it but the concept is good. Mine is perfect and I will be very sad to see it go once my 9 month old grows out of it!

I do hope this helps someone choosing a quicksmart. I have had a total of 10 buggies (Bebe confort travel system, 2 Quinny Buzz's, M&P Luna Mix, Koochi, Quinny Speedi, Jane Slalom Pro, Phil & Teds Sports double, Mothercare jive stroller and the Quicksmart) and out of all of them, I love the Quicksmart the best with the Buzz just behind (hence having owned two, and I still miss them!).

Choose the quicksmart if you want something lightweight, practical, small, stylish, comfortable, easy to manoevure and store. And with the new comfort packs, handle bags and footmuff accessories, you won't be sorry!