It was a dark day for Mattel Inc. on Aug. 14 when the toymaker announced that more than 9 million products were being recalled due to the presence of lead paint and dangerous magnets. The outcry from parents and pundits was immediate and overwhelming. Why weren't the problems caught by inspectors before the toys were exported out of China? Brick and mortar toy sellers like Toys "R" Us merely pull affected products off shelves when such a recall occurs. E-tailers, however, have the opportunity to track down and alert consumers who bought the troubled goods. eToys Direct matched SKUs (stock keeping units) to customer information and has so far sent more than 10,000 to affected consumers. Such notifications are a great help and relief for consumers. They are also fast-becoming a consumer's best defense against faulty or potentially dangerous merchandise. The fact is that inspections of foreign-made products are increasingly ineffective due to budget cutbacks and limited staffing. Consider this: The Consumer Product Safety Commission has only 15 people inspecting products at ports before they find their ways to shelves nationwide. E-tailers who are capable of e-mailing recall information to consumers include Amazon, eToys, Wal-Mart.com and Target.com. Not on the list as of yet is toy store giant Toys "R" Us. Contact the The Consumer Product Safety Commissionto receive e-mail notifications concerning product recalls.
More...
E-tailers aid consumers affected by toy recall
Linear Mode
