The company offers some customers only a $65 credit on a new Jardine crib
July 3, 2013
When a product is recalled for reasons of safety, consumers assume that they will be offered a repair or replacement, but that's often not the case, as some purchasers of Jardine cribs have learned.
Federal safety officials say their primary goal is to get dangerous products out of consumers' homes and, secondarily, to negotiate the best financial deal they can.
Jardine recalled about 320,000 cribs several years ago because they were unsafe. It later added another 96,000 cribs to the recall list. The company and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the wooden crib slates and spindles could break, creating a gap where baby's head or neck could get stuck. There have been several similar recalls in recent years.
The first recall notice from the company said: "Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cribs and contact Jardine to receive a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib." A later version of the recall press release said only that consumers would "receive a credit."
"Full credit"
Consumers who read the recall notice thought, understandably, that "full credit" meant they would get a credit that would cover the purchase of a new crib, but it didn't turn out that way for some customers.
"We did the best we could for consumers," said Patty Davis, spokeswoman for the CPSC. The agency negotiated a sliding scale that provided a new crib for consumers whose crib was three to five years old.
The $65 credit was for cribs that were five to ten years old. There is no credit for cribs older than ten years. But Davis said the most important thing to focus on is the urgent need to get recalled cribs out of homes, and to dispose of them so they don't turn up at yard sales or in second-hand stores.
"We don't recommend you use a crib older than ten years. The bottom line is that consumers need to get these old and recalled cribs out of their homes and get a new crib that meets current safety standards no matter what," Davis said.
"The No. 1 priority is to keep your kids safe," she told ConsumerAffairs. "Consumers are not necessarily made whole in every single recall." By law, the CPSC must negotiate the terms of each recall with the manufacturer and does not have the power to arbitrarily impose a settlement in most cases.
Didn't come close
This doesn't sit well with some consumers posting to ConsumerAffairs, who noted that the cribs, which were sold at Babies R Us, Toys R Us and other retailers, cost between $150 and $450, while the credits offered to customers with older cribs didn't come close to covering the original purchase price.
"We were not offered a repair kit or told what the refund process would be until we destroyed our crib and sent them the supports and a part we needed to cut out of the end structure. We received a $65 credit to purchase one of their crib that didn't match the baby's room (no options at all)," said Joseph of Oxford, Mass. "When we contacted them again we were told they are going by policy and we would not be offered anything else."
Perla of Chula Vista, Calif., figures she's out more than $400.
"When I purchased my crib I bought it for about $500. I just got my voucher today and they gave me a grand total of $65 -- really! $65 for a $500 dollar crib which was still in great condition."
"I am glad the death trap is out of my house and I'm thankful that nothing happened to my baby's but I hate how they just ripped me off!" Perla said.
Doesn't do the job
Many cribs produced before new safety standards went into effect in 2011 have had multiple safety problems but Nancy Cowles, executive director of the Chicago-based advocacy group Kids In Danger, says the Jardine cribs "stand alone" when it comes to lacking in basic safety standards.
"The slats were so flimsy that even the toddler in the crib was able to break them, which is obviously not going to do the job," she told ConsumerAffairs. "A crib needs to be strong enough so that parents can safely leave the child alone."
Cowles said that such poorly-handled recalls make an already unsafe situation worse.
"It's a big concern of ours, because when a recall is ineffective, parents are likely to continue using the cribs," leaving children exposed to the dangerous condition that sparked the recall, Cowles said.
"Worst company ever"
"Our baby crib was recalled and we were supposed to get a voucher for the crib value at the cost spent and we were supposed to be able to use the voucher at Babies R Us." But that didn't happen," said Kristen of Norcross, Ga.
"After waiting months and months for the company to be responsive, they made us cut a wooden portion of the crib with a saw and send it in as proof we owned the crib. ... We met all of these outrageous demands -- for what? A $65 voucher. Worst company ever!"
Say what?
Who is Jardine, exactly? Well, it's not easy to answer that. Finding their corporate website is an adventure in itself. It's jardco.com, if you're wondering.
But having found the site doesn't get you very far because none of the links on the home page work. In fact, they're not even links. "About Us," for example, isn't a link to another page, it's just part of an image. There are no working links at all on the page.
Toys 'R' Us no longer carries the brand in its stores and says it has received only a few inquiries about the recalls in recent years.
"As you know, recalls of Jardine cribs were announced in 2008 and 2009. At that time, a system was put in place to allow those impacted by this recall to receive a voucher to purchase a new crib from any brand/manufacturer from one of our stores," said Katie Reczek of Toys 'R' Us. "This system was in place for some time, and in 2011, transitioned to a system by which Jardine would provide a replacement crib directly to consumers."
Problems continue
Although it started in 2008, the series of safety crises and lethargic responses involving Jardine cribs shows no signs of abating.
Teresa of Brunswick, Ohio, managed to survive one Jardine recall and is now having the exact same safety problems with the replacement crib, but is getting no assistance from the company, she said.
"I purchased a Jardine crib in 2008 after the first one purchased through them was recalled. My original voucher did not cover the cost of a new crib, but we paid the difference," she said. "A slat on the new crib recently developed a deep crack that pinched my daughter's fingers and we noticed that many of the slats are now cracked as is the top slat of the crib."
Teresa was puzzled that she had not been notified about subsequent recalls, since she had registered her crib with Jardine.
"The reason seems to be that ours was made a month after the recall stopped, yet is having the exact same issues! I am furious and horrified that they would continue to risk children's lives without any consequences. They refuse to replace my crib even though the issues are obviously continuing."