This is one of the most important things we've ever posted & I hope you'll pass it along. Toy Recalls are serious business. Look no further than the latest breaking news. One of the best kept secrets (and we're going to try to help raise awareness by talking about it here, on TV + Radio in next 24 hrs, including on CNN Hedadline News) is, if you purchase toys online, you can be alerted via email if there is a recall of that specific toy. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Here's how ...
Breaking News: Another major -- and tragic -- toy recall was announced late yesterday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Being pulled from store shelves and Internet retailers, over 4 million units of the toy Aqua Dots, found to contain a chemical that converts into a powerful date-rape drug when ingested. Serious stuff.
Full information about the Aqua Dots
recall can be found at www.aquadotsrecall.com.
Here's what's being advised: Aqua Dots, distributed by Spin Master Ltd. of Toronto, sold for $17 to $30 and were available at stores including Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart. and Target. Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Spin Master for a replacement product or toy of equal value. Also, check to see if you may have already purchased Aqua Dots as a Christmas gift. If so, be sure to return those units as well. You can find the very latest information about this recall online at www.aquadotsrecall.com.
eToys Toy Recall Basics:
You'll receive an e-mail from eToys. If you purchased the recalled item from eToys, they'll attempt to notify you via e-mail with details on which toy you ordered, plus recall specifics and who to contact for a replacement. Be sure to use a permanent e-mail address when you order, eToys sends recall e-mails to the address used when the order was placed. It's a service our company has provided to their customers since 2000. More...
Will Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us alert me about a recall?
All customers who are registered at www.Toysrus.com or www.Babiesrus.com to receive email updates and special offers should also receive information about recalls the same day they are issued. Specifics about product recalls are also available online at www.Toysrus.com/Safety and on their Safety Board in stores.
Amazon.com Recall Information:
Amazon.com handles product recalls on an individual basis. When they are notified an item has been recalled, they stop selling the item and write to customers who have already purchased it to resolve the issue.
Walmart & Target
While Walmart.com (Walmart Recalls) and Target.com (Target Recalls) both have recall links and related information on their sites, there's nothing stating customers will be notified by email if they have purchased a product that is later recalled.
Still Mail in the Registration Card
Just because some e-tailers are beginning to offer recall alerts via email, this doesnt' mean you shouldn't also send back the product registration/product warranty card that comes in the box. Look at it as a extra protection or a second line of defense in making sure you're notified about any recalls. And if you're shopping offline, whether you're in Toys "R" Us or other retailers, always look in the customer service areas for bulletin boards highlighting the latest product recalls.
Email Alerts from the CPSC
Also worth doing: visit the site for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and sign up to receive notifications regarding recalls for any toys or child products. There's also a link where you can report an unsafe product.
I'd like to see them take this to the next level, drawing on mobile capabilities. When it comes to saving lives, minutes matter -- these kinds of things should come directly to your cellphone in the form of an "alert." The more people take advantage of these offerings, the more likely we'll start to see those kinds of applications.
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It's harder to spot recalled toys when shopping on eBay where you're buying from individual sellers. Ebay admits hunting down recalled toys is nearly impossible. Instead, the company automatically shows recall warnings to sellers who include certain words and brand names in listings, posts all CPSC recalls on its announcements page, and offers users the option to flag items as having been recalled. Source: http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/09/banned-toys-china-technology-personaltech-cx_ag_1112toys_print.html
Posted by Jeff from ReginaLewis.com
I have been writing snail mail letters to a lot of the companies such as Fisher Price, Mattell, etc. telling them I will not buy anymore of their products until they are made back here in the USA. If more people did that, I am sure it would make a difference. I also told them that since they were too cheap to fire or lay off a lot of people that used to work for them in the USA so they could "get by a cheaper labor by sending them to China to be made"; that they are now not making the big money they thought they would because now there are legal bills to pay on the people that are sueing those companies. So they got cheap labor and we got toys with lead paint to poison our kids. I asked them what in the world were they thinking. I told them they were idiots.
Buy from USA Companies that manage their offshore production themselves. .... meaning have a long standing relationships with particular factories, do not permit outsourcing by these factories, and ofcourse, comply with the most rigorous testing protocol.
Time for USA companie to do their job!
Gail,
You are absolutely correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D If they would keep the jobs here, none of this would be happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gail absolutelly you right! I never more goeing to buy China made toys for my childrens! I ready pay twise more for european or american made stuff!!! Full disgrace for companies that laid off local workers for transfer their jobs to China India and other low level countries for save frikin money.Greedy companies like that!!!
WE WENT SHOPPING AT WALMART IN KENTON LAST WEEKEND, MY GRANDSON WANTED SOME SMALL ANIMAL FIGURES SO WE PICKED OUT A PACKAGE FOR HIM. WHEN WE GOT TO THE REGISTER THE CASHIER RANG UP THE PURCHASE & THEN TOLD US WE COULD NOT BUY THEM. EXCUSE ME !! WHAT IN THE HECK ARE RECALLED ITEMS DOING ON THE SHELF ANYWAY ?????
DID YOU EVER TRY TO TAKE SOMETHING AWAY FROM A 3 YR OLD AFTER YOU TOLD HIM HE COULD HAVE IT ?????
TICKED OFF IN OHIO !!!
SmartToyChoice.com offers a service that no matter where you buy the toy (or receive as gift) you can register the toy and if it is recalled they will send an email informing you if your toy was part of the recall and why it was recalled and what to do with the recalled toy.