Are you a member of Amazon Prime? If so, you need to be aware that there may be recalled products sold on its website.
Amazon, determined to be the distributor of the 400,000 hazardous products, is responsible for informing customers about the dangerous products it distributes and offering refunds, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a final ruling last week.
The faulty products include children’s sleepwear that fail to meet flammability requirements, carbon monoxide detectors that fail to alarm, and hair dryers that lack electrocution protection sold through Amazon’s Fulfilled by Amazon program. The program allows sellers to send their products to Amazon’s fulfillment centers where Amazon packs and ships orders.
The CPSC ordered Amazon to issue a full refund to any consumer who submits proof of destruction or disposal of a recalled product.
Amazon also needs to post the recall releases to the “Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” webpage on Amazon.com on the date that the CPSC publishes the recall releases, according to the order. Amazon is required to keep the releases on its recall webpage on Amazon.com for a minimum of five years.
For buyers, Amazon is required by the CPSC order to notify them directly through email and by providing information under a section for orders they’ve made.
“Online marketplaces need more robust systems to vet products before the products make their way into American homes,” Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety at Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement. “E-commerce giants must ensure consumers are safeguarded adequately in the rapidly expanding online marketplace.”
In July 2024, the CPSC issued an order against Amazon, determining that Amazon was a “distributor” of dangerous products, making the company responsible for their recall.
Amazon said it plans to appeal the order, according to an article on ConsumerAffairs.com.
While it looks like there will be delays in getting the new recall information system up and running, consumers should keep up on current recalls. One way to do this is to check on recalls frequently at www.recalls.gov. The website has a place where you can sign up to get email notification of recalls as they’re announced.
