| The New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) in its role as the State’s consumer watchdog Agency in the Executive branch, and as a State designee to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), with the responsibility for monitoring retail establishments to assure the expeditious removal of recalled products from brick-and-mortar and Internet sales establishments, has identified three companies utilizing “best practice” standards in alerting customers to a recently recalled durable juvenile product. “The CPB has conducted sweeps and continues to update consumers regarding current recalls,” said CPB Chairperson and Executive Director Mindy A. Bockstein. “We believe in calling out companies and businesses in order to help raise the bar in protecting consumers and to give others examples of best practices to follow. We’re glad to see that some businesses are taking recalls seriously and taking steps to help safeguard their customers from hazardous products. Our consistent work with the Retail Council of New York State and others in the business community is making a difference in safety and consumer protection for New Yorkers.” After the death of an 8-month-old child from Houston, Texas, the CPSC issued a national recall of the Drop Side Cribs of various model numbers manufactured by Simplicity, Inc. and SFCA, Inc. of Reading, PA on July 2, 2009. |
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| Boscov’s Department Store, LLC prominently posted an advertisement in its July 5, 2009 circular directly under the bold 4-day Sale heading to alert consumers. The ad stated, “Crib Recall: If you purchased a Simplicity Crib at Boscov’s between May 6 and July 1, 2009, please return [it] with [the] receipt for a full refund or store credit,” and included the serial number of each item. |  |
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Burlington Coat Factory’s Internet sales website (http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/) conspicuously posted an alert regarding the Simplicity Drop Side Crib recall at the top left side of its homepage and on the Baby Depot section of the company website at www.babydepot.com. The posting contains a full description of the recalled item, photos, a link to recall information available from the CPSC and a link to the CPSC press release about the Simplicity Drop Side Crib. |
| Toys “R” Us, Inc. also posted the Simplicity Drop Side Crib recall in the dedicated Safety microsite section of the store’s website (www.Toysrus.com/Safety). The link to the information is located at the bottom of the Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com homepages. The Simplicity recall notice included clear photographs showing the plastic hardware which the CPSC reported could “break or deform, causing the drop side to detach. When the drop side detaches, it creates space between the drop side and the crib mattress. Infants and toddlers can roll into this space and become entrapped which can lead to suffocation.” |  |
“We are grateful to the New York State Consumer Protection Board and other consumer protection agencies for their dedication to helping and protecting consumers,” said Albert Boscov, President and CEO of Boscov’s Department Store, LLC. “We depend on manufacturers to make safe products, but when a hazard is identified, we take immediate steps to let our customers know. In this case, we sold more than 275 of the recalled cribs, and have telephoned everyone for whom we had a contact number to personally let them know about the recall. We reached about 75% of purchasers, and will be posting the ad in newspapers again this week, in hopes that cash-paying customers or others who could not be reached will see it. Thankfully, many people purchase cribs in anticipation of the birth of a child, so we’re getting a good number of them back still in boxes and unused. Boscov’s is committed to the safety and welfare of our customers.” Retail Council of New York State President and CEO James R. Sherin said, "Governor Paterson and the Consumer Protection Board have made product safety an absolute priority, and, through the work of our member stores, the Retail Council shares and demonstrates that commitment. Our member stores are working every day to make sure that consumers have the information they need to have confidence in the products they buy and, in the event that there is a problem with a product, the information they need to stay safe. We appreciate the Governor's acknowledgment of our industry's commitment and we look forward to working with him and the CPB on this critical issue." New York’s “Children’s Product Safety and Recall Effectiveness Act of 2008” requires commercial dealers (i.e., manufacturers, importers, distributors and wholesalers), after receiving notice of a recall or warning, to remove recalled products from their shelves and websites, contact the initial purchaser of the product if possible, and post recall notices and warnings in a conspicuous manner. The CPB’s Recall Awareness Promotion Program (RAPP) has drawn support from representatives of the business community statewide. The CPB invites businesses to join RAPP, which has been touted nationally as a best practice for recall awareness and compliance. Information about the program is available here. The CPB posts recall information online at important_recalls.htm, and offers consumers and businesses numerous product safety resources on its website at www.nysconsumer.gov. |
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The New York Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection serves as the state's top watchdog and think tank on a wide range of consumer related issues. Among the services it provides, the Division investigates and resolves consumer complaints, educates the public about product recalls, and represents consumers before public utilities and other state and federal agencies.