Retailer Toys “R” Us Australia has paid a penalty of more than $10,000 after being issued an infringement notice by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over unsafe cots.
Toys “R” Us recalled the ‘Nantucket 4-in-1’ household cots, sold online and in Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores between February and November 2013, after testing obtained by the ACCC revealed the cots did not comply with mandatory safety standards. Recalled cots posed a risk of injury or death to infants from falls, entrapment and suffocation.
“Mandatory safety standards prescribe certain design, performance and labelling requirements to safeguard Australian consumers from the risk of serious injury or death,” says ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard. “Retailers have an obligation to exercise effective and ongoing due diligence in sourcing and testing products before stocking them for sale to consumers, in particular where a failure to do so puts the safety of infants and children at risk.
“It is disappointing that the Toys “R” Us compliance system failed to identify this problem. Companies must have quality assurance systems that can ensure the integrity of their supply chain and that important product safety standards are complied with.”
Toys “R” Us has provided a court enforceable undertaking to the ACCC, agreeing to provide further notices to consumers about the recall, to continue to offer free collections of affected cots and refunds to customers, and to implement a consumer law compliance program with a focus on enhancing its product safety procedures.
