More retailers join recall of Simplicity bassinet

At least 10 more retailers have agreed to stop selling Simplicity bassinets in the  wake of the deaths of two infants and a call by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for parents to stop using the company’s 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible "close sleeper" models.

The additional retailers who have agreed to stop selling the bassinets include AAFES,  Amazon.com, Bed Bath and Beyond/ BuyBuyBaby, Burlington Coat Factory, Chelsea & Scott LTD (OneStepAhead), CSN Stores,  Fingerhut Direct Marketing,  Kohl’s Department Stores,  ShopKo Stores Inc.,  and USA Baby.

Those retailers join Wal-Mart, Kmart, Toys 'R' Us, Big Lots, J.C. Penney and Target which, as we reported last week, have agreed to recall the bassinets. And more retailers are likely to join the recall effort.

Despite the voluntary recalls by retailers, it remains unclear who, if anyone bears legal responsibility for the manufacture and distribution of the Simplicity bassinets.

Ordinarily, legal responsibility falls on the manufacturer, but in this case the maker of the bassinets is no longer in business—at least technically. That’s because a holding company called SFCA purchased all of Reading, PA-based Simplicity’s assets at public auction in April 2008, but contends it did not assume any of Simplicity’s liabilities.

SFCA has thus far refused to cooperate with the government and recall the bassinets, claiming it has no legal obligations because of the corporate structure. The Wall Street Journal explored the liability issue in a recent article.

Recalls and legal liabilities aside, consumers need to be extra cautious when buying secondhand bassinets at garage sales, through web sites and classified ads, or even as free hand-me-downs from friends or relatives. Check the manufacturer and model number against the CPSC list. If it is on the list, let the seller or giver know that the bassinet should no longer be used and can be returned to the retailer for a refund or credit.

It’s also possible some of the bassinets are still being sold by retailers. The Chicago Tribune says one of its reporters was able to buy two of the bassinets at a Burlington Coat Factory store last week after the recall (but before the retailer joined the CPSC list). We looked at our local Burlington Coat Factory store and were pleased to learn that not only had all the units been "shipped back to the manufacturer," but a recall notice was prominently posted in the store. We also did a spot check of various retailers in the  Washington, D.C. and New York City areas over the weekend and did not find any of the bassinets in question still on store shelves.

In a written statement issued last Thursday, SFCA said: "The safety of our customers is always SFCA’s number one concern.  The CPSC product alert does not involve any product manufactured and distributed by SFCA, Inc." (Emphasis added by the company in its statement.) But the Chicago tribune reported conflicting informaiton. The newspaper says that one of the bassinets it purchased last Thursday carried a shipping label with the name "SFCA Inc."

We'd like to see SFCA take responsibility and recall this deadly product that bears the Simplicity brand name. This in our opinion is a chink in the armor of corporate responsibility. Hats off to the CPSC for finding a prompt and effective solution for getting these products off store shelves and out of the homes of consumers. The agency's quick response, made possible by the new powers granted to them through recent legislation, may prevent more deaths and injuries.

Comments

[Odessa in Tn.]

Took my bassinet back to Walmart they gave full refund $104.00. I had used the bassinet with two infants. After having my third child I heard about the recall and returned it to Walmart

[Sarah]

returned my bassinet to Burlington, and they would only give $19.90 store credit. No new bassinet, and not enough store credit to buy a new one.

[Carl in CA]

Just received 4-in-1 bassinet from Wal-Mart with the design flaw. The website stated that this model was not involved in the recall which is why we purchased. Sending it back and never buying a Simplicity product again.