Social Media Parenting

Maclaren Baby Stroller Recall: U.S. Parents Get Repair Kit while UK Parents Do Not

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by rudy in Social Media Parenting

Source: AP via Youtube

Ok, so many of you reading this have already heard about the Maclaren recall of over 1,000,000 baby strollers produced from 1999 to 2009. Upon learning about a severe hazard with their strollers, 12 U.S. cases where children had to have their fingertips amputated after getting their fingers caught in the folding mechanism, the company made a bold but much needed move. They publicly acknowledged the defect and offered a repair kit to every Maclaren owner, in the United States.

“This is an industrywide problem. And we’ve taken the leadership on this because we designed this 40 years ago … We had a number of cases of people having their fingers caught in the elbow hinge, and they brought it to our attention,” Bahman Kia, Maclaren’s CEO, told “Good Morning America.”

This was the right thing to do by Maclaren, for U.S. parents. But what about those in the UK? Why are they not getting the same repair modification kit?

According to the Telegraph:

A spokesman said: “We wish to reassure our customers that they should continue to use their existing Maclaren buggies since they are safe when opened and closed correctly.

As further reassurance we have updated our operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy to ensure that customers take care and keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded. Our advice is that consumers should take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products.

Just like any other mom or dad, my parental instincts kicked in after first hearing about the news. I thought about my kids and their safety. How lucky we were that this did not happen to them. I thought about what those young kids who got injured had to go through and how their parents must feel. How sad is it that it took 12 children getting injured before a recall was made?

Twitter and the blogosphere is buzzing with the Maclaren recall news. Much of it focusses on the negative aspects of the situation. After all, shocking headlines get the eyeballs.

Here’s a screen of the stream of news on Twitter for the search term – Maclaren:

I checked t see if Maclaren has a Twitter account and did not find one.

Update: After scanning the “Maclaren” Twitter stream, I did stumble upon the Maclaren U.S. Twitter account and told them that our VIN # is half scratched off. I asked them for advice on how we can get the VIN # or submit the form without the Vin#. No reply thus far. If anyone knows the answer, please leave a comment below. Thanks.

I did find what seems to be their Maclaren Facebook fan page. The first comment I saw was from a parent asking about the VIN# of the stroller and how to find it.

So I went t the Maclaren site and found the page where you can enter your information to get the repair kit – Maclaren recall page. Sure enough, they ask for the VIN# as you can see in the image below. So I went into our garage to get the VIN number for our stroller and found that half of it was scratched off. The sticker is in a location that is prone to wear and tear.

So now I have to figure out how get the repair kit without the VIN#.

For parents, child safety is on our minds all the time. We choose products and services that have the highest rating from review sites but also from our peers, friends and family. More and more, we choose to accept or at the least, consider, the opinions of those who take the time to share their thoughts and opinions online. On social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, not to mention the host of parenting blogs and forums that exist.

For brands, many products when compared to competitors are pretty similar. It’s the voice of other parents and thought leaders within our own spheres that will help us make better decisions when choosing what to buy and from which brand. Sometimes I think brands forget about this. In a huge PR nightmare situation like this one that Maclaren is dealing with now, it’s not what they do to help remedy the situation, but how they do it that will determine how their customers feel about them moving forward.

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