Schakowsky and Chairman Rush Send Letter to CPSC about Delays in Crib Recall
| For Immediate Release: October 24, 2007 | Contact: Peter Karafotas (202) 226-6898 |
SCHAKOWSKY AND CHAIRMAN RUSH SEND LETTER TO | ||
Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Vice Chair of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, joined Chairman Bobby Rush (D-IL) to sent a letter to the Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today asking him why nothing has been done by the CPSC or Simplicity, Inc. to replace or fix over one million defective cribs that were recalled last month. Simplicity's website does give purchasers the opportunity to sign up for a repair kit, but the company has not given any indication of when those repair kits would be available and whether the repair kit has been approved by the CPSC. In addition, Simplicity has failed to provide purchasers with an option for a refund or replacement crib. The text of the letter to the CPSC in attached below: October 19, 2007 The Honorable Nancy Nord Dear Chairman Nord: We are writing to inquire about the progress the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is making in reaching an agreement with Simplicity Inc. regarding a recall remedy for crib models that were voluntarily recalled last month. We would like to express our deep concern about the delay on this critical issue. On September 21, the CPSC issued a press release announcing a voluntary recall of 14 models of cribs manufactured in China and sold by Simplicity Inc. in the United States between January 1998 and May 2007. It is estimated that about 1 million cribs were sold with dangerous design flaws that resulted in at least 2 infant deaths, 7 infant entrapments and 55 other incidents. In announcing the voluntary recall, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson stated, "The recalled cribs pose a very serious danger to toddlers and infants. We highly recommend to parents and caregivers that no child is put to sleep in these cribs until it is fixed.... Despite the justifiable seriousness of Mr. Wolfson's warning, it is my understanding that nearly a month later there is no announced recall remedy. While the Simplicity, Inc. Web site gives purchasers of the recalled cribs the opportunity to sign up for a repair kit, there is no indication when that kit will be provided, and we have been told that the CPSC has yet to agree on a repair kit that would eliminate the danger. It is also our understanding that Simplicity, Inc. has not provided a refund or replacement crib remedy, options that we believe are far preferable to repair kits. The CPSC has advised parents and other child caregivers to not allow children to sleep in the recalled cribs, but has yet to provide consumers with an alternative other than to spend their own money to purchase a safe product. For low-income families who lack the financial ability to purchase another crib, even that option may not be feasible. We believe it is critical that an effective agreement be reached as soon as possible. Therefore, we ask that you provide us with the specific reasons that are impeding the agreement with Simplicity Inc. on recall remedies and that you provide us with a time period when our constituents and other consumers can expect this agreement to be completed. Thank you for your attention to this request. Given the urgency of this issue and the threat to infants across the country, we ask that you respond to our concerns by no later than Friday, October 26, 2007. If you have questions, please contact us or have your staff contact Judith Bailey with the Committee on Energy and Commerce staff at (202) 225-2927. Sincerely,
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