Can You Avoid Buying Defective Consumer Products this Holiday Season?

Holiday shopping has commenced. Over the next month, billions of hot products will fly off the shelves and wind up as gifts at family gatherings. If you are about to start shopping, please be aware that defective consumer products can pose a significant safety risk. Recent history is full of examples.Hoverboards gained notoriety during last year’s holiday season after several reports of fires and explosions. In one case, a defective hoverboard almost burned down a house. Earlier this year, Samsung captured headlines over reports its Note 7 could explode and catch fire. The Federal Aviation Administration banned Note 7’s from being carried on flights.Children’s toys may also pose dangers, even without defects. A recent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report claims toy injuries resulted in 11 deaths and more than 185,000 visits to emergency rooms in 2015. All injuries and deaths affected children under 15 years old. Some toys may be flagged by consumer safety groups, and others could be under recall for defects.Our guide may serve as a tool for avoiding these dangerous consumer products.

How Do You Check for Product Recalls?

One of the best ways (but not the only way) to check for product recalls is to use the CPSC’s website. This area of the site displays recent recalls. You can also use the website’s search engine to look for specific products.If you were to click on a listed product, it would display detailed information on why the product was recalled. The page would inform you of recent injuries or accidents involving the product, and where it is sold. It would tell you which company manufactured the product and whether you can receive repairs or a refund.Using CSPC’s website is not the only way to check for product recalls. You can also sign up for automatic email alerts that will notify you when specific products are recalled. Alerts can be tailored to outdoors products, children’s toys or sports and recreation equipment – just to name a few examples.The CPSC also operates www.saferproducts.gov, which allows consumers to post reports of possible injuries or other safety concerns involving products. This website also allows you to look for recalls.

How Else Can You Check for Dangerous Products?

Some organizations release annual lists of dangerous toys and consumer products. World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.) recently released its “most dangerous toys of 2016” list. Toys that made 2016’s list presented choking and suffocation hazards. Other toys put children at risk for eye, impact and ingestion injuries.Many toys that make it on W.A.T.C.H.’s naughty list have many of the same problems. According to the organization, these toys are defective due to poor design, manufacturing and marketing practices.It never hurts to perform research before buying a product. By checking beforehand if other people have issued complaints, or if the product is under recall, you may help make the holiday season safer for yourself and loved ones.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC encourage you to remain vigilant of defective consumer products this holiday season.