I brought a car seat yesterday but after only 20 mins my grandson got his arms through the straps?

Question

I was on the motorway at the time and was horrified, i took it back to mothercare today for a refundas it was not safe for my grandson to be in. I was refused a refund they said there was nothing wrong with the seat and that some children do this and it was my responsibility to teach the child it was dangerous. The green arrow was showing which says i have tightened correctly.

Do you think I'm right to ask for the £144.99 back

I went to a car safety ctr and was fitted with another seat.

I think i should add that my grandson is only 18 months old...and no i don't think a slap on the bum is the correct thing to do. YES is taught the word No.

This car seat was fitted in my car by mothercare at trained fitter i was told, the green arrows are on the new Maxi cosi tobi seat. It was as i left the store 20mins after mothercare fitting that the child managed to get his arms free.

Answer 1

Sale of goods act - fit for purpose!!!!!!

If the item is used to restrain infants of up to a certain age then it should do so. Failure = break of sale of goods act. Check the small print to see if it excludes kids with an IQ of over 100 LOL - only kidding.

Seriously though, it is intended to restrain infants. You can't teach your 18 month grandson to not wriggle - its in his nature. To me this is a failure in the goods as it doesn't do what it says on the tin.

Speak to Citizins Advice and read up on the sale of goods act on the net.

You have a good case for a refund. Sometimes even the mention of taking it furhter is enough to get your money back if your speaking to the manager or supervisor.

Answer 2

Some children are simply crafty and regular little escape artists. Find a seat through trial and error that the child can not escape or get loose from. With all the different designs there is sure to be one that will hold the child secure.
The store must have a poor return policy. You can always resale the mothercare seat on ebay.com. If there is a next seat int he future, ask if there are returns before you buy.

Answer 3

I worked for mothercare a few months ago and I'm afraid they are rite in not refunding they can only refund if the car seat is faulty but, here is what to do take your seat into mothercare again and ask them to fit your child into the seat this member of staff should be trained (usually by graco) and get at least 3 staff to check it to 1 of which should be management.

oh yeah and did mothercare fit it into your car this IS mothercares policy they are not allowed to sell a seat without fitting it in!!!
Hope this is of help :)

Answer 4

The straps may need tightening,always teach the child that by wearing there seat belt will save there lives if you had an accident,my two oldest children have both been taught to wear seatbelts they wont even let my husband start the engine until they got them on.But another thing i wouldnt have paid £144.99 for a car seat when you can get much cheaper and there just as good(they have to be),i think i paid £40 for my 9mth old and lasts till hes 4yrs old.

Answer 5

I agree with Kim above, the seat is not faulty...... and I think it is your responsibility to make sure he stays in the seat, by tightening the straps as described. Stop the car everytime he does it, (on the motorway it would be seen as an emergency) and put him back in properly eventually he will get the message. Keep reinforcing how the seat keeps him safe and all the other good points. Be firm with him, this is not an option.

Answer 6

You are fully entitled to a refund whether it was faulty or not as it didn't work to your satisfaction. The advice about telling children right from wrong isn't good enough I'm afraid you could talk til your blue in the face and the child will still ignore you and do what it wants to anyway. You have rights to get back your money because you aren't satisfied if you need anymore legal help then contact your local citizen advice then return to place that you bought the car seat from and tell them exactly why you have done and what action you are going to take and I bet you get your money back as i have had to do this myself more than once when I have been sold faulty goods and been told that it is my fault they are not working. Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll get a refund.

Answer 7

It sounds lke the straps are too loose, they are meant to be firm against the body, you should only be able to get a couple of fingers under it when it is done up. I don't think there is anything wrong with the car seat and I don't think Mothercare should have to give you your money back.

Answer 8

i was part of a wic program before and we had to go a car safety class to learn how to correctly install a care seat and the right way to buckle up a child.they said that the strapes should be only loose enough as to were you can slip two fingurs comfortable under the belt uparound his collerbone.also the part the buckles on the chest area shoud be slid up just underneat the collerbone area.but in saying that some children just have a neak for getting out of things,he maybe only 18 months but he is not stupied.children can learn and pick up things quick.you just have to talk to him and help him understand why and if need be put the scare in him if you have too.i wish you the best.

Answer 9

If there was nothing wrong with the seat then you did not have every thing done right. Yes maybe you had it fastened in right but you did not have him fastened in right. It sounds like the straps were too loose around him. Maybe you can get in store credit for it, but if you were informed before you left the store with the seat then there is really nothing that you can do. Or if the store policy was posted. You can always talk to the manager.

Answer 10

It is very worrying for any parent/grandparent... I can see why you would ask for a refund, maybe speak to the consumer advice service about this. I dont think it should be down to the parents to teach their children that this is dangerous. My daugher started doing this when she was about 8 months old - and at that age, she obviously had no reference for the word 'dangerous' so therefore if I (god forbid) had an accident, would it be my fault that she would be injured for not sitting in her carseat properly? There really isnt any way round this, just constant correction and reminding.

My daughter only stopped doing this when we witnessed a car accident, I told her that if that happened to our car, we would be ok if we were wearing our seatbelts, but if not.......................

Good luck - you are not alone!

Seatbelts worn incorrectly can further injure your child in the event of an accident so please all parents keep an eye on your child when ever you are stopped at lights etc!!!!