Firms warned over unsafe products
Four companies have been warned for selling potentially unsafe toys in the lead-up to Christmas.
Mighty Ape Ltd, HMH International Ltd, trading as Gift House, Jay International Ltd, trading as 123 Dollar Store Huntly, and Southern Gold Ltd, trading as Just Incredible, were warned over the safety of products on their shelves.
Stuart Wallace, the Commerce Commission’s consumer head, said retailers were obliged to ensure that the toys and bicycles they were selling were compliant. Each of the retailers was provided with a warning letter explaining the commission’s opinion that a product was likely to have breached the law.
Only the courts could decide whether a breach of the law had occurred, but the purpose of a warning letter was to inform the recipient of the commission’s view, to suggest a change in behaviour, and to encourage future compliance, the commission said.
Mighty Ape was warned after it supplied 65 ‘‘Royal Baby’’ branded children’s bikes and 33 ‘‘Royal Baby’’ branded adult bikes that, in the commission’s view, did not comply with the mandatory product safety standard for pedal bicycles.
The children’s bikes were not equipped with a back pedal brake, although they had a handoperated back brake. The adult bikes’ brake levers were incorrectly configured. In addition, the bikes were not permanently marked with the name and address of the importer, the commission said.
The 123 Dollar Store Huntly supplied a hammer toy, a baby hand rattle and a dolphin bath toy which, in the commission’s view, did not comply with the mandatory product safety standard for children’s toys.
Small parts came free from the hammer and bath toy during testing, and the parts were a choking hazard, Wallace said. The rattle’s size meant it was also a choking hazard.
Gift House supplied various toys for young children as well as children’s nightwear. The toys and nightwear did not comply with the applicable mandatory product safety standards, the commission said. Small parts came free from the toys during testing, and the parts were a choking hazard. The nightwear did not have the correct format fire hazard information label attached.
Just Incredible supplied four rubber squeeze toys which did not comply with the mandatory product safety standard for children’s toys, the commission said. The squeaker units came free from the toys, and were a choking risk. The smaller bath toys were also a choking risk.