Child car seat ‘risks’ due to poorly trained sales staff

Retailers are selling potentially unsafe child car seats to customers because staff fail to ask customers relevant questions over suitability and safety, Which? has claimed.

At nine in ten mystery shop visits by the consumer’s organisation’s investigators, staff failed to ask all of the pertinent questions required to safely advise customers about which child car seat to choose, despite promises that sales standards would be raised four years ago after Which? conducted a similar investigation.

The “customers” went to 200 high street chains and independent shops asking for a suitable car seat for a nine-month-old baby.

Sales staff should have asked key safety questions recommended by experts and manufacturers.

Nikki Stopford, a researcher at Which?, said: “Retailers had told us that staff were trained to the highest standards. This is another disappointingly poor service. It clearly isn’t working, so retailers must urgently introduce checklists to make sure staff are asking all the important safety questions when advising customers.”