Amazon Sued by US Regulator as It Demands Recall of Hazardous Products

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) mentioned on Wednesday it has sued Amazon to power the retailer to recall tons of of hundreds of hazardous merchandise that it had distributed on its platform.

By a 3-1 vote, the CPSC voted to file an administrative grievance saying the Seattle-based e-commerce large was legally accountable to recall the merchandise as they posed a critical threat of damage or loss of life to customers.

The merchandise included 24,000 carbon monoxide detectors that didn’t go off, almost 400,000 hair dryers that lacked required safety in opposition to shock and electrocution, and “numerous” youngsters’s sleepwear clothes that might catch fireplace, in keeping with the CPSC.

“We must grapple with how to deal with these massive third-party platforms more efficiently, and how best to protect the American consumers who rely on them,” CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler mentioned.

The regulator added that Amazon had taken unspecified actions for among the merchandise, nevertheless it was not sufficient.

Amazon mentioned in an announcement it was “unclear” why the CPSC rejected its provide to develop its recall programme, together with for merchandise bought by third events, or sued to power actions “almost entirely duplicative” of what it had taken.

The firm mentioned it had eliminated “the vast majority” of the merchandise in query from its retailer and offered full buyer refunds.

© Thomson Reuters 2021