The Squeaky Wheel of Product Safety

Sometimes it takes forever to get any kind of forward movement on a product safety matter, or at least seems that way. But, if those in the know keep blowing the whistle loudly on product safety issues long enough, even a slow-moving government agency like the Consumer Product Safety Commission will finally get around to launching an investigation. Even if the company to be investigated is Amazon.

CNN actually began reporting last year that dozens of AmazonBasics electronics remained for sale on Amazon.com despite customers reporting the products had melted, exploded, or burst into flames. Now, according to letters CNN received from the agency in response to public records requests, at least eight of the items highlighted in CNN's investigation are at last being reviewed by the CPSC. Among the products are surge protectors, phone charging cords, a patio heater, battery charger and a voice-activated microwave that consumers reported had caught fire. The CPSC would not tell CNN how many products are under review or what safety concerns are being examined. It also rejected CNN's request for records about the AmazonBasics products, citing the pending investigations. Alerted by new reporting last month, lawmakers immediately called on Amazon to investigate and recall any electronics posing dangers to consumers. 

One customer, who told CNN last year about how his surge protector had turned into what he described  resembled a blowtorch and started a fire in his home, confirmed when CNN checked back that the CPSC contacted him for the first time in February to finally learn more about his experience. He had posted a review about the fire back in 2018 and received a roughly $1,500 payment to cover damage to his home in a settlement in which Amazon denied any liability. CNN’s updated investigation found that Amazon continued to sell the surge protector for nearly two years after that review was posted and settlement paid, even though more than 40 customers had also reported the product was a fire hazard, including causing damage to their home, belongings, or describing other dangerous experiences.

Amazon did finally pull that specific surge protector from the site in 2019, just weeks after CNN began looking into it. Amazon didn’t, however, appear to take any action to provide any notification to other purchasers, CNN found, even to the reporters who purchased the device as part of the investigation. And not surprisingly, Amazon did not post any message on the site about why the surge protector was removed.

Amazon declined to respond to new CNN inquiries specifically about the CPSC investigations, only saying that it continues to evaluate every report of a potential safety concern and take appropriate action — further pointing out that none of the products featured in CNN’s investigation have yet to be recalled or discontinued for safety reasons. I don’t know about you, but that seems to me to be a little less than proactive when it comes to the purchasers’ safety.

We’ve certainly talked about the dangers of private label electronics to your clients and their customers before, and this isn’t the first time that product failures have been settled quietly out of court by Amazon, including one incident where fire marshals determined that a 2017 housefire was sparked by an AmazonBasics USB cord. What does a responsible, trusted business or sales leader do? That’s an easy one. You just have to continue to ask your clients, your suppliers, and most importantly, yourself, is the savings to your client and additional margin for you as a result of buying potentially dangerous products really worth the risk??? To my way of thinking, that’s a no-brainer, and I’m hoping it is for you as well.