I purchased a crib from craigslist and discovered the next after looking up the item code that the product had a recall. The person we bought it from did not respond to our phone calls. Now she has emailed saying that, they will send us recall repair kit. I do not want any recall repair kit. I just want them to give our money back & take the crib back. What do we do?
Nothing- you purchased something "as is" from essentially an online garage sale. You would have to file a complaint through the website and probably be able to prove that they "knowingly" sold you something that was faulty, which is nearly impossible to do.
Your best bet is to either try the repair kit or just take it as a lesson learned and check the "item number" BEFORE purchasing things online.
I could be wrong, but isn't Craigs List sort of a "purchase as is" website? I don't think the person who sold it to you is responsible for refunding your money and taking the crib back. (not saying ME personally- just in regards to how the site runs.) Good luck, how frustrating. It seems everything gets recalled nowadays.
Lynsey
The recalled cribs need the repair kit to be functional, a lot of parents selling older cribs may not even be aware the crib has been recalled, these sellers might not have been aware until you asked and they looked it up. Really, if you bought it used form a person on craigslist, it's your responsibility to do the research.
The repair kit will make the crib functional and that is the option they have given to you to make it right and you are refusing it, so law enforcement won't make them refund your money and take the item back if you try and do something legally since they are offering to make the item correct. However, had they not offered the repair kit, you could probably call CPSIA. It is illegal to sell recalled items and they could possibly go after the seller. They usually deal with larger sellers however. It is illegal for second hand stores to sale recalled cribs since they have to check model numbers and keep up to date on recall lists, but I don't think there is anything you can do from a regular person, or if it was a garage sale item.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/thrift/thrguid.pdf
If you do not want the crib, you must get the repair kit before you resell it... or you must destroy it prior to putting it in the dumpster, so that another family wont get it and use it.
Buyer beware! It's your duty as buyer to be informed of any recalls. In the future, you may want to do some research before forking over cash on a site like craigslist. Take the repair kit and use the crib. I am still using mine!
Unfortunately "buyer beware" comes into play. As much as we think the seller's should do the right thing doesn't mean they will. best of luck to you.
Nothing you can do.
That is the risk you take when buying things on Craigslist.
Crappy but true.
Use it as a life lesson. I agree with the other poster who stated that buying things off of Craigslist is similar to buying something from a garage sale. It was your responsibility to look up the order number BEFORE you bought it. If I were you I would take the repair kit...better than nothing!
You are probably out of luck there. I rarely use craigslist but I looked at some baby gear on there a while ago. I emailed someone about a car seat and asked her to check the expiration date...it was already expired. After that I bought a new car seat. Lesson learned. If it has to be safe (like a car seat or a crib), get it from a reliable source.
Now I trade baby gear only with friends or relatives or a reliable second hand shop where I can look things over in person. BTW, I have an older drop side crib from a relative and I never checked for a recall (well, we did 5 years ago when we got it but not since)--my last kid will be out of it in a few months. We just always keep the side up and lift the child over.
"Caveat emptor" means let the buyer beware!
It's the buyer's responsibility to check things out before buying.
Take the repair kit.
You can't do anything about the person giving your money back. Did you pay close to the original price? You CAN take it back to the store without a receipt for a refund, I bought my daughter a crib that was recalled when she was 16 months (yea awesome, 16 months she could've died) I returned it to walmart without a receipt and they gave me my money back. If I bought it on craigslist for a fraction of the retail price, I would just cut my losses and buy another one but that's because I'd feel like I was profiting from something I shouldn't be profiting from lol.
I would try and email craigslist with this person's name and email address because it would worry me that they'd sell dangerous, safety hazard things in the future that won't be caught like you caught it. The fact that they had the repair kit and didn't give it to you in the first place makes me think they were selling it b/c they found out it was recalled which to me makes them scum (disgusting if someone would do that and put anothers child in harms way)
I do like Janelle's advice as well... my recalled crib did not have a repair kit, it was the one that was just throw it away or take it back to the store so they can refund you and throw it away themselves.
although I bought my crib new, it had been "repaired" to remove the option of lowering the side. I can see where it was attatched, but the laws around cribs and safety just changed about a year ago. I dont think you were mislead, just accept the repair kit.
Have you contacted the manf to see if they are doing a repair kit or if they are replacing the crib all together. We bought a highchair and it was recalled later on, but Graco just replaced our entire highchair for us. It really turned out to be a good deal for us.
Nothing you can do except contact the manufacturer and get the repair kit.
Buyer beware..... especially on Craigslist. You should have googled the model BEFORE you bought it.
I'm sorry but you are out of luck on getting $$ back. Get the repair kit. It is possible that they were unaware of the recall.
You can't do anything, take the repair kit or buy a new crib. It sucks but you have to do your research on the product before you purchase on craigslist.
You're out of luck. Sorry.
Cribs are being recalled because they have deemed that drop-side cribs are no longer safe. You will have to buy a newly manufactured crib (one made after the new law came into effect) if you want one that does not need the repair kit to make the drop-side of the crib stationary. Sorry I don't think there is anything you can do to get your money back.
It is illegal for anyone to sell a crib that has been recalled. However, I don't know what ramifications she could actually face now. (Her word against your word.) However.... I know you are worried because you are hearing the words RECALLED FOR SAFETY reasons and you immediately think there is no way that the crib could be safe. BUT... stop and think about if for a bit.... a company would not just send repair kits if they weren't 100% sure this would stop the problem. BECAUSE..... they don't want to have tons of lawsuits for injury or death of babies. Sounds reasonable, right? I mean companies would rather give the money back to the customers instead of giving them $ for lawsuits. These companies have tested the repair kits again and again to make sure the device is strong.... and I'm pretty sure that the reason your crib was recalled was because the drop side has a piece that can wear out. So... the repair kit does not allow this from wearing out. I am giving my daughther's teacher two of my cribs for free and I told her they were recalled. She is ordering the repair kits (for free from the co.) I was kind of nervous at first (even though I am giving them to her free) but she was fine with it because of what she explained to me (which I explained to you above.)
Good luck!
I don't think you can do anything about getting your money back but if you take the repair kit they are offering you could sell the crib on craigslist with the recall repair kit. Just make sure you clearly state in the ad that it has been recalled and that you are offering the repair kit with it. I'm sure someone will buy it and repair it with the kit. You're not doing anything wrong as long as you have stated that it needs to be repaired.
That way you could make some of the money (or all) back to buy a different crib.
Purchasing off craigslist (which I do) is no different than shopping at a garage sale, except you're saving gas money driving all over the place looking for something. Why would you expect a refund from a craigslist purchase? I am surprised she even offered to sned you a recall repair kit. You should have done your research. If I were you, I'd simply contact the manufacturer and get the repair kit. It will be a simple fix and will make it safe. It is what it is. If you want a refund policy or warranty, you buy from a store. If you want a good deal, you go to craigslist. The manufacturer will take care of the situation if you contact them.
You should have bought one from someplace reputable. The saying is "Buyer Beware".
Almost all cribs have been recalled at one time or another.