Here is the info we sent out on the recall last week to our newsletter subscribers!
Alan & Denise
authors, BABY BARGAINS
Perego to recall Prima Pappa high chair, infant seat.
A sharp-eyed reader in Ohio noticed that Babies R Us has pulled the Prima
Pappa high chair off its shelves, marking the product with signs that said
"DO NOT SELL." The reader discovered a copy of an email left at the store
that was addressed to all Babies R Us managers warning of the pending recall
of high chairs because of an "entrapment issue." The email also said Perego
will be recalling their infant car seat (the Primo Viaggio) and its
associated travel systems.
We immediately contacted Peg Perego today to find out what was up. Their
customer service department said the high chair recall will focus on chairs
made BEFORE August 26, 1999. There have been no injuries associated with
this problem with the high chair, although Perego says some babies were
"scratched or bruised" by the problem. Unfortunately, Perego would NOT tell
us exactly what was wrong with the high chair, but we assume it has
something to do with the unit's restraint bar. Perego will be sending out a
repair kit to parents who contact their customer service line at (800)
671-1701 for the US and 800-661-5050 in Canada.
An executive with Perego refused to discuss the details of the recall,
because of a rule that bars manufacturers from discussing recalls before the
government issues a press release on the matter. (Although, as always,
manufacturers seem to leak word of this to large customers like Babies R
Us—this heads up gets enables the chain to pull product off the shelves as
the recall happens. Yes, we are frustrated that Perego thinks leaking word
to Babies R Us is OK, while discussing the recall with safety advocates is
forbidden.)
Details on the infant car seat recall are even more sketchy. Again, Perego
refused to divulge details, but did confirm it will affect the car seat AND
their associated travel systems. (There are NO problems with the Perego
stroller; just the infant car seat). Our Perego source again referred to the
problem as "very minor."
We have decided to break this story early as we have recommended the Peg
Perego Prima Pappa high chair in our book for several years. When we do get
the official word from the CPSC and NHTSA, we will send those along.
Meanwhile, if you have questions, contact Perego at their customer service
line (800) 671-1701 for the US and 800-661-5050 in Canada.
We should stress that these are NOT official recalls YET. It is unclear
exactly what the government will do regarding these problems. Expect to hear
more on this next week.
(Special thanks to our Ohio reader for telling us about this situation. If
you ever come across a news tip, please email us at
[email protected]).