Can you just put a longer gate to block off that room, away from the staircase altogether?
Not really. It's a converted attic, so the walls are in an A-frame shape up there.
When I contacted them about the issue, they asked me to take pictures to prove I installed it correctly. And they determined that we did install it correctly. So it's got to be a faulty product, although they have not stated that. They have not offered to send me a replacement--which makes me think the gates are not as safe as they say? But they're JPMA certified. So that doesn't make sense. I am truly confused.If you find that the gates are safe and it was either your installation or just a faulty gate that resulted in the problem, yes, I would remove the photos. If you truly feel that the gates are unsafe, it's your call.
They are now holding my refund hostage. I got this email this morning:
This seems REALLY shady and makes me uncomfortable now. But other people seem to have success with them. I just so confused.We are also sorry that it did not work out for you. Since your experience with the Retract-A-Gate is so rare, once we receive your gate, we will be able to fully evaluate any possible issues with it. We want to confirm that you are going to take the photos down so other customers do not misinterpret them. They do not represent most user's experience with Retract-A-Gate. Once the photos have been removed, we will mail you the return shipping label.
Thanks, and let us know when the photos are removed so we can send you the return label, RMA number and return instructions.
The gate they sent us is clearly faulty since they determined we installed correctly. But they refuse to say that the one they sent us was faulty. They also have not offered a replacement, either. I feel dirty taking the pictures down now, especially because people on YouTube have lots of footage of their cats squeezing under these gates, so it's clearly not as "rare" as they claim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLNCiBbY2yo - at the 43 second mark the cat makes it under the gate
Porkchop's Escape - 53 second mark the dog gets under
I agree that this sounds shady.
Would it be possible to leave the photos up with a note/comment that the company is still determining the gate is malfunctioning? Maybe borrow their wording as the company says this isn't normal, blah blah. You can always change it after you get the refund if necessary.
Depending on the resolution once they "investigate" I'd also consider contacted the JPMA and possibly CPSC.
Ugh, it sounds like you've wasted so much time on this already.
So what happened? I'm curious to the end result.