Consumer safety applies to everyone, including Amazon
In the event of the recall of unsafe products, including those sold by third parties on the platform, Amazon will be legally responsible and must communicate this to consumers. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in fact, it has not taken adequate measures so far. All the details
Amazon is now also legally responsible for recalling unsafe products. This was established by an order from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which decided that the e-commerce giant will have to develop plans to inform buyers and implement solutions to remove dangerous products from consumers' homes. consumers.
THE JUDGMENT OF THE COMMISSION
As a "distributor" of products "defective or not compliant with federal consumer product safety standards", Amazon – writes the Commission – "is legally responsible for their recall".
The decision affects more than 400,000 products sold between 2018 and 2021: specifically, defective carbon monoxide detectors, hair dryers that lacked electrocution protection and children's pajamas that violated federal flammability standards, the statement said.
The CPSC then determined that these products, listed on Amazon.com and sold by third-party sellers using the Fulfilled by Amazon program, “represent a 'substantial product hazard' under the Consumer Product Safety Act.”
Furthermore, the authority adds, “the company did not inform the public about these dangerous products and did not take adequate measures to encourage its customers to return or destroy them, thus leaving consumers at a substantial risk of injury.”
WHAT AMAZON SHOULD DO
Amazon, which declared before an administrative judge and the CPSC that it is not a distributor and is not responsible for the safety of products sold as part of its Fulfilled by Amazon program, will still have to comply with the Commission's decision.
Jeff Bezos' giant is in fact required "to present plans to inform consumers and the public of dangerous products and to remove the products from the market by encouraging their return or destruction". The Commission will consider Amazon's proposals and, after examining them, issue a new opinion.
THE E-COMMERCE ANSWER
Amazon made it known that it was disappointed by the Commission's ruling and announced its intention to appeal: “When three years ago we were initially informed by the CPSC of potential safety issues with a small number of third-party products at the center of this cause, we promptly notified customers, asked them to stop using the products and refunded them."
Since more than 60% of Amazon's sales come from independent sellers, the fight over who should be held responsible for these recalled products has been going on for years .
“In the event of a product recall in our store – continued the company – we promptly remove the affected products after receiving useful information from the recall agencies. Our recall notice service also ensures that our customers are quickly made aware of important product safety information and that the recall process is effective and efficient.”
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/la-sicurezza-dei-consumatori-vale-per-tutti-anche-per-amazon/ on Thu, 01 Aug 2024 11:12:28 +0000.