Shaunam
04-11-2008, 11:24 AM
I don't think the lady I talked to really knew much about the car seats. I called because I read here that in the Diplomat, the child's head has to be 1" from the top of the shell, not the headrest, for rf'ing. The manual says 1" from the top of the *restraint*, which I took to mean the entire restraint, including the headrest. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd assume most people would think that. Anyways, I'd been driving DS around in that seat for a couple of weeks. He had a growth spurt recently and I din't think he'd fit NOW, but at the time, he had about an inch and a half until he was even with the headrest when it was all the way up.
When I first asked my question, she went to get the info and then she came back and replied that the "seat is outgrown when the tips of the ears are even with the restraint". I said, "that's for ff'ing, I'm concerned with rf'ing". She says "there is no height limit rf'ing". I said, "yes there is, it says right in the manual that it is outgrown rf'ing when the head is within 1" of the restraint. What I'm trying to find out is if that's from the top of the SHELL, or the tip of the HEADREST." She asked how tal my son is and I said 39" and she said he outgrew it already. :rolleyes: I said, "I've heard that it has more to do with torso height, not overal height and that if their head is too close to the top, they outgrow it rf'ing and they outgrow it ff'ing when the straps are below their shoulders." She said that kids are supposed to be turned when their feet touch the backseat. :eek: And that it was more of a weight issue and they suggest 1 year and 20 lbs. Good grief!
I told her I disagree and kids can fold their legs up. She said, "Oh well sure they can." :rolleyes: Then why are you arguing with me? Ultimately, she told me that YES, it is from the top of the shell, not the headrest.
I told her that that makes me angry because I drove my son around unsafely because the manual was not clear and that I spent money on a seat assuming I could get a certain amount of use out of it since the headrest moves up. I told her it is a lot of money to us and now I'm stuck with a seat I may not even get a year of use out of. She said "Well, we're sorry about that." I told her that the reason I buy britax seats is because they are easy to use, easy to install, and that the manuals are easy to read. But that I was very concerned with the way this manual was worded and that it was setting people up for misuse. Again she apologized and told me that she would "pass along my concern."
Am I wrong? I think the average parent would assume that by "restraint", they are talking about the whole thing, including the headrest. She really didn't seem all that concerned. I mean, given the wording, if a child was seriously hurt or killed because they were rf'ing too long in that seat, Britax could be sued.
Can any of you techs call? Maybe use your tech status to get these concerns across and maybe find out more? She was talking to me like I was an idiot, when clearly I knew more about CPS than she did.
I'm really kind of upset because the reason I bought the diplomat is because I need a short seat right now and I thought we'd get a little bit of time out of it. I mean, I really thought my DS fit and that is a huge thing because he hardly fits in any seats rf'ing. If I'd known all this, I would have saved some money and gotten a true fit. :(
When I first asked my question, she went to get the info and then she came back and replied that the "seat is outgrown when the tips of the ears are even with the restraint". I said, "that's for ff'ing, I'm concerned with rf'ing". She says "there is no height limit rf'ing". I said, "yes there is, it says right in the manual that it is outgrown rf'ing when the head is within 1" of the restraint. What I'm trying to find out is if that's from the top of the SHELL, or the tip of the HEADREST." She asked how tal my son is and I said 39" and she said he outgrew it already. :rolleyes: I said, "I've heard that it has more to do with torso height, not overal height and that if their head is too close to the top, they outgrow it rf'ing and they outgrow it ff'ing when the straps are below their shoulders." She said that kids are supposed to be turned when their feet touch the backseat. :eek: And that it was more of a weight issue and they suggest 1 year and 20 lbs. Good grief!
I told her I disagree and kids can fold their legs up. She said, "Oh well sure they can." :rolleyes: Then why are you arguing with me? Ultimately, she told me that YES, it is from the top of the shell, not the headrest.
I told her that that makes me angry because I drove my son around unsafely because the manual was not clear and that I spent money on a seat assuming I could get a certain amount of use out of it since the headrest moves up. I told her it is a lot of money to us and now I'm stuck with a seat I may not even get a year of use out of. She said "Well, we're sorry about that." I told her that the reason I buy britax seats is because they are easy to use, easy to install, and that the manuals are easy to read. But that I was very concerned with the way this manual was worded and that it was setting people up for misuse. Again she apologized and told me that she would "pass along my concern."
Am I wrong? I think the average parent would assume that by "restraint", they are talking about the whole thing, including the headrest. She really didn't seem all that concerned. I mean, given the wording, if a child was seriously hurt or killed because they were rf'ing too long in that seat, Britax could be sued.
Can any of you techs call? Maybe use your tech status to get these concerns across and maybe find out more? She was talking to me like I was an idiot, when clearly I knew more about CPS than she did.
I'm really kind of upset because the reason I bought the diplomat is because I need a short seat right now and I thought we'd get a little bit of time out of it. I mean, I really thought my DS fit and that is a huge thing because he hardly fits in any seats rf'ing. If I'd known all this, I would have saved some money and gotten a true fit. :(