store workers giving car seat advice

my2boys0508 · Dec 29, 2009

I was informed from a friend of a friend that she was told the MyRide was a bad seat to buy. She went to a BuyBuy Baby store. I called the store she went to, to find out why they told her not to buy the MyRide. They told me the seat is to flimsy that the sides flex in and out when you push on it. True. It does have some give. But they are discouraging people from buying it and giving buyers false statements that it won't hold up in an accident. The lady I spoke to told me they are trying to be done with selling this seat because they don't like it. BuyBuy Baby is the only store around here that you can find Sunshine Kids, and all of the Britax seats. I think they have this feeling about the Myride because of the top quality seats they sell.

Is there any truth to them telling buyers to stay away from the MR? Is there anything *I* can do as to find truth or to have them stop giving advice based on their own preferences?

I'm a fairly new tech, (July) and not sure if what they are doing is ok since the info they are giving people has no source other than preference.

thepeach80 · Dec 29, 2009

I don't think so. They're not giving dangerous advice, it's just their preference. I have no problems reccomending the My Ride and I have often. We all have our preferences, right or wrong.

NannyMom · Dec 29, 2009

Buy Buy Baby doesn't have seat checks at all, do they? I went into a Great Beginnings (like BBB, they have all the Britax and Sunshine Kids). One of the managers was giving bad info. Because Safe Kids holds seat checks there every month, I called the local coalition (not my county). The woman there was on the ball and knew exactly who it was, and said she'd make sure he was better informed (she was furious).

If they don't hold seat checks, there's probably not much you can do. Maybe befriend a manager and try to pass along good info?

my2boys0508 · Dec 29, 2009

I'm not sure if seat checks have ever been held there, I will definitely find out though!

The part that is bothering me the most is that they told her the seat would not hold up in an accident because it's too flimsy at the top. Even on the phone the lady said the same thing to me.

I feel that the info they are giving is really bad. If they don't like the seat, I can understand that, but they are giving an opinion like it's a fact. Now, the opinion is spreading and who knows how many other people have been told this. They have not tested the seat to know if it would fail or pass in a crash. And they are telling people like they have tested it.

I think I will call back tomorrow and see if I can talk to a manager. If nothing else, I would just like to see them find a better way to go about not selling the seat to people, if they don't like it that much.

Thanks for the thoughts so far! I wasn't sure what I could do, if anything. Thank you!

QuassEE · Dec 29, 2009

At the end of the day, it's the parents' responsibility to fully research the carseats they purchase and use. With all the information out there on the web, I would hope that parents would take a moment to ask a few questions, join a forum such as this, and so forth. A lot of techs work in stores so that there is some good advice out there, but generally store staff are not as well informed as we would like to see. Unfortunately, unless a parent does their own research beyond what they're told in the store...there's not much you can do. It's just another "buyer beware" situation.

As a technician, you need to accept fairly early on that you're not going to save the world. If you save one child, you've done a lifetime worth of good. You do the best you can, and hope that parents seek out your knowledge and the information you have to provide them. Continue to be as impartial and professional as you can when assisting parents in seat recommendations, and hopefully others will follow suit.

-Nicole.

Judi's DH · Dec 29, 2009

As a sales person you can give a biased opinion and even bad advise as long as you don't break the law or store policy your good. As a Car seat Tech you can quote the law and recommend best practice but can not give personal opinion as to what brand of seat is better worse etc. Sadly there is allot of bad info and sales persons often know only what they read on the box very few take the time to learn any more.

mommy-medic · Dec 31, 2009

You can attempt to educate the employee if you "happen" to be in the store looking at the MR and someone "happens" to give you poor advice.

I had a lady come up to me once and tell me that "you know, you can turn her around now" referencing my ERFing kiddo. I played dumb, and said "really?" she went on for a few minutes, then I asked "how do you know so much? are you a cop? are you one of those seat checker people?" etc. she said no, she was just a mom, so I took the opportunity to introduce myself, complete with credentials. Needless to say she isn't "educating" strangers anymore (at least I hope to god she isn't!!)

Spam · Dec 31, 2009

I also think employees try to steer you to the more expensive seats like the britax or sunshine kids. In their mind perhaps the more expensive the better and since the MR is half the price of the other seats, they maybe looking for reasons to say why it's less superior.

sunnymw · Dec 31, 2009

Judi's DH said:
As a sales person you can give a biased opinion and even bad advise as long as you don't break the law or store policy your good. As a Car seat Tech you can quote the law and recommend best practice but can not give personal opinion as to what brand of seat is better worse etc. Sadly there is allot of bad info and sales persons often know only what they read on the box very few take the time to learn any more.

Seems like the best way to help a parent is to have one tech giving technical advice and then one employee recommending specific seats... double-teaming!!

tjham · Dec 31, 2009

Spam said:
I also think employees try to steer you to the more expensive seats like the britax or sunshine kids. In their mind perhaps the more expensive the better and since the MR is half the price of the other seats, they maybe looking for reasons to say why it's less superior.

That was my thought, too.

Mae · Dec 31, 2009

Maybe mention the fact that all seats have to pass the same testing, and if the MR hadn't passed the same crash tests that other seats had, it wouldn't be on the market. But, since it passed, it's just as safe as the other seats, hence the fact that it's on the market.

kphil · Dec 31, 2009

Just to add my own :twocents:, I'm about to buy a MR, after trying one out today, and I do actually agree with the store worker that the top sides feel flimsier than what I'm used to on other seats. I'm now feeling like that doesn't necessarily mean anything though, after seeing the MA have issues with straps ripping through the slots, despite the fact that the MA plastic "seems" heavier duty than many of the other seats.

Shanora · Dec 31, 2009

I have a MR, and I see what everyone is talking about 'flimsy', however its not as flimsy as I think everyone is thinking. Its actually quite sturdy, since I was pulling on the seat alot to peek into the MR, which is in the Captain chair behind the driver and I was the passenger, to peek at my DD when she was freaking out. It 'gave' a little bit....but not enough for me to think the seat is unsafe....by any stretch of the imagination.

Jan06twinmom · Dec 31, 2009

It sounds like the bad advice is that the seats won't hold up in an accident. If you can talk with the manager and give him information about how all car seats have to pass the same tests. Also the fact that the test results are not shared publicly so we don't know which car seats pass the test with flying colors and which car seats just barely got by.

If the sales people are saying that the car seat is not as sturdy as the other seats or they want to show people how it's more flimsy on the side, then that is fine. I just have an issue with saying something about how the seat won't hold up during an accident when we know the seat had to pass the required tests and we don't have more detailed information about how it held up.

Melanie

steph_s · Dec 31, 2009

I would probably go into the store as if I was looking at purchasing the seat. I would wait for the bad information to come out of someone's mouth in front of me. I would then ask them how they knew such a thing and wait for the response. Once they explained their messed up logic I would then explain to them that all seats are tested and if it had failed and not held up in an accident then it wouldn't be allowed on the market, plus none of that information is out there other than a pass meaning it's on the market or fail meaning it wouldn't be allowed to be sold. I would then probably go on to explain that while it is "flimsier" feeling than some seats like the MA, but I would probably use the MA as an example and point out how the seat failed in some crash tests and then I would likely say "so just because a seat feels flimsier doesn't mean it actually is because as far as I'm concerned this seat is just as safe if not safer than the MA that is double the money, plus it provides more room for rear facing feet and fits nicely into most vehicles". I would then ask to speak to the manager about this false information being given!

What if some poor parent has the mr and went in to purchase another seat for their other vehicle. I would be horrified if someone told me that one of my seats wasn't safe and wouldn't hold up in an accident! I trust the Myride FAR FAR more than the MA! I know a lot of people really love Britax seats, but the only one I care for is the Regent and pkwy boosters, all their other seats don't seem to be worth it!

InternationalMama · Jan 1, 2010

In addition to mentioning about how all seats pass the same safety testing, you could also mention that because the MR has a higher rear facing weight limit than the MA and also more leg room (lack of leg room often discouraging parents from using the Britax seats for ERF) and since rear facing is so much safer than forward facing that the MR might very well keep a customer's child much safer than a Britax seat if it allowed/encouraged them to rear face for longer. Especially given the MA's performance forward facing in some of those crash tests.

store workers giving car seat advice

my2boys0508

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thepeach80

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NannyMom

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my2boys0508

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QuassEE

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Judi's DH

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mommy-medic

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Spam

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sunnymw

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tjham

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Mae

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