Just received new seat from Amazon - are these safety concerns?

gigi · May 12, 2011

I ordered a T-Tario from Amazon and just received it. I have a few minor reservations about the condition. It is my first mail order seat, so I'm just wanted to check to see if any thing is off safety-wise.

The seat arrived with a 6/16/10 DOM. I don't really care about the year off of the life of the seat b/c I'm not having any more babies. There isn't a safety issue with sitting on the shelf for a year, right?

The seat also arrived with the canopy installed incorrectly. The manual indicates how to assemble/install the canopy. Would this indicate to you that the seat had been returned? It arrived in the plastic with all of the tags and bags attached...nothing looked off in packaging other than the canopy.

Finally, the cover has a seam that is unraveling right by the harness adjuster. I am happy to call Teutonia to get a new cover sent and don't really care about that, but in combination with the other two concerns would this make you uncomfortable?

I can easily return it to Amazon...not a problem, but I hate to waste my time and the fossil fuels shipping it back to just get another one if there isn't any safety concern (so long as Teutonia has no issue replacing the cover).

Pixels · May 12, 2011

The seat is fine sitting on the shelf. That time does count towards expiry, as the seat does begin to break down in that time, but you seem to already know that and are fine with it.

Camnnopy installed incorrectly, it may be a return. With all the other tags/bags/etc attached, it wouldn't bother me. It probably wasn't even installed.

The cover thing doesn't bother me in combination with the other two. Just that I want a perfect cover on my brand new seat, and would pursue it through warranty.

joolsplus3 · May 12, 2011

Was the canopy actually installed incorrectly, or is it just weird that it's installed at all? Graco used to always make you put the canopy together, but lately they've all come already assembled, but needing to be stuck onto the handle properly. (which is good, it's a gigantic pain in the butt to assemble, though the instructions are good in case you need to disassemble to wash it).

gigi · May 12, 2011

joolsplus3 said:
Was the canopy actually installed incorrectly, or is it just weird that it's installed at all? .

The canopy was installed incorrrectly. I had to take it off and flip the fabric right side up. I wouldn't have thought anything of it being installed properly, but installed incorrectly seemed odd.

And on the expiration date...I was annoyed at first but then realized that Graco has the end of the year expiration, so unless I got a seat made 6 months later than mine, it would have the same expiration. I figure with a seat as unusual as the T-Tario, chances are good I'd get a late 2010 DOM from anywhere (I got a Maestro from Walmart in February shipped site to store and it was a Oct 2010 DOM, so really you can't predict. I thought that would would be right off the line). And if I bought any other infant seat, it would likely have a 6 years from DOM expiration and thus I'm only really losing 6 or so months. And I'm definitely NOT having any more babies (this one has been a really, really rough pregnancy).

If it was a return, they barely touched it. No marks or scratches at all on the base or shell and the plastic bags through the straps holding the manuals weren't even stretched or stressed at all (I had to stretch it out to remove the manual to check on the canopy). The harness and crotch buckle are in the original tiny baby setting.

Guest · May 12, 2011

Sounds fine to me.

gigi · Oct 27, 2011

I have a new safety concern that has me freaked out...

Just saw on Teutonia's website that my seat was supposed to have strap covers. Mine never had them. I did not realize until now that it was supposed to have them. So as I'm talking to the fairly uninformed Teutonia rep I remembered my concerns about this seat originally.

Here is the link showing them clearly...
http://www.teutoniausa.com/tlinx/infantcarseat#background=0&fashion=vrd&mode=infantcarseat

If this was your seat, what would you do?

I bought it from Amazon, so I know they will take it back. I love this seat and would want another just like it, so I have no hidden agenda of getting a different seat or anything, but I'm concerned someone had their hands on this seat before me and given the missing parts I'm pretty nervous about it.

WWYD?

Kaitsmom · Oct 27, 2011

Did you try calling Amazon? How long ago did you buy it?

gigi · Oct 27, 2011

I bought it 6 months ago. I've been using it since June. I am less concerned about missing strap covers (because I've been fine without them) than I am about the fact someone had my seat, maybe took the strap covers off, and maybe installed the canopy wrong...what else did they do??? Lots of little things off. I wish I had returned it to begin with, but the seat looked fine. I just noticed yesterday about the strap covers.

I'm pretty sure Amazon would take it back even now, but I'm wondering if anyone else would be concerned about their child in this seat before I call them.

lawgirl5 · Oct 27, 2011

Send it back! Clearly, you are not comfortable with this seat. After that, it really doesn't matter what anyone here says. YOU are not comfortable. If its returnable, get a different one and be done with it. The stress really isn't worth it.

I'd send it back just based on the fact that I'm a perfectionist. If its brand new then it better arrive as such.

tanusscott22 · Oct 27, 2011

The seat sounds fine, but people always regret what they don't do, so if you are freaking out about the seat just return it, and have peace of mind. There is no point in thinking "what if" every time you put your little one in the seat. You've invested countless time, effort, love, and money to have a child, so easy your mind and protect your investment.

gigi · Oct 27, 2011

I'm not so much wanting to send it back as wanting to check if I should be wanting to send it back LOL. I'm always nervous about my kiddos but if there isn't a huge red flag here I'll just keep it. Honestly I don't like the idea of abusing Amazon's return policy unnecessaily, but if there is a safety concern I will.

Teutonia/Graco was unsure as to whether my seat was supposed to have the covers or not and unable to explain why the pictures did, so they weren't helpful at all sadly.

ketchupqueen · Oct 27, 2011

It would make me uncomfortable. The Teutonia seats do come with strap covers, at least all the ones I've ever seen have. The original post didn't, but missing part just screams "return, and what else did they do to it???" to me.

Kaitsmom · Oct 27, 2011

Id return it, and ask for a refund and get convertable that will last longer. There are too many unknowns for me to be comfortable.

TechnoGranola · Oct 27, 2011

gigi said:
Teutonia/Graco was unsure as to whether my seat was supposed to have the covers or not and unable to explain why the pictures did, so they weren't helpful at all sadly.

So they don't know if their seats actually come with strap covers or not?

Geez Graco has to get their information together and straight! (they've been giving me a lot of wrong answers lately as well)

gigi · Oct 27, 2011

TechnoGranola said:
So they don't know if their seats actually come with strap covers or not? Geez Graco has to get their information together and straight! (they've been giving me a lot of wrong answers lately as well)

Not only did they not know, but the rep looked around for the info and called me back 2 hours later still knowing nothing and being unable to help...YIKES!

Athena · Oct 27, 2011

lawgirl5 said:
Send it back! Clearly, you are not comfortable with this seat. After that, it really doesn't matter what anyone here says. YOU are not comfortable. If its returnable, get a different one and be done with it. The stress really isn't worth it.

I'd send it back just based on the fact that I'm a perfectionist. If its brand new then it better arrive as such.

:yeahthat:

gigi · Oct 27, 2011

Okay now i'm nervous. I'm trying to get amazon to take it back. If not, I am going to see if I can get a refund through AmEx.

I'm so annoyed about this whole situation. Never again will I mail order a seat. I'd rather pay full price and see what I'm buying. I had a bad feeling about mail ordering that has sooooooooo been confirmed.

I was so pregnant, vomiting, miserable, exhausted, and raising a 4 y.o. that I didn't have the energy to invest in dealing with this seat. Now I'm crazy mad at myself.

I have loved this seat, but between Graco and Amazon today i'm really hating to get another one. But it is really the only infant seat that meets my needs.

ketchupqueen · Oct 27, 2011

For the record, I've ordered almost all of the myriad of seats I've had online and never had a problem.

An Aurora · Oct 27, 2011

I would not try to return a seat I have been using for six months. If it was a big enough issue, you would have returned it as soon as you got it.

ketchupqueen · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
I would not try to return a seat I have been using for six months. If it was a big enough issue, you would have returned it as soon as you got it.

This isn't quite the situation, though. She's just now finding out that a seat sold as new came missing parts.

I'd probably take it up with Graco, not Amazon, though, as they are at fault for not knowing their own seats imo... If she'd known that soon after purchase I'm sure she'd have returned at once.

Graco has a crashed seat replacement program. In at least one case where someone got a My Ride sold as new that didn't seem to be, they replaced it under that program "just in case." If they're in a nice mood they might do the same.

Otherwise I'd probably sell the cover, destroy the shell, and buy a convertible.

Just received new seat from Amazon - are these safety concerns?

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