Safety 1st Rumi Air Harnessed Booster Car Seat

DO NOT BUY THIS SEAT!
Safety 1st Rumi Air Harnessed Booster Car Seat :thumbsdown:

$179

My wife bought this for out 3 yr old son - who has CP - and yes - he has accidents every now and again. The last week of MAY 2011 - my wife bought this seat and we used it in her car for 2 weeks - then moved it to mine for a vacation at Sarasota, FL on 12 JUNE 2011 - he had an accident in the seat and I started looking at how to disassemble it to clean the fabric seat covers. Well - the only one you can clean is the bottom one. You have to use the clips on the very bottom after removing the tray - you have to turn them and really pull them out - then you can remove the shoulder belts. Well - the only ones I saw were the two clips together and I pulled them through the top of the seat - which you ARE NOT to do. Anyway - I can't get the seat assembled correctly.

Now my wife bought this at Toys R US (Hassle Free returns????) - After calling Toys R US customer service - and talking with TJ - he said the store “might or might not” - accept the seat for A RETURN even though we are within our 90 Day return policy...and to top it off the the shoulder adjustment rail will not stay in place and falls back down after adjusting it up....it just falls down.

So - if you kid throws up or has an accident - make sure child understands that he/she has to do it in the bottom cushion - because the other cushions DO NOT come out - they are in there...this seat may have won some 2010 Award for safety -- it is NOT PRACTICAL for little kids and keeping the cushions clean...

I contacted the people who make RUMI Air Safety First in Columbus, IN - and they stated it takes 5-10 days for a replacement - but I'm returning this SEAT and getting a refund - then I'm contacting ADA and making sure they know that kids with special needs NOT TO BUY THIS SEAT.

So - it's 9:30 in Sarasota and I'm waiting for Toys R US to open and hopefully they will replace and I can get the seat (a clean one) back to Indiana to return to Columbus, Indiana!

We have had an issue before with Toys R US - and I refuse to buy anything from them - but my wife wanted to keep our son safe and even though I was skeptical about buying anything from TOYS R US - she did and now we are in a dilemma out of town on a vacation trip....with the possibility of going to Wal-Mart and buying a seat - and packing this one back to Columbus, IN -just so I can get my child back safely home. We had bought a stroller from Toys R US and purchased some type of buyers protection from them....I had to track down a and argue with their service personnel to actually mail them a hard copy of the receipts in order to get a refund - because they said they were only getting half of my fax when I faxed the paperwork in...HASSLE FREE - whatever...

Again - if your kids is perfectly clean and never has any spills, accidents, gets car sick - then buy the seat - but if not -- forget about cleaning it...

I Do not recommend this seat at all....and as far as Rumi Air Safety First - we are the first family to call in about issues with this seat - since it just came out on the market recently....

I am on the phone with Safety First (Columbus, IN) – on hold – waiting for a supervisor – to discuss this issue further – I’ve been waiting over 5 minutes as of now (15 JUN 2011) – I guess when you have a complaint they don’t want to talk with you.

Safety First – you mean Profit First – yes we want you to buy our products and get the money – but when you have an issue…forget it!
UPDATE: I went to the Toys R Us with the printed online e-mails and a copy of their Hassle Free Policy – and got the same seat – I let them keep the packaging and manuals. I called to Columbus, IN and was put on hold for 15 min’s – and I hung up. I’m not waiting that long – I’m sure if I wanted to buy a seat they would speak to me forever …I’m really disappointed by the response I got from Safety First Customer Service – when it comes to my child’s safety – I want a prompt reaction – not being put on hold…we will be buying a better seat where the entire cover comes off for washing in the future.

I read through the manual to make sure I was setting this chair up correctly in the car – My wife can attest – she saw me reading through it and making sure I had the straps laid out correctly and the seat did not move once installed…I had no idea that only the bottom cushion comes out…of course –we were the first family to have issues. The same seat we picked up at Toys R Us in Sarasota – the shoulder adjusting part – works correctly – apparently these seats are not tested for function before leaving the factory – if it had – it should have never made to the public for purchase…something else that is concerning!!!

We will be returning this seat to Safety 1st once returning home and buying another brand!

Joe White
Madison, IN

Im sorry you are having such a rough time with the seat your wife bought. I have not heard very good things about this seat. It has low harness slots and I believe it requires a crazy recline. I saw it at our toys r us and thought it was very strange looking.
I hope you can figure something out soon. I know it is not fun when a product doesnt work for you and the companies are being difficult.

We have the Graco MyRide and the cover is simple to remove, simple to put on. Its basically just one big piece you remove and then just slip back on. And with any brand you can contact the company and buy extra covers while the other is in the wash, that is cheaper than purchasing another seat for accidents But thats just my opinion There are special needs techs on this bored and maybe in your area that can point you into the direction of a seat that will fit your families needs. And Im sure if there is not one in your area you can find one here that will be willing to talk with you and walk you through which seats would be easier.

Good luck and hang in there

I'm sorry you're having issues as well, but I do feel like you're over reacting a little bit. Personally, if your child has an accident in a seat whether it's within the 90 day return period or not that shouldn't mean that you should be able to get a new seat. I don't really feel that's fair. Toys r us now has to trash that seat and give you a new one because you weren't sure how to take the cover off? Maybe I'm misunderstanding and I'm not trying to seem rude but that seems very over the top to me.

There are a bunch of techs that have played with this seat and as previous poster stated, it's not very welcomed due to it's specs and ridiculous recline. A lot of people felt uncomfortable enough with the recline to not purchase the seat let alone the lower top slots and sheer impracticality of the seat. This is one of those seats where the thought was there but the execution was not.

I'm sorry you're having a rough time, but I don't really see how this is toy r us or safety first's problem.

As far as customer service, safety first's lines are probably packed with questions from an issue on another seat of theirs causing wait times to be terrible.

I'm sorry about your experience w/the seat. We tried it out at TRU the other day, and I did not like it.

They carry the Evenflo Maestro at most Toys R Us, and my kids and I all like it better. Evenflo covers are usually easy to take off, the top slots are taller than the Rumi's, and it's only $80-90.

GL! Hope your vacay improves ASAP!

henrietta

I'm sorry to hear you are having troubles.

First, you need to breathe. Second, I'm with others in that you cannot & should not expect replacement or refund based on the issues w/ the cover because your DS had an accident in the seat. BUT, you did say that the shoulder adjuster rail is slipping & won't stay in place, correct? THAT warrants replacement or refund. If you calmly go back to TRU or BRU w/ the seat & receipt & explain/demonstrate that that part of the seat is not functioning correctly I don't see how they can argue giving you a store credit towards the purchase of a different seat.

Okay - I did return the seat to Toys R US - they gave us a new seat - that we could use to get back home...and yes they trashed the other seat. Per the seat itself...it DOES NOT come apart at all. There is the bottom cushion that is removable - but nothing else...not the back or head rest...

Yes - I went out and bought another Graco - it has an adjustable tilt if needed - it is fully removable and the ALL the cushions can be taken off - washed - and put back on.

The Rumi Air Harnessed Booster Car Seat is built for astronauts - not a child.

On Returning home -the Company that directs this particular car seat is out of Columbus Indiana - about 50 minutes from me -- I had to cut the straps and and buckles and send those back with a letter that they sent my wife...the rest of the seat went into the trash. I got a FULL refund plus tax...

That seat is difficult to maneuver - hook up - and if need be exchange between vehicles...the curve back does not help it sit at an angle in a rear seat of our SUV's (2011 Honda Pilot, 2004 Chev Trl Blazer, and 2001 Isuzu Rodeo) - why anyone would have given this thing an award - might not be looking at the other things that are just as important to a parent other than side impact pads...the main vehicle that this "would have been in" - the Honda Pilot - has full length side airbags anyway....Graco all around...don't even mess with this seat (Rumi Air)....not worth it -and overly expensive. :thumbsdown:

I don't know if you're still looking for a seat, but the True Fit has a really easy cover to remove and you don't even have to rethread the harness. You just unhook the whole thing off the seat, throw it in the wash and put it back on so it's a little bit easier than having to take apart the whole harness. It's got a really tall shell and is very cozy, so your son should be able to use it for a long time. People really love these seats and they're generally considered to be very well made.

Another poster (I think Wendy) suggested using a cloth diaper at the bottom of the seat for kids who sometimes have accidents. This way there's a "first line of defense."

My niece has Dandy Walker Malformation. The physical manifestation of it is similar to CP, She uses the Graco Myride. The myride is very reclined forward facing. As for the cover all you have to do is take the harness out and the cover is held on with mostly elastic. Near the foot of the seat are little I dunno almost tack like things. But it takes my sister mere minutes to get the cover off when Issabella has had an accident. The seat sits up somewhat high on the base though if he is heavier that might be an issue.