Waiting for a call back from Dorel.

Brigala · Nov 15, 2011

Any tips?

I decided to call and ask if they could exchange my Complete Air because the strap covers dig so badly into the sides of my daughter's neck. It occurred to me that last time we took her on a road trip (to Tillamook to do a seat check!!) she was unusually well-mannered for such a long trip... but we took a different car and she was in the Radian rather than the CA. So I think in addition to that nasty red mark that she gets in the CA, it's causing her a good deal of discomfort.

If it's not the strap covers doing it, then I'm going to have to presume that the car seat itself doesn't agree with my daughter and I'll either have to get rid of it or put it away for FF someday or something. But I would rather not do that. If it weren't for the recline issue and the strap covers, I would really like this seat. And it's the O2 pattern which I

. And it matches my infant seat... just in case we have another baby next year. And I really want to free up the RA55 for the pickup truck (if we can figure out how to make it work in there, still working on that one)... so honestly my preference would be to get a new CA and not give up on it.

For now, I've swapped out the CA with a RA55, but she'll outgrow the RA55 eventually.

What I really want is one of the new Complete Air seats with the new level-to-line stickers and no strap covers. Any tips about what I should say to the Dorel Product Technician when they call back to maximize my chance of getting what I want? Should I ask for a supervisor if I don't get anywhere with the tech? The person who answered the phone said her concern about sending out a new seat was that they might still have old inventory that still has the strap covers and she wasn't sure the new seat I got would have the new no-strap-cover design.

I would accept a refund, too, and then just watch for the new ones with the new level lines to hit the shelf. But somehow I think they'd rather exchange than refund.

Kac · Nov 15, 2011

I tried getting a refund when I heard how strict the "must be at the line" and my CA was 54-58 degrees at that angle. They offered an OnSide Air, which J outgrew RFing already and would not do anything else.

Point being- don't expect anything from them.

Brigala · Nov 15, 2011

Yeah, I'm not going to hold my breath. But that's part of why I waited so long... knowing that they weren't likely to replace my CA with a Pria or something, I figured I'd better wait until they had a car seat that actually solved my problems.

I have photos of the red mark on Aeryn's neck that I offered to email. I haven't heard back from them yet but I did tell them I'd be out this afternoon and that tomorrow would be better for a callback.

Come to think of it, I haven't checked my answering machine. So I can't say for sure they haven't called back. We'll see.

lovemybabies924 · Nov 15, 2011

Good luck but they will probably offer u a cheaper seat

Sent from my iPod touch, sorry for any auto-correct typos!

Brigala · Nov 15, 2011

I know. Maybe they'll offer me a non-LX version and let me keep my O2 cover. I could live with that.

cupcakepirate11 · Nov 15, 2011

do the harness slots get wider as the kid grows? maybe she will outgrow the issue? (i remember seeing this on another seat i think?)

Brigala · Nov 15, 2011

No, because it doesn't really have harness slots. The harness moves up and down with the head rest.

She grew into the problem (didn't have it too bad until recently) and I can only foresee it getting worse.

T4K · Nov 16, 2011

I don't understand how this is Dorel's fault. Kids fit seats differently. I would call and complain about their design...but a refund? Dorel never guaranteed the seat would fit your kid even within stated limits.

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

I know there will be differences of opinion on how much a customer should expect a company to stand behind its product. That's ok. I don't mind disagreeing with you.

T4K · Nov 16, 2011

I don't mind disagreeing either. But where is the line?

Say I buy a Recaro ProRide to ERF my child. My child fits beautiful when she is under a year old. Then she grows and the shoulder room is non existent. She is uncomfortable and can potentially be an orthopedic problem but she is well within weight and height limits. Does this warrant a refund?

LISmama810 · Nov 16, 2011

Dorel knows there was an issue with the harness covers. They cut into kids' necks and get sucked into the shell when tightening the harness. They were a huge PITA. I assume that's why they stopped making the seats with them.

I doubt they'll issue a refund, though. If they do, it would only be fair to give refunds to the thousands of other people with the seats. That's not something they're likely to do.

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

LISmama810 said:
Dorel knows there was an issue with the harness covers. They cut into kids' necks and get sucked into the shell when tightening the harness. They were a huge PITA. I assume that's why they stopped making the seats with them.

:yeahthatlove:

I don't really expect a refund. I actually would be happy with them replacing the seat with a new, cheaper, non-LX model with no harness straps and a dual-line sticker, as long as they let me keep the cover. I paid for the most expensive version of the Complete Air because I wanted that cover. I don't even care that much about the recline option.

And where do you draw the line? I don't know. I have no intention of asking Diono to replace the XTSL that the kid I babysit rides in, just because her shoulders got too tall for the head wings and I had to swap it out for an 80SL. I think that's silly. But I honestly believe both the 53° recline angle and the strap covers are design flaws and the seats should not have been produced or shipped in the first place with those flaws. The company obviously agrees that the seats needed changing (if only from a customer relations / sales standpoint) because, well, they changed them.

Ladyl · Nov 16, 2011

I've never actually seen these strap covers. Do youthink you could snap a picture before getting rid of the seat. Just to satisfy my curiosity.

Pretty please.

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

No problem. Give me a few minutes. It's sitting here in the living room. If I can find enough light on this dreary day to snap a decent picture... probably the kitchen will work.

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

Ladyl said:
I've never actually seen these strap covers. Do youthink you could snap a picture before getting rid of the seat. Just to satisfy my curiosity. Pretty please.

Here you go: Here's a full photo shoot that shows the issues:

http://gallery.me.com/iliz#100006

(Click on the little (i) information symbol on pictures 3-6 for some additional explanations about each picture)

And here's just one picture to satisfy the idle curiosity of simply "what do the strap covers look like?":

carseatcoach · Nov 16, 2011

Companies change and improve things all the time in response to customer feedback. I don't think that if I buy a Kindle then I'm entitled to a new one each time they work out a bug and release a new version.

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

Well, they're sending me a replacement and they want me to send my seat back to them for inspection. It won't have the new recline angle stickers on it, because they don't have those available yet and aren't sure when those will be out. But it won't have the strap covers on it, so I'm pretty happy.

You know, she asked me if I wanted the same seat or a different one, and I said the same. I should have asked for a Pria just to see what she said.

Baylor · Nov 16, 2011

Brigala said:
Well, they're sending me a replacement and they want me to send my seat back to them for inspection. It won't have the new recline angle stickers on it, because they don't have those available yet and aren't sure when those will be out. But it won't have the strap covers on it, so I'm pretty happy.

You know, she asked me if I wanted the same seat or a different one, and I said the same. I should have asked for a Pria just to see what she said.

Good cs.

auto-correct on the loose..

Brigala · Nov 16, 2011

Baylor said:
Good cs.

:yeahthatlove:

Ladyl · Nov 16, 2011

That's awesome customer service!

Thanks for the pictures!

Waiting for a call back from Dorel.

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