How many of us have own/do own or have encountered a short strapped Radian?

Darn... they're in stock here too and I know for a fact they were completely sold out a month ago... which means it's all new stock. I should go take a look tomorrow. Must not buy. Must not buy.

Jewels said:

The Radian was NEVER advertised as the Radian48. The box my Radian came in says it is a Radian65. Why would they make a seat for sale in the US and then put shorter straps on it for CDN resale That just doesn't make sense. Plus my DEC06 DOM Radian has really long straps.

*I might just go pull it out of the vehicle and measure them so we can compare.

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I pulled my seat out and measured the strap at 35" from the top end to where it comes out at the very base of the seat.

Here is a picture of my DEC06 Radian came in:


Zoomed in showing a 48lb limit on the front of the seat but the description as a Radian65. Also not once is it referred to as the Radian48

canadianmom2three said:

REally, There is no way they should be getting away with that...as if all the rest of it isn't enough if you don't meet the requirements sorry, you don't even get your seat back:thumbsdown:

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I think it's them being cheap & not wanting to pay cost of shipping back to you.

The whole thing is just wrong. Plain and simple. I think they underestimated the reaction they were going to get when they figured this new policy would solve all their problems... Wonder what they'll think once TC has a better look at what's going on and starts checking into it?

snowbird25ca said:

... Wonder what they'll think once TC has a better look at what's going on and starts checking into it?

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Or the Better Business Bureau

From the sounds of things with this new returns issue...I need to take a trip to TJs next week to see if they're selling all of these short strapped Radians, used, in their store.

Look at these posts with e-mails from SK in January:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=71178. Here they confirm that the Canadian Radian is exactly the same as the US Radian 65. They note 65 lb kids should have no problem using the seat and seem concerned that the straps are not fitting. Now they are saying that the so-called "Radian 48" was meant to have shorter straps?!?

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=71843. They also admit that the seats were made with straps shorter than specified (i.e. not on purpose).

I just got DS's second Radian (not short straped), but am a bit worried about the dishonesty of this company. If they ever knew a safety-related defect existed would they try to keep that hidden or lie about it too? I understand trying to make sure complaints are really legit before replacing a seat or refunding someones money, but to lie and tell them it's not really a defect is just plain wrong!:twocents:

shauburg said:

I just got DS's second Radian (not short straped), but am a bit worried about the dishonesty of this company. If they ever knew a safety-related defect existed would they try to keep that hidden or lie about it too? I understand trying to make sure complaints are really legit before replacing a seat or refunding someones money, but to lie and tell them it's not really a defect is just plain wrong!:twocents:

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I've been having this debate in my head too, but in the end I still trust the carseat at the moment. My reason being that the safestop recall seemed to be handled well - the company was cooperative about it and immediately dealt with the concern when TC found the issue. And I also think that TC would find anything major when doing compliance testing. The other thing that adds into the equation, is that SK is the company that markets the Radian and has their name on it, but it was an independent engineer who designed it... They also release their crash test results so we know that the seat performs well and how it compares to standards.

I don't know, I just wish this whole thing hadn't developed. Inconsistencies bother me & I hate the whole wondering and questioning process... then again, look at the issues dorel and evenflo have had. Dorel certainly leaves a much worse taste in my mouth, but I know most of their seats aren't automatically unsafe despite the issues the company has had with avoiding issuing recalls.

QuassEE said:

From the sounds of things with this new returns issue...I need to take a trip to TJs next week to see if they're selling all of these short strapped Radians, used, in their store.

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The policy just changed a couple days ago, so maybe give it a few weeks to see what happens? I imagine it's going to take some time before parents actually collect the info (if they can,) and send the seats in for replacement... Then there's the time in transit.

It'll be very interesting to see though...

I'm leaving for FL today and am taking the seat with me. I'm hoping by the time I am ready to send it in that they will own up to their mistake and i won't have to pay the shipping back to them. If I have to then so be it but I certainly won't be recommending their products to anyone as I have been because the customer service is so bad.

WOW! Did I start a new flurry of talking! God, I love that you all care so much.

I think I would totally still recommend the Radian. The safe-stop was dealt with correctly. The safety record is still great on US data. And it's one of the only seats that goes to the weights and heights it does (especially for the price it does, and the seat width it does). I'm glad I don't have to budget for a Britax, that I can get it at CT, and that my 100%tile children will fit in a seat that I know is strong and safe (and fits three in a row in my Jetta, so I can even tote a friend's kid!).

I don't think this is a safety issue per se... and I understand that not all kids fit in all seats... but my child not fitting any of a model of a seat is completely different then two supposedly (from the box description) identical seats of that model, one that my kid fits in, and one that it doesn't, which is the case with the short-strap RN.

I think someone has made an error in communication. I have a feeling much of it might be in the Canadian Distributor's hands. Notice that Russ has said certain things... but MY documents were from Brad (and the Canadian importer). I think that things MAY have been handled ok by the US company (people were getting replacement seats), but that the importer has really bungling things, and is bungling them further with bad Customer Service. Even to the point of hiding behind one ad that came out in a CT flyer when Radian's were new (that's the Radian65 thing.. they advertised for a couple days that it was to 65#'s, and then had to make a "flyer correction"). But I think that's mostly smokescreen by the Cdn importer to cover their @$$ some how. It's not working though, cause we all have more information than that (pity the poor parent who doesn't have you guys!)

I do think this mess that the Cdn importer has gotten into needs to be brought to someone's attention. The change of story in the middle from the company to the importer is the scariest part for me. It means that things are not being fed back up the chain, and both the importer and the company are kind of hiding behind each other.

But I don't want to get the Radian in to the news as a bad seat, I just want the company to replace an error, rather than dance around it.

Jewels: My boxes (both the short strap and the long) were the exact same as yours. It says just plain Radian on the front and Radian65 on the side. They all did. There's no such thing as a Radian48 in any advertising. But I'm going to call it mine the Radian48 to keep pointing out the confusion that's been caused by all this! I'm hoping to use their words against them if I can!

My current straps are now the same as yours. I never measured the short ones with a tape, but they were at least 6 inches less (by the amount of dangle left at the seat front adjuster)... which fits with the 7" that's been reported by others).

Hipmaman: I'm in Waterloo, Ontario. We seem to have ok stock in Waterloo West, Kitchener Stores, and I think Cambridge. I just bought the last one at Waterloo East, and it seems to be all new stock cause the display that was left is even a new one.

Thanks all!

And one other thought: Returning the seat to CT works... but CT doesn't send the seat back to SK. They simply dump it as far as I know. So when returns to CT work, SK never hears about the "defective" seat that was exchanged.

I think that even though my problem was "corrected" by CT, I'm still going to send a letter to CT, SK, and anyone else I can think of (TC, the news, my local MP... any other thoughts ladies?), stating what occurred. Maybe send them the empty box from my old one with letters inside.

Word of warning about Canadian Tire In Stock numbers - many stores around me show stock (online), but when we called to check, there was no stock. We were concerned that they were still selling old Radians after reading this thread, so we did a little research a few days ago. One store has a bunch in stock, but she didn't know what the DOMs are, and we aren't about to go and check as it's a good driving distance away. We really feel badly that some people may get a short strapped car seat, and that is really sad to us, but we just don't have the time to drive out there to check.

This whole situation is making my head hurt, and now that they lying about the intentional design of the seat (not what Russ' email said to me - and I still have that email, by the way), I have no doubt that I got a banged around seat that was just sitting around the warehouse. These people know nothing about running a business and really need to close as I fear some precious children are going to end up in used seats. My hubby and I have no faith in Sunshine, nor the Canadian Distributor as they have proven with their new lying words, that there is no integrity in this company whatsoever.

Tiger

mommamea said:

I think someone has made an error in communication. I have a feeling much of it might be in the Canadian Distributor's hands. Notice that Russ has said certain things... but MY documents were from Brad (and the Canadian importer). I think that things MAY have been handled ok by the US company (people were getting replacement seats), but that the importer has really bungling things, and is bungling them further with bad Customer Service. Even to the point of hiding behind one ad that came out in a CT flyer when Radian's were new (that's the Radian65 thing.. they advertised for a couple days that it was to 65#'s, and then had to make a "flyer correction"). But I think that's mostly smokescreen by the Cdn importer to cover their @$$ some how. It's not working though, cause we all have more information than that (pity the poor parent who doesn't have you guys!)

I do think this mess that the Cdn importer has gotten into needs to be brought to someone's attention. The change of story in the middle from the company to the importer is the scariest part for me. It means that things are not being fed back up the chain, and both the importer and the company are kind of hiding behind each other.

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My communications have been with Russ cc.'d Brad. So Russ is in the thick of things too.

Hipmaman: I'm in Waterloo, Ontario. We seem to have ok stock in Waterloo West, Kitchener Stores, and I think Cambridge. I just bought the last one at Waterloo East, and it seems to be all new stock cause the display that was left is even a new one.

Thanks all!

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Thanks.

mommamea said:

And one other thought: Returning the seat to CT works... but CT doesn't send the seat back to SK. They simply dump it as far as I know. So when returns to CT work, SK never hears about the "defective" seat that was exchanged.

I think that even though my problem was "corrected" by CT, I'm still going to send a letter to CT, SK, and anyone else I can think of (TC, the news, my local MP... any other thoughts ladies?), stating what occurred. Maybe send them the empty box from my old one with letters inside.

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I would print out the letter SK/PJM sent with the strap lot ID and bring it to Canadian Tire when returning the seat. Get CT aware of the issue instead of reselling to others because CT does not know. My 2 cents...

tiger926 said:

These people know nothing about running a business and really need to close as I fear some precious children are going to end up in used seats.
Tiger

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I don't agree with this. At this point we have absolutely *no* proof that they have resold a used seat... it is all speculation due to the ridiculous rules in place to return a seat.

They may want it in unused condition to prove that you honestly bought a short strapped seat without knowing and want to know that you haven't been using it all this time, and now want another one... never mind that not everyone finds out about the problem until they get to the top slot and it no longer fits.

For some people this is absolutely the only option to keep their child legally harnessed in a legal seat. Aiden is 36lbs and 45" tall... this is the only seat on the Canadian market that he still fits in and he must legally be harnessed in our province until he reaches 40lbs OR 6 years of age. I would have *NO* choice if this seat were not on the market and I think the seat itself is an excellent choice.

I have been given nothing but stellar customer service, however the last time I needed anything from SKJP was back in July. I have no idea where all these problems are cropping up lately.

I have to agree with Jen, I have also received nothing but the best from Russ (although the Canadian CS rep is a whole other story!!!) I have been a bit of a PITA too, with my constant questions, and requests and he has been very patient and thorough. As I said, the CS rep for Canada seems to be a dolt based on my experience - so maybe that is where the majority of the problem is arising. He was not only very rude to me on the phone, but gave me incorrect information, and just plain s@cked when it came down to being any help at all. It's too bad that many many more people are experiencing the 'unhelpful' side of SK:thumbsdown:

I really would not take the box info into consideration for the weight limit. They just throw the seat in a box and away they go.
I took a look at the one box I have left and it states clearly 48 lbs and still has the shipping label from UPS on it so it must be the box that my replacement seat came in direct from TJ'S

It is what is on the side of the seat and in the manual that counts anyway.

My one Radian that I bought in May from a baby boutique is very clearly only goes to 48 lbs but the beautiful blue cover that came on it is marked Radian65. But it is most definitely a 48 lb one.

mommamea said:

Jewels: My boxes (both the short strap and the long) were the exact same as yours. It says just plain Radian on the front and Radian65 on the side. They all did. There's no such thing as a Radian48 in any advertising. But I'm going to call it mine the Radian48 to keep pointing out the confusion that's been caused by all this! I'm hoping to use their words against them if I can!


Thanks all!

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BudgieStew said:

I really would not take the box info into consideration for the weight limit. They just throw the seat in a box and away they go.

It is what is on the side of the seat and in the manual that counts.

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Of course it is what is on the label that counts and that is what you go by. The pictures of the box is just saying it is the same seat as the US Radian65 (only going to 48lbs though not 65lbs) since the Canadian company is going back on what they said saying that it is the Radian48 and so they had tested it with a 48lb dummy. They are also saying that ALL 48lb Radians have shorter straps and that when Canada increased their weight limit that is when they started to put longer straps on the 65lb limit Radians; which we know is not true. In Canada it was never called the Radian48 just the Radian.

Jewels said:

Of course it is what is on the label that counts and that is what you go by. The pictures of the box is just saying it is the same seat as the US Radian65 (only going to 48lbs though not 65lbs) since the Canadian company is going back on what they said saying that it is the Radian48 and so they had tested it with a 48lb dummy. They are also saying that ALL 48lb Radians have shorter straps and that when Canada increased their weight limit that is when they started to put longer straps on the 65lb limit Radians; which we know is not true. In Canada it was never called the Radian48 just the Radian.

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Sorry I am just skimming the posts I thought people were claiming the boxes were saying 65 lbs.


Anyway I know that line from SKJP is a load of crap.

I owned the short strap model and currently own three older Radian48's and I assure you the straps are all longer then the short strapped one.
Russ confirmed that it was an error in the e-mail we exchanged way back in June.

Honestly I adore our Radian's and have recommended it to many people..at least three of which have bought the seat in the past week(before the CT sale).
I would hate o for them to think that the seat is crappy just because there seems to be some back paddling going on.

aidensmom02 said:

I don't agree with this. At this point we have absolutely *no* proof that they have resold a used seat... it is all speculation due to the ridiculous rules in place to return a seat.

They may want it in unused condition to prove that you honestly bought a short strapped seat without knowing and want to know that you haven't been using it all this time, and now want another one... never mind that not everyone finds out about the problem until they get to the top slot and it no longer fits.

For some people this is absolutely the only option to keep their child legally harnessed in a legal seat. Aiden is 36lbs and 45" tall... this is the only seat on the Canadian market that he still fits in and he must legally be harnessed in our province until he reaches 40lbs OR 6 years of age. I would have *NO* choice if this seat were not on the market and I think the seat itself is an excellent choice.

I have been given nothing but stellar customer service, however the last time I needed anything from SKJP was back in July. I have no idea where all these problems are cropping up lately.

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Doesn't the email say that the returned seats have to be in saleable condition? Why would they have to be if they are not planning on re-using them?

My take on the whole thing is that the Canadian Distributor is awful, based on my experience, and this new paying for shipping nonsense. Russ, although helpful to me at first, didn't do anything once I said we were very worried about the seat that they sent. I honestly think that all of the people on here continually emailing him about all kinds of little things (the Internet can be problematic at times), really just make the poor guy overrun with emails, and that was that. Not trying to blame anyone, but continually emailing for new buckles or to ask when a certain colour of car seat cover will be available is not necessary, but me getting the proper car seat that I paid over $200.00 for certainly is. I had no choice but to involve Russ as the Canadian distributor was problematic.

I never said that these seats are crappy at all, in fact we love our Radian (although the straps are hard to adjust at times, and the crotch area is too snug) - if it weren't for this seat, our very long torsoed daughter would be in a booster and that just isn't an option for us. As I stated though, I don't love the company - whether it's the Canadian or U.S. office, backpeddling is a big problem, as I have an email in which Russ admits that the seats were defective (defective as in they have the wrong size straps on them for this product). Due to bad business practices (didn't require signatures for replacement seats, etc.), customers are now having to pay for the company's mistakes, and that is not knowing how to run a business. Based on the inconsistencies, disorganization and banged up seat I got, and reading other people's emails that they've seen used seats at TJ's, I have no doubt that someone is going to end up with a used seat - whether it's intentional or not.

Tiger