Any truth to this?

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LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
We've discussed this a few times before. Here are my thoughts, from a prior thread, which I think I still agree with:

Well, her assertions about US standards are misleading and simplistic. No, US seats might not meet foreign standards, but seats from other countries don't necessarily meet ours either. That doesn't mean they're worse, just different.

I agree our standards could be improved, but not because of her argument that we drive faster than 30 mph. That proves that she doesn't quite get it.

She also implies that it's Dorel seats that barely meet the standards, when really she has no idea.

As for her Dorel-specific arguments, she has some valid and some invalid points.

The 10-year-old recall? On it's face it looks atrocious, but there's more to it. If you read Dorel's response to NHTSA, the company had a lot of valid points. Yes, the straps degraded, but I'm not convinced they were a safety hazard. It was NHTSA--not Dorel--who dragged its feet on that issue.

The statement about rear-facing being inconvenient is concerning, but in all fairness, that was issued from their European division in response to a study in England, where they only rear-face until about 9 months. That doesn't excuse it, but it's also unfair to overlook Dorel's contributions in the US. They had 35-lb RFing seats when most companies still went to 33 max. They also came out with one of the first 40-lb seats on the market.

As for them coming out with more seats while other companies take a long time, Dorel is the only manufacturer to have an on-site testing facility. I imagine that allows them to speed up their process.

Also, the number of recalls doesn't concern me at all. I don't see recalls as a negative thing. I'd rather know about a defect than not know about a defect. Just because a company hasn't had a recall doesn't mean there isn't something wrong.

That's not to say I don't have issues with Dorel. I actually have quite a few of them.

They do have some unsafe (IMO) products that should be recalled and haven't been. (Namely the Scenera with the harness-slicing spikes.)

I have an issue with their marketing, particularly of the AOE (and especially the older version) as "the only seat you'll ever need" and the 100-lb weight limit that many people assume is for the harness. The fact that that seat is allowed as a booster at all is an atrocity.

I have a big problem with their insistence that their RF convertibles be used at 45 degrees. Not from a practical standpoint, per se, but I truly believe that is more dangerous for an older kid than using it more upright.

I'm personally having issues with them right now because some people were reporting that customer service told them they could remove the harness covers from their Complete Airs. I was a bit incredulous about that, so I called and was told the same thing. Rather emphatically, in fact.

Then Dorel held a technical update and said there were structural changes to the seat and if the seat came with those covers, they must not be removed.

Now they're refusing to give me a refund on my destroyed seat because they don't authorize removal of the covers. And their rep is telling me there were no structural changes.

So, bottom line: I, personally, will not buy Dorel products (anymore :rolleyes:) I also won't hesitate to recommend them to other people when appropriate. I feel the company is shady, but I don't feel their products are inherently unsafe. Just like I won't buy a Nestlee Crunch Bar: I don't feel the candy will kill me, but I won't support the company.
 

Kecia

Admin - CPST Instructor
I came across this blog post yesterday about Dorel and their shady business practices. Is there any truth to it?
http://dailymomtra.com/2011/03/07/dorel-the-car-seat-company-that-doesnt-care-about-safety/

Eh...

10-12 years ago I would have agreed with a lot of the points she makes in that article but it's such old news and so much has changed for the better in the last 10 years that it's just irrelevant. And for the record, it wasn't just Dorel - there were other manufacturers too who deserve to be shamed for some of their former business practices. But the world of CPS has changed so much (and all for the better), that I just can't get worked up about the old bad stuff anymore.

Now, if I had a child that was killed or injured in a seat that was used correctly but was designed or made poorly (and the manufacturer knew about the problems but ignored them), then I would obviously never get over that. But for those of us with older kids who survived the age of crappy carseats, I think holding a grudge against Dorel or any other CR manufacturer because of stuff they did or didn't do over 10 years ago is just silly.

But I bet her blog will be "popular" and get lots of traffic because people love to hate - regardless of whether it's justified or not. :rolleyes:

For anyone interested in the Dorel of this day and age:

http://carseatblog.com/16395/the-do...r-child-safety-cps-heaven-in-indiana-part-ii/

http://carseatblog.com/15933/the-dorel-technical-center-for-child-safety-cps-heaven-in-indiana/
 

nannykates

New member
I think dorel has done some not awesome stuff (even now, hello aoe booster). I also think they have some great products out there. I think the same about Britax right now (the short convertibles make me crazy). We live in a carseat world where the best choice is rarely to stick with one brand. Car seats aren't ziplocks, where if the smallest size worked great for you the same results can be expected of the next size of the same brand. All the major brands have stuff that's worth the money and stuff that's not, and that's why we are here- to help families cut through the bs.
 

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