No wonder people misuse seats

I went to our only local baby specialty store- it's a mom and pop type deal. Anyway, I wanted to see the Mosaic BV that they told me over the phone was instock. I love the pattern- really pretty blue and brown combo. ANyway, the owner of the store came up to me and asked if she could help. I told her I wanted to check the DOM on the BV. She said, "Why?" and I told her that I wanted to see how old it was, since the lifespan is 6 years. She said, "It doesn't matter, I checked with Britax and they said that the 6year expiration doesn't matter if the seat is kept indoors and out of direct sun". I said that I was very surprised to hear that; that I've had 9 Britax seats and all of the manuals I've read say expressly not to use a Britax seat after 6 years or a severe collison, in accordance to what NHTSA mandates. She said that she called Britax just last week to check that exact thing and she was told it doesn't matter, again, as long as the seat was stored indoors or in a vehicle. I basically told her I didn't believe her. THe DOM on the BV was 01/05 and she wanted $299.99 plus tax for it. She then tried to sell it to me for $219 plus tax, floor model with no box. I said no thanks. I do know that they don't usually let customers try seats in vehicles to check the fit before buying, but I just can't rationalize buying a floor model, esp. on that's almost 3 years old! And this store is an authorized Britax dealer, I checked on the Britax website. The really crappy thing is that she is going to tell the next person who walks in the door the same thing and they're going to think they can use the seat forever, as long as they don't store it outside on their porch.

Grrr - that is angering.

Maybe you should drop a hint in Britax's ear about them. They are giving customers advice which is against Britax's policy, I wouldn't hesitate to at least attempt to notify them.

Yikes! We just had a lady on my birth board tell us that she went to a specialty store like that and overheard the sales lady telling a new parent that the wings on the BV are detachable and only need to be used with an infant. Thankfully she stepped in and set them straight that they are not detachable but goodness you would think they would know the seat they are selling at least a little.

I'm going to give Britax a call on Monday and just let them know what my experience was. The big issue I have is that this is (besides BRU and Baby Depot) the only place in town that has GOOD baby gear. New parents-to-be make up a huge percent of their customer base, and I hate to think of what other advice she's giving out that is directly against manuf. guidelines. She obviously was just trying to get me to buy the seat, telling me whatever I would want to hear to make the sale. It's dishonest, but it could be really dangerous, too. What if she told someone they could FF the Companion, for instance