Email to Russ at SKJP about the buckle tongues

Splash

New member
I emailed Russ about these, mostly about his stand that I had to pay extra to make the seat work as it should. These things are not safe...

How do you think it sounds?

Russ,

The Radians have arrived, and I have tried without success to install one in the center of my vehicle. Alas, it cannot be done. So my choice is to use it on the side, or not use it at all. I choose the latter. We will likely still get one as a back up seat, but given the installation issues, it will not be the main seat.

However, I am deeply shocked and saddened that a company that issues a retail price of over $250 for a made in china car seat then requires consumers to purchase additional pieces to make the seat work in a manner than it should. The crotch strap appears to be fine, but the buckle tongues... really. Major design flaw in that instance, unfortuantely. Not only are they extremely inconvenient, but also likely highly dangerous. I say this because I, with a wealth of CPS knowledge and a highly conscientious and safety minded parent, nearly made what could be a fatal error. I tightened the straps as tightly as possible across my son's chest and shoulders, and then looked over everything. It all appeared fine. It wasn't until I got in the front seat to drive away that I looked back and noticed 3+ inches of slack in the harness around his hips. I went back to tighten it, and had to pull HARD, very hard, to pull the webbing through the defective buckle tongues in order to remove the slack from the harness. Had I not noticed, and been in an accident, it is very likely that my child would have been more seriously injured based solely on the fact that he would have been inadvertently improperly restrained. I find this oversight inexcuseable in a safety device. It is not a convenience feature by any means, it is a design flaw that is very likely placing many children in danger without their parents knowing. Many people (almost everyone I know who owns a radian, in fact, which is about 30+ people) has had major complaints about the buckle tongues, and most had them replaced when SKJP was owning up to the problem and replacing a defective product at no charge. Everyone hated them, and many have fraying straps because of them. On a harness that cannot be replaced, this is even more disturbing.

I am not sure at this point what my entire thought is on the Radian. I am disturbed that many people get different answers on so many things, but I am mostly very upset by these clearly defective buckle tongues and a company that wants to charge consumers additional money to make the seat even useable. I am sure there is substantial mark up on the Radian car seats, as there are on most car seats. However, most are "ready to use" out of the box, *or* are promptly fixed by the manufacturer at no cost (I am well familiar with Britax customer service... a company that charges top shelf prices for their products but replaces anything and everything if it needs replacing).

I mean this email to be constructive criticism from a well informed and highly CPS knowledgeable consumer. SKJP is generally disregarded in the CPS world, owing solely to the plethora of after market devices (all unnecessary and many unsafe), most discord having to do with the Mighty-Tite. There was a great deal of buzz when the Radian premiered (and when it was first mentioned, back when it was known as the Profile). I have many friends who got in on the ninety dollar CPST special. Most people I know are pleased with their Radian, but 95% of them have replaced the buckle tongues because it is clearly a major issue.

Please take this chance to truly listen to this consumer feedback. If the design of the seat will not be changed (which I believe it absolutely should be), and a recall will not be issued (another thing I think might be worth thinking about), at least consider replacing these items at no cost for the people that want them replaced. Yes, it will cut into the bottom line by a small amount, but on an item where the profit margin is quite high and the fix is extremely simple and inexpensive, it will go a long way in customer satisfaction and raising the opinion of SKJP in the CPS community which gives so much attention to this seat.
 
ADS

Morganthe

New member
Excellent letter :thumbsup:

The only suggestion I would make would be to create more 'white space' for easier reading, especially with the second paragraph. Creating 2-3 paragraphs out of that long section would definitely help with the overall readability.
Gotta help him focus as much as we can, right? ;)
 

ignora

Senior Community Member
You go witch yer bad self! :)

(I used to know someone from Boston who always said that... in her Boston accent. It was really funny, but maybe you had to be there...)
 

Splash

New member
It just made me SO MAD that I left so much slack in the harness. And you KNOW that I check and double check everything. If *I* screwed it up, I imagine a lot of people are. These seats are for our friend Lori (temporarily housed here until she gets her new car) and there is no way I can send them out into the world with these tongues on them. They're plain unsafe. Once they're roughly in the "right" place it's probably fine, but if not, there is no way to know. And I had to pull HARD on the chest portion of the harness to get them to come through. WAY harder that could be done pulling the adjuster strap.
 

solmama

Active member
I, too, had the same issue with our Radian before I replaced the buckle tongues. I just had to be vigilant. SKJP did replace them for free, but I know that they no longer do so. :thumbsdown: Yay for you and your letter! Well said:thumbsup: !
 

dd9736

New member
interesting, i wasn't quite sure what the issue is with the buckle tounges was, i've never had that happen (i fish them out from under ds on a regular basis) the chest clip however is a real pain to raise, the spaces on that are a tad to small, as even though i never lower it, I have a heck of a time raising it as he grows.
 

Laurenc0101

New member
Sorry to bump the old thread, but did you get a response? Are they still charging for the longer crotch strap and the tongues?
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
I wrote an email to Russ as well a few weeks ago, detailing my frustration with the fact that I spent $260 on a seat that I then had to go buy parts for in order to feel safe with my kid in it. I got back the same canned response I had gotten previously when asking about the harness that is so hard to tighten. He also promised he'd send out new "tongs" but I have yet to see those, and it's been 2 months.
 

Splash

New member
I got them yesterday, but haven't opened them. He did send them at no cost and said he would love to talk to me by phone and get my opinion on the seat and other issues. Hmmm...

But, he defended the way it was, touting how convenient it is for nothing to fit right, and sent them to me as a courtesy... probably to shut me up.
 

katiesmommy

Active member
Are you going to let that "courtesy" shut you up? And convenient for whom? Most likely for themselves I'm assuming.
 

murphysmommy

New member
I'm sorry to be jumping in here but I'm confused...and quite concerned. What exactly is the problem with the buckle tongues? What should I be looking for? I'm not a CPST so, at times, I don't know if I'm staring at a problem or not.

We have a Radian (DOM 1/07) and the harness is always a PITA. It does seem to always leave a lot of slack in the leg / lap area, even if I can manage to get the chest very tight (which is a problem in and of itself as it feels like the strap is 'stuck' underneath the seat and won't give). I really want to use this seat as our primary seat as this Spring we want to move it to the center (which I'm not looking forward to installing because I don't know that I can do it with the seatbelt -- and one of those strange, 3-different buckle point seatbelts) with an infant seat outboard (so we still have access to our third row).

Anyway, before I get off-topic, please let me know if there is a way to ensure that my harness is safe or what it is I need to ask SKJP to do. I'm seriously starting to hate this seat --easy to fold up and take or not. Should I just bag it (because I'm an amateur who can't keep up with all these problems?!?!)? If so, what other seat (besides the Regent) is any good? We have the Regent in our second car...maybe we should just switch the two and forget about easy access to our third row. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!
 

SusanMae

Senior Community Member
Ya know....this sounds like a big issue...and if people as vigalent about this as "us" are having probs....I think it should be reported to NHTSA.

It's possible that they could force the recall and make them send out new tongues to all registered owners.

Susan
 

safeinthecar

Moderator - CPS Technician
I'm sorry to be jumping in here but I'm confused...and quite concerned. What exactly is the problem with the buckle tongues? What should I be looking for? I'm not a CPST so, at times, I don't know if I'm staring at a problem or not.

We have a Radian (DOM 1/07) and the harness is always a PITA. It does seem to always leave a lot of slack in the leg / lap area, even if I can manage to get the chest very tight (which is a problem in and of itself as it feels like the strap is 'stuck' underneath the seat and won't give). I really want to use this seat as our primary seat as this Spring we want to move it to the center (which I'm not looking forward to installing because I don't know that I can do it with the seatbelt -- and one of those strange, 3-different buckle point seatbelts) with an infant seat outboard (so we still have access to our third row).

Anyway, before I get off-topic, please let me know if there is a way to ensure that my harness is safe or what it is I need to ask SKJP to do. I'm seriously starting to hate this seat --easy to fold up and take or not. Should I just bag it (because I'm an amateur who can't keep up with all these problems?!?!)? If so, what other seat (besides the Regent) is any good? We have the Regent in our second car...maybe we should just switch the two and forget about easy access to our third row. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

The problem with the tongues is that the slot for the harness to go through is narrower than the harness, causing the harness to get stuck, twist, and leave slack.

I got mine replaced for free, although they didn't use the correct postage amount, before I involved myself in the great broken Radian issue and totally p!ssed Russ off. Now I can't even seem to get them to send me a longer crotch strap if I'm willing to pay for it. I'm bet they have all my info on a huge neon sign in the office somewhere with lots of darts sticking out of it.
 

tjham

New member
I got the buckle tongues free, just before they started charging but had to pay for the longer crotch straps, which they gave to some people free. :confused: It just seems to be the luck of the draw as to who you talk to! :rolleyes:
 

vamom

New member
Well I called in june with issues about the seat and they volunteered the parts - I didn't even know there was a longer crotch strap piece. It never came. I called again. They had never heard of me, but would send it out right away. never came. Called again. Repeat. Finally I received a new crotch strap that is MAYBE a smidge longer, and a chest clip????? I don't like the first chest clip, why would I want a second? I nearly broke my hand trying to change that dang crotch strap for nothing. I tried again. I give up.

Ds rode in this seat tonight (gm's car) to dinner. He had some reflux issues on the way home and i was terrified he was going to puke on that darn seat and I would be really screwed. We have only used it a handful of times, I think its time for it to go... Not to mention he has gone and grown again, so know he is on the top straps.

I hope the trufit lives up to expectations, but I am glad I skipped the recaros (gave up after the 3rd or 4th shipping delay) and bought the radian.

When the radian first came out I talked to Russ while trying to decide between the husky and radian -let's just say I bought the husky.
 

supermommyof2

New member
I emailed SK Canada asking for new buckle tongues and they responded in less than 5 min and I received them (no charge) less than 2 wks later. OTOH, the chest clips I bought from Britax Oct 9 still haven't come:rolleyes: Really frustrating b/c I want to change them all at the same time before we drive the 18+ hrs to the ILs in 2 wks.

I haven't had a problem with the harness having slack at the hips, I buckle and then pull the harness up, tighten, and tug the harness again to check for slack before I do up the chest clip. I've done this with all my seats b/c I'm anal about the harness being tight enough :D, but I know that the general population doesn't feel the same way:(

It's not right that so many people have had bad cs w/SK, but this is possible with any company, it all depends on who you talk to.
 

Splash

New member
I've done this with all my seats b/c I'm anal about the harness being tight enough :D, but I know that the general population doesn't feel the same way:(

I think it can safely be said that I am very vigilant about how tight my son's harness is. But when I PULL at his chest and get ALL the slack out of it, and I cannot get a dime between his shirt and his strap, much less a finger, I assume it is tight enough. I don't assume that there is several INCHES of slack around his hips that I have to REMOVE the child from the seat in order to get it tight enough.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top