Amazon Sells Dangerous Products, Alleges Consumer Safety Agency’s Lawsuit

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Amazon is facing a lawsuit lodged by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) seeking to protect consumers from dangerous products sold on the online retail platform.  

In its lawsuit filed Wednesday, the consumer safety agency demands that Amazon stop selling identified, dangerous products and implement a system that will notify consumers when they have purchased a recalled item. The CPSC also wants Amazon to offer full refunds for dangerous products sold on its platform.  

The CPSC lawsuit reportedly references several unsafe products sold on the Amazon website by third parties, including flammable kid’s pajamas, non-functioning carbon monoxide detectors, and hundreds of thousands of hair dryers that pose a risk of electrocution. The agency has tried to reign in the sale of dangerous goods on the online retail platform, but this lawsuit signals that the CPSC is going to take a more aggressive stance.  

The CPSC commission reportedly voted 3 to one in favor of filing the lawsuit against Amazon.  

“Today’s vote to file an administrative complaint against Amazon was a huge step forward for this small agency,” Acting CPSC Chairman Robert Adler said of the agency’s legal action, reports CNN Business. “But it’s a huge step across a vast desert — we must grapple with how to deal with these massive third-party platforms more efficiently, and how best to protect the American consumers who rely on them.” 

The CPSC is limited in how it can respond to reports of dangerous, defective, or unsafe products on the market. It can only ask companies to voluntarily recall items. If the company refuses, the agency has only two options: start a lawsuit or increase public pressure to force the company to act.  

“CPSC did not provide Amazon with enough information for us to take action and despite our requests. It said it offered CPSC to expand its capabilities to handle recalls for products,” Amazon reportedly said in a statement.  

“We are unclear as to why the CPSC has rejected that offer or why they have filed a complaint seeking to force us to take actions almost entirely duplicative of those we’ve already taken.” 

The CPSC lawsuit targets dangerous products sold by third parties on Amazon. Indeed, recalls have covered a number of products sold on Amazon, including 5,000 infant bath seats, flammable mattresses, and defective popcorn machines.  

Consumers filed a class action lawsuit alleging Amazon sold numerous defective and dangerous items on its website in 2019.  

Amazon has also been accused of selling defective items under its AmazonBasics line, including surge protectors, charging cords, and microwaves.  

Have you purchased dangerous products from third party sellers on the Amazon website? We want to hear about your experience. Tell us in the comment section below.  

The Amazon Dangerous Products Lawsuit is In the Matter of Amazon.com, Inc., Case No. Unknown, United State of America Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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