Preview Newsletter
MALM Day 15, July 11, 2016
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Recall: IKEA chests, dressers
Jul 11, 2016 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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IKEA denies recall of drawers in China, to announce final decision today
Jul 11, 2016 | ECNS
By Mo Hong'e
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Consumers' associations in China criticize IKEA' s double standards in recall case
Jul 11, 2016 | CRI English
By Wang Kun
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Siah Hwee Ang says Chinese consumers are pushing for greater protection and more regulation around product quality and safety
Jul 11, 2016 | Total Property
By Siah Hwee Ang
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Ikea Dressers Recalled After 6 Kids Lose Their Lives
Jul 11, 2016 | The Legal Examiner
By Craig Kelley
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China state media slam Ikea ‘arrogance’ over toppling dressers
Jul 10, 2016 | Financial Times
By Gabriel Wildau
Monday, July 11, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
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Jul 11, 2016 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ikea North America, of Conshohocken, Pa., is recalling all chests and dressers that do not comply with the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standard (ASTM F2057-14). The recalled children’s chests and dressers are taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers are taller than 29.5 inches. The 29 million units of recalled chests and dressers include: Malm 3-drawer, 4-drawer, 5-drawer and three 6-drawer models and other children’s and adult chests and dressers. The recalled chests and dressers are unstable if they are not properly anchored to the wall, posing a serious tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or serious injuries to children.
In addition to three deaths, Ikea received reports of 41 tip-over incidents involving the Malm chests and dressers, resulting in 17 injuries to children between the ages of 19 months and 10 years old.
The Malm chests and dressers are constructed of particleboard or fiberboard and are white, birch (veneer), medium brown, black-brown, white stained oak (veneer), oak (veneer), pink, turquoise, grey, grey-turquoise, lilac, green, brown stained ash (veneer), and black. A 5-digit supplier number, 4-digit date stamp, Ikea logo, country of origin and “MALM” are printed on the underside of the top panel or inside the side panel.
Ikea also received 41 reports of tip-overs involving chests and dressers other than Malms, resulting in the deaths of three children and 19 injuries to children. Product names include Gute, Rakke and Kurs.
Consumers are urged to inspect their recalled Ikea chests and dressers to ensure that they are properly anchored to the wall. Consumers should move any unanchored chests and dressers into storage or other areas where they cannot be accessed by children.
To receive a refund or free wall-anchoring kit for Ikea chests and dressers listed above, visit an Ikea retail store, go to www.IKEA-USA.com/recallchestsanddressers or call 866-856-4532.
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IKEA denies recall of drawers in China, to announce final decision today
Jul 11, 2016 | ECNS
By Mo Hong'e
In the latest twist, Swedish furniture maker IKEA seems to have backed away from a previous decision to recall a line of life-threatening chests of drawers in China, promising to announce its new decision on Monday.
IKEA had achieved some progress during communication with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and the China Consumer's Association by July 8, an IKEA manager told National Business Daily.
A solution will be disclosed through official channels around Monday, while the notice IKEA sent to its customers by SMS message is nolonger the official end decision regarding the dressers in question, it was added.
In the SMS message, IKEA said it would help attach the chests to walls free of charge, or customers could return the product if they wanted. A staff member at IKEA also said that if the wall was not load bearing, then the chest of drawers couldn't be attached and should be returned, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
The message was just a reminder of the polices that customers can enjoy rather than a recall decision, the company added.
IKEA recalled the products after six children in the United States and Canada lost their lives in incidents associated with the dresser, marketed mainly under the Malm brand and also sold in China. The company has come under fire for excluding China from its massive recall plan.
It previously refused to recall the products in China, saying that the furniture met Chinese standards and there had been no reported accidents with it. Chinese media outlets, including state news agency Xinhua, joined the online outcry over different treatment of the Chinese market.
IKEA's annual sales figures in China reached 10.5 billion yuan ($1.58 billion) in 2015, about one third of global figures, while annual growth in China from 2010 to 2015 was 5.1 times higher than globally.
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Consumers' associations in China criticize IKEA' s double standards in recall case
Jul 11, 2016 | CRI English
By Wang Kun
The Consumers' Association of east China's Nanjing City has criticized IKEA for applying double standards across different markets and called for equal treatment for Chinese consumers.
In June, IKEA recalled more than 35 million life-threatening chests of drawers and dressers in the United States and Canada, following the deaths of several children. These children lost their lives in tipping and entrapment incidents caused by the furniture vendor's chests and dressers.
But the company has refused to recall the same products sold in China, claiming that the products met Chinese standards and no accidents associated with them have been reported.
The "deadly dressers" are still on sale in many IKEA stores across China, despite that warning signs have been attached to the products.
The company insists that the potential risks could be prevented by attaching the dressers to the wall.
The different treatment over the Chinese market has triggered great criticism among the Chinese public.
Local quality watchdogs and consumers' associations across China appealed IKEA to recall the potentially dangerous products.
On July 8, IKEA made a statement regarding the items, offering two options to deal with them.
According to the statement, customers can ask IKEA to help attach the chests to their walls free of charge. When their walls are not suitable for the attachment, customers can apply for refund.
IKEA is currently negotiating with China's General Administration of Quality Supervision and the China Consumers' Association on measures to deal with the matter.
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Jul 11, 2016 | Total Property
By Siah Hwee Ang
Last week saw social media hit out at IKEA, the Swedish furniture and home accessories retailer, in particular in China.
MALM chests and dressers are at the centre of all the attention. This best-selling furniture is prone to tip over if the upper drawers are open and the unit isn’t attached to the wall.
Several young children have been killed by the toppling units and many injury reports have been filed against this defective product.
Recently, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that IKEA will recall 35.6 million MALM chests and dressers sold in North America. There have been three deaths in the last two years in North America.
IKEA will offer refunds to those who return the furniture, and wall brackets to those who choose to keep their furniture.
Different national standards
In North America, product safety regulations specify that freestanding chests and dressers must not tip over. In China and South Korea, where consumer complaints are prominent, the regulations around product quality and safety are different.
So, herein lies the difference. In North America, this furniture failed the test and had to be recalled. In China and South Korea however, the furniture meets the standards so a recall is not necessary.
IKEA has advised customers to attach the furniture to the wall and has offered to provide anchor kits for that purpose.
Nonetheless, the company has backed off in South Korea and is allowing customers to return their MALM dressers for a refund. But it is at the customer’s request, so it’s not automatic.
South Korean authorities are not pleased with this part-solution and have entered into negotiations with IKEA.
In the meantime, regulations and consumer rights may not necessary align in developing countries. For example, China is constantly working towards putting more regulations into place that address product standards.
et, Chinese consumers are crying out for more protection from the authorities. This comes as a result of the poor treatment they are receiving from businesses around product quality.
At the same time, blame is also directed towards multinational corporations who are trying to rip off Chinese consumers.
The 'hit list' - 315 Gala lies in wait
Until recently, quantity over quality was the dominant theme in China. While there may not be such high expectations for standards in China, there is some truth around the malpractice of multinational corporations in offering services and products to Chinese Consumers.
The quality expectations of Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly high. Companies like Starbucks, Volkswagen and Nissan Motors have allegedly charged Chinese consumers more than they would charge their Western counterparts.
Some of these companies are potential targets for China’s 315 Gala - a televised consumer-rights programme broadcast on 15 March each year that highlights the ‘bad behaviour’ of companies in China.
Undercover reporters are sent out to collect and showcase evidence of corporate wrongdoing. The show can have a huge impact on a company’s reputation and gets many businesses into hot water.
For now, IKEA would do best to resolve its Chinese situation soon. The case has already been uncovered so it won’t qualify for the 315 Gala.
But it will be hard for IKEA, and for any company for that matter, to use the lack of regulations as a way to deal with Chinese consumers’ complaints.
For other companies already in the Chinese market or about to enter it, this is more evidence of tougher times ahead in China. Quality of execution in the country has never before been this important.
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Ikea Dressers Recalled After 6 Kids Lose Their Lives
Jul 11, 2016 | The Legal Examiner
By Craig Kelley
Ikea shoppers check your dressers bought from the popular super store! We are sad to report that the dressers have been prone to easily topple, resulting in the loss of six precious children’s lives. Without being attached to a wall securely, the dressers fell on these children, all three years of age or younger. The fatalities occurred between 2002 and 2016, which makes one wonder why the dressers were not recalled after even one life was taken. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that, in addition to the deaths, 36 more children have been injured by the falling dressers.
In addition to the recall, Ikea and other furniture makers have been warned to make haste with designing safer dressers for sale in the consumer market. The subject Ikea dressers for this recall include children’s dressers taller than 23.5 inches and adult dressers taller than 29.5 inches, and were sold in Ikea’s American and Canadian stores for years. The company has offered people with these dressers free kits to mount them on the walls and is warning anyone who owns them to get them out of the way of children. Dresser accidents like these may not be on most consumers’ radar, but statistic state that there is a fatality of children every two weeks from furniture or televisions toppling.
If you or someone you love has experienced serious injury or worse after an Ikea dresser crash, contact your medical provider and please contact Inserra & Kelley Law Offices to see whether you may be entitled to compensation.
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China state media slam Ikea ‘arrogance’ over toppling dressers
Jul 10, 2016 | Financial Times
By Gabriel Wildau
Chinese state media have lambasted Ikea for its “arrogance” and irresponsibility for not conducting a full recall on the mainland of furniture that has led to a number of children’s deaths in the US.
Ikea late last month recalled 29m chests of drawers in the US from its Malm line that had caused the death of at least six children since 1989. The pieces are prone to topple over and crush toddlers if not anchored to the wall, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission found.
But the Swedish company said on its official WeChat account that Malm products in China would not be recalled because they conformed to local regulations, and added that Ikea had received no reports of child deaths in China. The recall also does not apply to the EU, Ikea’s biggest market.
As a compromise in China, Ikea offered to provide free screw sets for anchoring the dressers to the wall, if customers has lost the originals, and to provide free home installation on request. It also offered refunds for customers unable to anchor their furniture.
The gesture left Chinese media and netizens unsatisfied. In an editorial published on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency cited local media reports that customers had to pick up the replacement screws themselves at Ikea stores.
“Ikea is still acting petty and narrow-minded, making this incident appear more and more like a farce. Who is harmed by the arrogance and stubbornness that Ikea has displayed in China?” the article said.
“In this recall storm, Chinese consumers only see ‘cost consciousness’ but can’t see ‘taking responsibility’. Can [Ikea] still take the luxury of [saying it] ‘takes pleasure in helping’?”
Ikea said that reports of differing service policies in different areas were inaccurate and Xinhua had not asked Ikea for comment before publishing its editorial. All customers can order replacement screws by phone or online, and the company offers free installation to “users with wall attachment difficulties”, the retailer said.
“Facts prove that no toppling accidents have occurred with cabinets that are fastened to the wall,” Ikea said. The company launched a nationwide public information campaign in March to emphasise the need to anchor cabinets to the wall, it added.
Product safety and consumer rights are growing concerns for Chinese consumers, and state media have actively publicised failings by both foreign and domestic companies.
In 2013 Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, apologised after state media slammed the company as “greedy”, “arrogant” and “dishonest” for offering less comprehensive warrantees for iPhones sold in China.
In 2014, a supplier to McDonald’s and KFC in China was accused of supplying rotting meat and falsifying expiration dates.
China has 21 Ikea stores and was the company’s fastest-growing market in 2015, with sales rising 19 per cent year on year.
In a separate incident, China’s product safety agency said earlier this month that Ikea would recall about 7,600 child safety gates with unreliable locking mechanisms.
“Originally I really liked Ikea products, [they’re] both practical and warm, with lots of different styles. Now I hear about this recall … overall, I think when there's hidden danger and [you] still want to point to technical standards … it’s disappointing,” a netizen called “Excellent Maiden” commented on Ikea’s WeChat announcement last week.
Ikea did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
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