Amazon is Legally Responsible for Recalling Dangerous Products, Says US

US regulators have determined that Amazon is accountable for handling recalls of harmful products sold on its website and must improve its procedures.

They claimed that Amazon’s alerts were insufficient to persuade users to cease using such products, and they ordered the corporation to submit a new response strategy.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) made the judgement after filing a lawsuit against the e-commerce behemoth in 2021 for delivering over 400,000 harmful devices, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors.

Amazon said it planned to appeal the decision while defending its methods.

In the case of a recall, Amazon stated that it will remove products from its website and notify customers.

“We were upset with the CPSC’s decision. “We intend to appeal the decision and look forward to presenting our case in court,” the company stated.

Amazon has stopped selling the unsafe devices mentioned in the complaint, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protection, and children’s pyjamas that did not fulfil flammability standards.

It stated that it has alerted customers, instructed them to stop using the items, and issued refunds.

However, the commission found that Amazon’s mails lacked key terms like “recall” and other information.

The company “did not take adequate steps to encourage its customers to return or destroy them, thereby leaving consumers at substantial risk of injury,” according to the report.

Amazon has long disputed suggestions that it was accountable for products sold by other firms on its site.

In this case, Amazon denied being a “distributor” under the law, claiming that it was only functioning as an outside logistics provider.

However, the commission stated that Amazon’s role went beyond that of a traditional shipping firm when merchants employed its “Fulfilled by Amazon” service, which handles the vast majority of sales on the platform.

According to the commission’s judgement, Amazon manages the return procedure for enrolled firms, communicates with customers, enforces pricing restrictions, and evaluates items for eligibility.

In a statement, the commission stated that its judgement was based on the facts of this specific case, adding that “as with all agency decisions, companies may be interested in considering the applicability of the analysis in the decision to their own products and practices”.

The verdict adds to the ongoing argument about how much responsibility web platforms have for the content on their sites.

In 2020, a California appeals court determined that Amazon might be held accountable for damages in a case involving a defective laptop battery sold on its website.

A year later, Amazon implemented a new product guarantee that includes refunds and a method for settling personal harm claims.

“We stand behind the safety of every product in our store,” the business stated on Tuesday, adding that it had safeguards in place to prevent dangerous products and monitor listings.