Is this negligence in furniture building?

[Alex Franke]

We just got a dresser in for my daughter. It's a nice $750 piece made by Stanley as part of their Young America collection -- a collection intended for kids. In fact the title of the page where they market this piece says "For safety and quality in youth furniture choose Young America."

You can see it here: http://youngamerica.stanleyfurniture...&nav1=YSTORAGE

Anyway, I picked it up with a friend to move in into the house -- and OUCH!!! My thumb was gouged by the point of a screw protruding 5/8 inches from the bottom of the dresser -- only about an inch from the edge. We put the dresser down and took a closer look. There were in fact SIX of these screws, all within about an inch of the edge, and all sticking out of the bottom about a half to 5/8 inches.

Here's a picture of one of them. Most were not so close to a leg.



I can't tell you how many times I would reach indiscriminately under my furniture when I was a kid. Thank God I found this before one of my kids did.

I'm furious. I think it's negligence, and I'm probably going to write a scathing letter. What do you all think?

[Ed62]

Ouch! If someone were thinking of a lawsuit because they were injured with that, they would probably get a settlement offer from the company that made it. I think a letter, reflecting your disappointment would certainly be in order.

Ed

[TheRic]

Yes, I would be contacting them one way or another. At the minimum I would demand a new dresser DELIVERED to it's proper location, at no cost to you. (if you can figure out how to keep this one also you could do a quick fix and have two). I would also make sure that you are up to date on your tetanus shots / boosters.

If their customer service is not willing to work with you, you can suggest that the press could ask the public what they thought about the whole deal. I'm sure they would be willing to work with you more at that point.

[eezlock]

negligance in furniture building

Most likely it is, quality control at most levels of anything off the production
line these days is sort of shot to **** it seems! Along with the scathing letter
I would include some very clear photos to back up my claim also. eezlock

[DJehlik]

You may also wish to send a copy of your letter, including photos, to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Especially since the mfr. mentions the CPSC so prominently.

Dave

[Alex Franke]

Thanks for your input so far! Here's another picture that pretty clearly illustrates how easily these could hurt someone reaching under the dresser... You can see the screws on the left.

[mpc]

Looks like they'd easily snag your hand or arm just trying to clean under this thing, reaching for the toy car/ball that rolled underneath it, etc. Or they'd kill the cat trying to hide from the vacuum.

I can't imagine CPSC letting something like that go. Stanley corp should be absolutely ashamed of this.

mpc

[cabinetman]

This is only part of the discussion I have with clients on the virtues of custom built furniture.

[scorrpio]

Dunno if a letter would accomplish much - I'd go for something more drastic, with a lawsuit being an option, too.

I wonder if this dresser is missing a piece these screws should be holding...

[Pappy]

I wonder if this dresser is missing a piece these screws should be holding...

Does look like there was supposed to be something there.

[Russianwolf]

Does look like there was supposed to be something there.

If the front/top leg matched the back/bottom, I might agree, but you aren't going to run anything up to a bun leg.

[prlundberg]

I have found that polite letters are almost always more effective than scathing ones.

I would suggest you make your point firmly, but stop short of accusing them of negligence and refrain from making threats or demands until after you hear back from them.

[Stytooner]

I'd say give the company a chance to make things right. The management rarely sees these before they hit the box. At any rate, I'm sure they would be glad to be alerted of such problems.
It was probably just a matter of a line working using the wrong length screws. QA should have caught it, but sometimes pieces slip through.
Stanley has been producing furniture for many years and I'm pretty sure they would want to correct this with you.

[jackellis]

I have found that polite letters are almost always more effective than scathing ones.

I would suggest you make your point firmly, but stop short of accusing them of negligence and refrain from making threats or demands until after you hear back from them.

I agree. Matter-of-fact, courteous, carefully written letters that don't contain inflammatory language are very effective, especially if they're addressed to the president or chief executive. If you're helping them solve a problem, they will be grateful. Nut cases are treated like...nut cases.

[jking]

The latter picture posted does appear to show a couple of areas where something was attached. Perhaps it's just some staining on the dresser bottom.

Either way, I agree with the advice to first send a tactful letter (including several pictures) explaining the problem & your disappointment. I would fully expect that if you suggest or they offer a replacement dresser that they will want the original purchase back.

If you are able to find at least a name to send the letter to (rather than "customer service"), that would certainly get quicker attention. I would be surprised if they are not willing to work with you on some remedy.