What the Ikea recall for German customers means – FAZ – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

After the death of several infants in North America, the furniture giant Ikea withdraws 36 million dressers. Even in many German bedrooms and living rooms are the Malm-dressers of the Swedish furniture manufacturer, German customers need to worry about? Let them give back the pieces of furniture to the manufacturer

In theory, they could do this: For almost two years ago Ikea has its customers given an unlimited right of return. Who submits the receipt, can furniture anytime exchange after purchase yet and get his money back. Also whom the Malm dresser is not haunted by the recent events, could do this.

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However, there is no reason to – and the German customers also seem to see it that way. In Europe, the pieces of furniture are sold, because, according to local regulations they are safe. “Ikea dressers are safe when they are attached to instructions on the wall,” the company wrote in a press release.

In the United States there is a voluntary safety standard of the industry, which applies to freestanding wardrobes. “Ikea has set the standard for free-standing cabinets not accepted because Ikea dressers are to be attached to the wall,” said the spokeswoman. After the incidents in North America you got an agreement with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC on the recall

The company also took its customers in the duty. “For many years puts IKEA furniture, which must be secured, always a wall-mounting kit with, “reads the furniture manufacturer. “Warnings on the importance of using the supplied anti-tips can be found in the assembly instructions with a gradual explanation of their use. We have no information about tipping accidents with properly anchored dressers. “

So if you install the dresser with the included fixing kit on the wall, play it safe and can retain its chest.

the authority blames the pieces of furniture for the deaths of six infants. In February a 22-month-old boy in the US state of Minnesota was killed because a Malm dresser had fallen on him, it said in a statement. 2014 there were two deaths in the states of Pennsylvania and Washington.

The other three cases are, according to the authority further back. Thus died a 20-month-old girl in 1989. From the recall affected were different versions of the Malm-dressers also other shelves with drawers. According to the CPSC about 29 million pieces of them were in America in recent years been sold in Canada 6.6 million.

It is in this month for the fourth time that Ikea with callbacks in the headlines device. On Monday, the furniture company had recalled dark chocolate because milk and hazelnut content was not sufficiently indicated on the packaging. Because the stair gates “PATRULL” had unexpectedly opened in several cases, Ikea asked its customers to return it because of risk of falling, a year before the night light the same series had caused problems. Earlier this month, the Sweden refrigerators and freezers recalled because users could get an electric shock.