NORFOLK, Va. — When you buy something, you expect it to work and for it to be safe, but recalls are still issued weekly.
Jessica Gurley has a firsthand experience with this after buying a Bedsure Electric Blanket from a local discount store.
“Whenever we get home after we are done buying this stuff, we look up the prices. We want to see how much we saved. When we looked it up that is when we saw there had been a recall on it,” Gurley said.
She found a posting online from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) citing the blanket’s recall.
CPSC is the federal agency that develops safety standards and sets bans on dangerous products. It recalled the Bedsure Electric Blanket and Pad in March saying the possibility of it catching fire or causing burns.
“It scared me to think that people are not going to look it up and are not going to know it is a recalled blanket and plug it in and cause a fire at their house. It just scared me,” Gurley said.
She says she reported the issue to the CPSC and the Fire Marshal.
When it comes to buying from secondhand stores and online marketplaces, News 3 Problem Solver Erin Miller wanted to know what protections there are for consumers.
“While it's getting better, a lot of platforms that host secondary marketplaces like used products and are still not catching everything,” said Oriene Shin, Policy Council for Consumer Reports.
For example, Shin says even if the website has a system to flag recalled items, if it is not listed as the product's full name, it may fly under the radar.
Though several online companies say it is their policy to monitor posts and filter out dangerous items.
“To protect yourself and your family, cpsc.gov is a great place to start. If you are curious, or if you are not sure if a product's being recalled a simple search on google or another search engine might be helpful,” she says.
To do that, Shin says you will want to note the brand, model, serial number, and date the item was made. She adds it can be helpful to join advocacy groups that look for recalled items online.
"We know that there are parent advocates across the country that scour these pages to see if they can find anything and report them,” she says.
Gurley says this whole experience was a wake-up call and she will most likely change her shopping habits.
“Just be careful. Do not take for granted that these things are checked and reviewed before they are put out to resell,” she says.
Gurly says she reported the recalled blanket to the store, CPSC and Fire Marshal. According to the businesses Facebook page, the company is temporarily closed.
News 3’s Problem Solvers reached out to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to see if there was a connection and/or investigation but have not received a response.
