unsafe products from dollarama

[Ami]

Just looking for some suggestions.

I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling things
out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety First
brand).

I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they had
safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly doubted
that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out and see.
When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not safe at all.
It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes off easily and
little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic small enough to
swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from the dollar store
(and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and birthday
cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that they are
selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are not.

I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant manager
I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I had a
problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I normally
wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since it was child
safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was there the other
day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant manager and the latches
are still being sold there. Where would you go next with this? There are
no identifying marks on the product packaging to determine what company
makes them. There is only "Made in China" and the Dollarama logo. I went
to the government page for child safety but quickly got lost in the links.
I am wondering if someone can point me in the right direction? I would love
to see Marketplace or some other news show do a piece on this type of stuff.

I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Scott Martin]

General rule of thumb for dollar store stuff: Birthday cards.
Everything else is typically garbage and plastic crap that breaks like
glass

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old.  I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors.  I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling things
out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety First
brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they had
safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using.  I highly doubted
that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out and see.
When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not safe at all.
It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes off easily and
little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic small enough to
swallow).  I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from the dollar store
(and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and birthday
cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that they are
selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience.  The assistant manager
I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I had a
problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back.  I normally
wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since it was child
safety related, I felt obligated to do so.  Anyway, I was there the other
day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant manager and the latches
are still being sold there.  Where would you go next with this?  There are
no identifying marks on the product packaging to determine what company
makes them.  There is only "Made in China" and the Dollarama logo.  I went
to the government page for child safety but quickly got lost in the links.
I am wondering if someone can point me in the right direction?  I would love
to see Marketplace or some other news show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Bob Ster]

I agree. However, if they are selling safety products, they need to be
of a certain quality, Dollarama or not. Perhaps report them to the
Consumer Product Safety division of Health canada?

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/advisories-avis/incident/index-eng.php

Post by Scott Martin
General rule of thumb for dollar store stuff: Birthday cards.
Everything else is typically garbage and plastic crap that breaks like
glass

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old.  I have several of those safety locks for cabine

t

Post by Ami
doors.  I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling th

ings

Post by Ami
out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety First
brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they

h

Post by Scott Martin
ad

Post by Ami
safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using.  I highly dou

bted

Post by Ami
that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out and

see

Post by Scott Martin
.

Post by Ami
When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not safe at

all

Post by Scott Martin
.

Post by Ami
It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes off easily and
little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic small enough to
swallow).  I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from the dollar s

tore

Post by Ami
(and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and birthday
cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that they are
selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience.  The assistant ma

nager

Post by Ami
I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I had a
problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back.  I norma

lly

Post by Ami
wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since it was

ch

Post by Scott Martin
ild

Post by Ami
safety related, I felt obligated to do so.  Anyway, I was there the oth

er

Post by Ami
day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant manager and the

latc

Post by Scott Martin
hes

Post by Ami
are still being sold there.  Where would you go next with this?  Ther

e are

Post by Ami
no identifying marks on the product packaging to determine what company
makes them.  There is only "Made in China" and the Dollarama logo.  I

went

Post by Ami
to the government page for child safety but quickly got lost in the

links

Post by Scott Martin
.

Post by Ami
I am wondering if someone can point me in the right direction?  I would

love

Post by Ami
to see Marketplace or some other news show do a piece on this type of

stu

Post by Scott Martin
ff.

Post by Ami
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Maxima]

Well the ole Bobster posted a link that may be somewhat benificial, but if
you really wanna get results, do what Bobsters in NL do, call Openline and
whine about it.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out
and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not
safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes
off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic
small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from
the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and
birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that
they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are
not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Stunning Steve]

You're....... at............. Dollarama. That's like going to Kia and asking
for the best car they have on the lot.

I suppose you buy their home pregnancy tests at Dollarama as well?
(yes they sell them, I'm not making that up).
Seriously, if you're worried about child safety, go to WallyMart or ToysRWe,
anywhere that has a CSA stamp on their products.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out
and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not
safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes
off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic
small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from
the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and
birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that
they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are
not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Jeff]

I don't expect high quality products at Dollarama.

I do expect safe products at any store I shop at in Canada, especially
larger multi-location national chain stores.

Post by Stunning Steve
You're....... at............. Dollarama. That's like going to Kia and
asking for the best car they have on the lot.
I suppose you buy their home pregnancy tests at Dollarama as well?
(yes they sell them, I'm not making that up).
Seriously, if you're worried about child safety, go to WallyMart or
ToysRWe, anywhere that has a CSA stamp on their products.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out
and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not
safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes
off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic
small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying
from the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and
birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that
they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are
not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Amilee]

Steve, I think I already noted that I was highly doubtful about the safety
of it. That was not the point of the message. If you read it, I clearly
asked if someone had info about where I should go with this complaint. I
also noted that I generally only buy paper and birthday card stuff at the
store. However, I am very concerned that someone might actually buy this
product and use it thinking it's safe (if the person is stunned enough to
use it without checking it out first, should a child suffer for that? I
wouldn't want to NOT do something and some child end up getting hurt because
of it.)

Obviously, you get what you pay for. I don't expect quality at a dollar
store. But there has to be someone monitoring the safety of their products.

Post by Stunning Steve
You're....... at............. Dollarama. That's like going to Kia and
asking for the best car they have on the lot.
I suppose you buy their home pregnancy tests at Dollarama as well?
(yes they sell them, I'm not making that up).
Seriously, if you're worried about child safety, go to WallyMart or
ToysRWe, anywhere that has a CSA stamp on their products.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out
and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not
safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes
off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic
small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying
from the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and
birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that
they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are
not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Carter]

Post by Amilee
Steve, I think I already noted that I was highly doubtful about the safety
of it. That was not the point of the message. If you read it, I clearly
asked if someone had info about where I should go with this complaint.

Go here;

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/legislation/acts-lois/ccpsa-lcspc/index-eng.php

Carter

[J Bisflik]

Post by Amilee
Obviously, you get what you pay for.

Much like the advice you'll get on this news group!

JB

[Danimal]

Steve your sincere child safety message got lost among the intended
education and sarcasm.
Amilee was simply pointing out the unsafe aspects of the gadget and was
being proactive in her approach. I see nothing wrong with warning people and
taking it upon herself to try and have these removed from the shelf.
Any CSA item does not always meet every criteria and only thru varying
consumer usage is where we find the faults and then recalls come into play.
I see where you are coming from when it comes to Kia's or the Dollarama but
a line should be drawn when it comes to products that are designed to
protect toddlers. I don't think any store should be allowed to sell any
unsafe product that will lend itself to injury or worse, death.
All to often copied inferior products make it on the shelves with the Darwin
factor built in, something like safe dynamite for kids. While some of us
react by saying, "what do/did you expect when you buy from....,
it's good to see people like Amilee point out and warn others about products
on the shelf that are supposed to be designed primarily for its safety
aspects and health risk reduction which fail miserably. Products such as
this, should not be sold to the public at any cost no matter what the name
of the store is or the targeted consumer.

Post by Stunning Steve
You're....... at............. Dollarama. That's like going to Kia and
asking for the best car they have on the lot.
I suppose you buy their home pregnancy tests at Dollarama as well?
(yes they sell them, I'm not making that up).
Seriously, if you're worried about child safety, go to WallyMart or
ToysRWe, anywhere that has a CSA stamp on their products.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out
and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not
safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes
off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic
small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying
from the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and
birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that
they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are
not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

[Ami]

Thank you Danimal !

I just came back to the group to post that I received a phone call from
Dollarama head office yesterday. I was thanked for notifying them. The
lady said they have contacted their manufacturer to investigate and the item
will be pulled from shelves. She was super nice and urged me to call if I
had any further concerns. I am happy with the response and I hope they
follow through.

Post by Danimal
Steve your sincere child safety message got lost among the intended
education and sarcasm.
Amilee was simply pointing out the unsafe aspects of the gadget and was
being proactive in her approach. I see nothing wrong with warning people
and taking it upon herself to try and have these removed from the shelf.
Any CSA item does not always meet every criteria and only thru varying
consumer usage is where we find the faults and then recalls come into play.
I see where you are coming from when it comes to Kia's or the Dollarama
but a line should be drawn when it comes to products that are designed to
protect toddlers. I don't think any store should be allowed to sell any
unsafe product that will lend itself to injury or worse, death.
All to often copied inferior products make it on the shelves with the
Darwin factor built in, something like safe dynamite for kids. While some
of us react by saying, "what do/did you expect when you buy from....,
it's good to see people like Amilee point out and warn others about
products on the shelf that are supposed to be designed primarily for its
safety aspects and health risk reduction which fail miserably. Products
such as this, should not be sold to the public at any cost no matter what
the name of the store is or the targeted consumer.

Post by Stunning Steve
You're....... at............. Dollarama. That's like going to Kia and
asking for the best car they have on the lot.
I suppose you buy their home pregnancy tests at Dollarama as well?
(yes they sell them, I'm not making that up).
Seriously, if you're worried about child safety, go to WallyMart or
ToysRWe, anywhere that has a CSA stamp on their products.

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling
things out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety
First brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they
had safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly
doubted that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it
out and see. When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously
not safe at all. It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism
comes off easily and little parts come out (a spring and a piece of
plastic small enough to swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when
buying from the dollar store (and I usually only buy things like paper,
pens and birthday cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked
off that they are selling products that are supposedly safe and they
obviously are not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant
manager I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I
had a problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I
normally wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since
it was child safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was
there the other day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant
manager and the latches are still being sold there. Where would you go
next with this? There are no identifying marks on the product packaging
to determine what company makes them. There is only "Made in China" and
the Dollarama logo. I went to the government page for child safety but
quickly got lost in the links. I am wondering if someone can point me in
the right direction? I would love to see Marketplace or some other news
show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but
no response as of yet.

[d***@yahoo.com]

Post by Ami
Just looking for some suggestions.
I have a one year old. I have several of those safety locks for cabinet
doors. I wanted to put one on another door to keep him from pulling things
out of the cabinet but couldn't find the ones I was using (Safety First
brand).
I was at the Dollarama buying some crappy little thing and noticed they had
safety latches sort of like the ones I was already using. I highly doubted
that they would work safely but I did buy it just to check it out and see.
When I took it out of the package, it was quite obviously not safe at all.
It doesn't latch and, in fact, the sliding mechanism comes off easily and
little parts come out (a spring and a piece of plastic small enough to
swallow). I know I shouldn't expect much when buying from the dollar store
(and I usually only buy things like paper, pens and birthday
cards/decorations there) but it really got me ticked off that they are
selling products that are supposedly safe and they obviously are not.
I went back to the store and explained my experience. The assistant manager
I spoke with (manager was not in) said she was surprised that I had a
problem (seriously??) because nobody else had brought it back. I normally
wouldn't bring anything back to a dollar store either but since it was child
safety related, I felt obligated to do so. Anyway, I was there the other
day, maybe 3 weeks after speaking with the assistant manager and the latches
are still being sold there. Where would you go next with this? There are
no identifying marks on the product packaging to determine what company
makes them. There is only "Made in China" and the Dollarama logo. I went
to the government page for child safety but quickly got lost in the links.
I am wondering if someone can point me in the right direction? I would love
to see Marketplace or some other news show do a piece on this type of stuff.
I sent a letter to Dollarama through their website contact us link but no
response as of yet.

Very careful what I buy at Dollarama ...most of it's crap! I would never never never buy makeup there for one.