Amazon has argued it’s not responsible for products other companies sell on its site, but now it’s adding a new layer to let customers know about recall and safety alerts.
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Amazon has a new place to share product recall info for products purchased on its site. The personalized alert page can help consumers learn if anything they’ve bought on Amazon has known issues that make it dangerous to keep using.
Amazon says it “always proactively” notifies customers about items purchased on its site that are part of a recall or otherwise have safety alerts. But now the company is creating a dedicated place where it says customers can be more aware of recalls issued on items ordered from Amazon. Customers will also get a “personalized email” with details on the product recall, plus an alert banner plastered on their “your orders” page.
Amazon has been criticized for being too slow to pull dangerous products like overheating USB cables, including ones under the AmazonBasics brand. And for years, in lawsuits over hairdryers or hoverboards that could set your home on fire or illegally imported items, Amazon has argued it’s more of a platform that acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers than it is a retail store and not responsible for those items as a seller. Those are just some of the reasons the Consumer Product Safety Commission sued Amazon in 2021, saying, “We are seeking Amazon to be responsible for the ‘fulfilled by Amazon’ products on their site.”
When you click the product recall alert, however you get it, it’ll link back to Amazon’s “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page. From there, you can figure out what specifically the risk is on the product and what remedies are available, including refunds, returns, or repairs. In theory, at least, this means Amazon will connect with each and every customer who may have purchased a recalled product, and sellers won’t be the primary avenue to communicate handling instructions.
