New Jersey chandeliers among recent product recalls

All Practice Areas

Of the many different defective products that are out there on the marketplace, probably nobody would suspect that chandeliers would present enough dangers that a manufacturer would feel the need to issue a recall. Yet Spectrum Home Furnishings, a New Jersey manufacturer has done just that because it was determined that mountings were insufficient to prevent the chandeliers from following from the ceiling. These chandeliers were just some of the mundane products recently recalled in recent weeks. Lamps with frayed cords that can cause fires and coffee makers and espresso discs that spray individuals with hot coffee have also been recalled. Being sprayed with coffee might seem amusing until one realizes that the coffee is at or above boiling temperatures and can cause third degree burns to the face. There are so many products on the market that it is practically impossible for the ordinary consumer to be aware of all the dangers that such products present. Nevertheless, consumers fork over a large amount of dollars to manufacturers with the assumption that distributors are selling to them safe products. Product liability suits are brought by consumers and their attorneys because of the hidden dangers of a product or because various dangers could be easily eliminated without affecting the utility of a product whatsoever. Without such suits, manufacturers have little financial incentive to recall the product or make alterations to the product design to make the consumer good safer. Also, such lawsuits make ordinary consumers aware of product dangers. We would hope that manufacturers would voluntarily remove dangerous products from the market, but unfortunately that is extremely rare. Source: The Washington Post, "Recalls this week include crystal chandeliers, coffee makers, lamps," Feb. 10, 2012