This is the time of year when the holiday ads begin to pop up on television, in radio spots, and, of course, all over the internet. The shopping season has begun and people throughout the country are in the market for great gifts, but this is also the time of year when you should be paying very close attention to recall lists.
Some Recalls are More Publicly Discussed. Over the past couple of weeks, there has been an onslaught of conversations about the airbag recall. Due to the fact that it impacted so many people, and there were so many confirmed accidents related to the defective parts, the news reached far and wide. Still now, media sources are covering the information that people need to have in order to ensure their own vehicles are not impacted. That being said, however, it is important to understand that not all recall lists “go viral.” Very often, recalls are mistakenly overlooked by everyday St. Petersburg consumers, which leaves people at great risk.
The Holiday Season Sees Many Rushed Products. It should come as no surprise that manufacturers are eager to release their new product lines before the biggest shopping season of the year. In order to ensure that they are quickly competing for the market’s hard-earned money, some companies will forego proper safety testing. As such, it is only after hundreds, thousands, or even millions of items are sold that such a problem is discovered. By that point, the product might already be wrapped and stashed away in your closet, awaiting the upcoming holiday celebration.
Trouble with Recalls. There is a lot of information out there today and companies don’t want to be placed in a bad light. Unfortunately, that often leads to recall notices being buried beneath more popular news stories. A person is all too likely to go through life unaware that they are using a dangerous product. This can involve food, baby items, sanitary products, the cars that transport us at great speeds, and a host of other seemingly safe objects.
There are Places to Find Information. With so much going on in your life, it can be easy to miss the one minute spot of the nightly news that covers recalls. If the product defect isn’t impacting millions of people, it may not be visibly discussed in social media forums. Fortunately, there are places you can go to cross-check your holiday gift list this year. You don’t want to put loved ones at risk, so you should regularly check the recall list at Recall.gov. The website is very user-friendly, and breaks the recall list down into seven sub-categories – consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics, and environmental products — to save you time and effort when you want to know more about an announced recall.
Product malfunctions happen. They injure people and even claim lives, even in Saint Petersburg, so it is important to be aware of the recalls that are issued. If you use a product and it malfunctions, leading to injury (or worse), you and your loved ones have the right to consult a personal injury attorney. It may be possible to collect compensation for your financial losses. Though this won’t restore life to the way it was before the accident, it can help ease the burden placed on you and those you care about.