Statement From Bumbo International

By Lee Ferran November 21, 2014

[Editor's Note: The following is a statement from Bumbo International provided to ABC News in the course of its Recall Roulette investigation.]

Bumbo International worked closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to publicize information that restraint belts, which are designed to provide an added measure of safety during proper use of the Bumbo Floor Seat, were available free-of-charge to consumers. The company also undertook a significant effort through traditional and social media to promote the belt kits and to re-emphasize the proper use of the seat. This received extensive media coverage. Consumers who purchase older model seats through online shopping sites or who receive them as hand-me-downs can obtain a restraint belt kit free-of-charge through http://recall.bumbousa.com/. More than two years later, Bumbo International's homepage ( www.bumbo.com) still features a prominent link to a safety information page.

Independent analysis and testing have shown that there is little risk of injury when the seat is used properly: on the floor, under adult supervision, and never on raised or elevated surfaces. With proper use, the risk of injury is no greater than the risk to a child learning to sit, crawl, stand, and walk.

About 9.6 million Bumbo Floor Seats have been sold worldwide, and injury reports, based on the latest data available when the company announced the restraint belt addition in August 2012, account for around 0.001% of the number of seats sold. Most of the injury reports have been due to improper use of the seat.

Legal Cases

Bumbo International fully believes in the safety of the Bumbo Floor Seat. While Bumbo International cannot comment on the specifics of pending lawsuits, the company prevailed in the only lawsuit related to the Bumbo Seat that has been decided to date. A jury found that the seat (without the seatbelt) was not defective in its design and the company was not negligent. Further, U.S. District Judge Gregg Costa "found 'there is no basis for a reasonable jury to decide that this unambiguous and conspicuous warning was insufficient.'" Court House News .

Compliance Reports

The information provided has been cherry-picked, and is not reflective of the total efforts undertaken by Bumbo International and retailers to inform consumers about the addition of the retrofit belt. Bumbo International does not sell directly to consumers, so it has limited direct consumer contacts. Bumbo International did inform those consumers about the recall and availability of the free restraint belts. Bumbo International also worked closely with its retail partners throughout the recall to ensure that all requests for information or restrain belts were promptly handled.

BACKGROUND:

For more than a decade, Bumbo has created products for infants and toddlers that provide developmental assistance as they grow. In 2005, the company formed a nonprofit organization that assists underprivileged and special-needs children in South Africa, where the company is headquartered. Almost all of Bumbo International's profits go to this nonprofit organization. Through Bumbo International's support, the nonprofit organization:

  • Provides approximately 30,000 meals to the underprivileged every month, as well as meals for several local schools, through on-site, fully-staffed kitchen;
  • Builds and operates a spacious multi-level hostel and shelter to house orphans, homeless children, and children who would otherwise face difficult personal circumstances;
  • Helps run the Maranatha Bana Centre, which is a school for children with physical or mental disabilities; and
  • Built and runs the Jonibach Sports Centre, which offers children access to state-of-the-art sporting facilities-an indoor swimming pool with professional swimming instructors, basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, trampolines, and gymnastics-as well as a performance stage, a wide range of musical instruments, and a full sound system for events and concerts.

For more details, see: