Home goods chain Bed, Bath & Beyond has been fined $230,000 for selling non-compliant children’s pyjamas and hot water bottles.
A statement released today by the Commerce Commision said Bed, Bath & Beyond sold 27,374 products from March to October 2023 that did not include the safety information in the locations required by law.
The sales included at least 3753 children’s flannelette pyjama sets that did not have the fire hazard information in the required visible spot or in the online descriptions, and 23,801 hot water bottles that did not provide instructions about safe usage and storage, the commission said.
The business was sentenced in the Auckland District Court after pleading guilty to five breaches of the Fair Trading Act.
In sentencing, Judge Stephen Bonnar stated, “by virtue of the number of non-compliant goods supplied by Bed, Bath and Beyond on a nationwide basis, and having regard to the duration of the offending, the offending must be considered as serious offending”.
The commission said the case was significant due to the scale of the issue and the amount of potential harm.
“It was important for us to take this case as this is the largest number of items that didn’t comply with product safety requirements the commission has seen,” Commerce Commission general manager of competition, fair trading, and credit, Vanessa Horne, said today in a statement.
“The failures in this case increased the risk of harm for the over 27,000 consumers who purchased these products.”
Horne stressed the importance of businesses ensuring the products they supply “comply with legal requirements and are safe for the intended user – especially requirements about fire safety and burns which help keep consumers safe”.
“The required fire hazard labels and hot water bottle instructions are there to inform consumers about the risks of products so they can keep themselves and their families safe. It’s vital businesses have rigorous compliance processes to ensure they follow all labelling obligations.”
Bed, Bath & Beyond has more information about the recalled pyjamas and hot water bottles on its website.
