Thursday, February 13, 2025

Bed, Bath and Beyond fined $230k over unsafe products 

The Commerce Commission has secured a $230,000 fine against retailer, Bed, Bath and Beyond, for five breaches of the Fair Trading Act related to the sale of non-compliant children’s pyjamas and hot water bottles. 

Commerce Commission General Manager of Competition, Fair Trading, and Credit, Vanessa Horne said businesses must ensure 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.

“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,” Ms Horne says.

“The failures in this case increased the risk of harm for the over 27,000 consumers who purchased these products.”

From March to October 2023, Bed, Bath and Beyond sold 27,374 products that did not include the safety information in the locations required by law. This included at least 3,753 children’s 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. 

In the sentencing decision, Judge Bonnar stated that “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 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. Its vital businesses have rigorous compliance processes to ensure they follow all labelling obligations,” Ms Horne says.

Bed, Bath and Beyond was sentenced in the Auckland District Court.

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