Shopping at Costco is essential if you like to buy in bulk—or even if you just like to visit the retailer's famed food court. While the wholesale club requires a membership to shop, the annual cost won't break the bank, at around $60 for a Gold Star membership or $120 for an Executive membership. Once you're part of the club, you can take advantage of Costco's offerings, including products that are exclusively available at these stores. Recently, however, one of these Costco-exclusive products was recalled, according to a release posted on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website. Read on to find out what home purchase the agency says you should stop using, as it could cause "serious injuries."
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This isn't the only potentially dangerous Costco item.
Audio und werbung / ShutterstockCostco, much like Sam's Club and other wholesalers, offers a wide range of products, selling everything from food items to coffeemakers to outdoor furniture. Last month, one item literally came "under fire," prompting Costco to pull it from shelves. On June 23, SunVilla Corporation issued a voluntary recall of its 10' Solar LED Market Umbrella, which was sold at Costco stores across the country.
Retailing between $130 and $160, the umbrella posed a significant threat thanks to the lithium-ion batteries attached to the umbrella's solar panels, the CPSC said. In six instances, these solar panels overheated, including three cases where the panels caught fire while charging indoors and two reports of the solar panel puck overheating and catching fire while attached to the umbrella. One consumer also reported a smoke inhalation injury.
Now, another product sold only at Costco has the potential to put you at risk, officials warned.
This chest could put you and your kids in danger.
U.S. CPSCFurniture is expensive, and when you do invest in a piece, you don't want to worry that it has significant risks attached. But that's exactly what happened with 5,400 of Samson International's Universal Broadmore Cayden Gentleman's 9-drawer chests, according to the CPSC.
On July 7, Samson issued a voluntary recall of the brown-colored chests, which are approximately 49 inches tall, 55 inches wide, and 18 inches deep. The products were available at Costco Wholesale Warehouses nationwide and online at costco.com, the CPSC said in the recall announcement, and sold for $700 between Dec. 2019 and April 2020.
The dressers can tip over if certain precautionary measures aren't in place.
Elena Gudilina / ShutterstockIf you have this chest but do not have it properly anchored to the wall, the CPSC asks that you stop using it and keep it out of children's reach. Without this precautionary measure, the dressers become unstable and can tip over, creating "entrapment hazards" leading to serious injury and even death. So far, Samson received one incident involving a 10-year-old child where the dresser was tipped over, the CPSC said.
To double-check that this wooden dresser isn't in your bedroom, look for the model/item number M71C3180 on the back of the unit, which will also say "Samson International" and include the Costco item number 1335751. The label will list the month, date, and year that your dresser was manufactured. Check for dates that fall within the recall parameters of Sept. 2019 and Nov. 2019.
You have two options if you bought this recalled dresser.
ShutterstockThankfully, if you have this dresser, Samson is making an effort to resolve this issue via a free tip-over restraint kit or a full refund.
If you want your money back, Samson will provide prepaid shipping labels for you to mail the drawer slides back, and if you opt for the restraint kit, Samson will also provide free in-home installation. You can reach the company directly at 800-357-0701 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), Monday through Friday. You can also reach out via email to customerservice@samsoninternational.com.
It can be a pain to move big furniture back and forth, but rest assured that you can also take the chest back to any Costco Warehouse to get your refund.
