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NATIONAL PETITION
TO ENFORCE
BICYCLE SAFETY STANDARDS
SHOK
Wal-Mart - Stop Hurting Our Kids
In the past, bicycles have typically been sold
at specialty stores where trained technical
specialists assemble the parts and advise the
buyers. But in today’s global economy,
multi-purpose retailers sell a host of products
about which they know very little, including
bicycles.
We, the undersigned, believe strongly that
Wal-Mart -- as the world’s largest seller of
children’s bicycles -- should put immediate
safeguards in place to ensure that the bicycle
products they sell are safe and defect-free, and
should establish consistent and explicit
standards nationwide for dealing with bicycles,
bike parts and bike customers. The basic
safeguards we are requesting from Wal-Mart are:
·
Stop the Sale of
Quick-Release Front Wheel Bikes to Kids Under
the Age of 14
Wal-Mart should stop selling bikes with
defective parts to kids and should limit the
sale of technically specialized bicycles to
young adults aged 14 or older. It should
prominently post this restriction on all
bikes with quick-release front wheels.
Wal-Mart should see to it that manuals and
attached warnings explaining the dangers of
such equipment be included with each and
every sale.
In addition, we
are asking Wal-Mart to recall and
exchange any quick-release front wheel
children’s bicycles sold from the year 1999
to the present.
·
Conduct
Aggressive Public Notifications of All
Bicycle-Related Recalls
Wal-Mart should
publicly post all current recall and injury
information about its bicycles and bicycle
products on its website and in
every store. Wal-Mart should keep records of
the bike model, name and number, and the
location and extent of any
claims or injuries, chronologically
backdated for a period of five years.
Furthermore, store personnel selling
children’s bicycles should be properly
trained to inform consumers of all relevant
recalls. Finally, Wal-Mart should conduct an
aggressive national public relations effort
to ensure that the American public is made
aware of all relevant recalls of their
products.
·
Establish a
National Registry of Wal-Mart Bike Purchasers
for Recalls
Wal-Mart should create a national registry,
including the customer contact information for
all bicycles purchased, to enable timely and
efficient announcement of all recalls and other
product information to consumers.
·
Provide a
Consistent, Reliable In-Store Complaint &
Exchange Process
Wal-Mart should
provide a local in-store solution for each and
every bike consumer whereby returns, exchanges,
claims and recalls can be promptly handled at
the original purchase site. These policies
should be consistent nationwide and should allow
Wal-Mart staff to easily access consumer
registration information, bike model recall,
injury and claim history, and a selection of
solutions that can be handled on the spot --
without requiring extensive interrogations by a
third party.
If Wal-Mart
makes the Profits,
They should
handle the Problems!
Thanks very much for your support! Please send
your completed petitions to 336 Bon Air Road
#446, Greenbrae CA 94904 and feel free to visit
our website for more info and to get more
petitions.
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