Steelcraft Pram Warning

[katha]

I was recently out walking with my two year old in her Steelcraft
pram. I was manoeuvring the pram down two stairs, as we all know is frequently necessary, when the handle of the pram simply snapped off in my hands. I am eternally grateful that I managed to catch the back of the pram seat before the pram toppled forward, taking my child along with it.
I made contact with Britax to alert them to the event and my concerns about the safety of this pram and was advised that "as I had been going down stairs I was on a declined angle with my child in the pram and they believe the added pressure placed on the handle is what has caused it to break". They went on to state they did not consider this to be a manufacturing fault!!! Whilst they may not consider this to be a fault I most certainly do and feel other parents need to be made aware of this.:(

[MumNeedsCoffee]

How is this not a manufacturing fault?! Are we talking about taking the pram down two steps? If so that is something you frequently have to do with a pram. This is a company that prides itself on the safety of their products, they make safe n sound! I can't believe they wouldnt take this more seriously.

Thanks I have a steelcraft pram so I'll be aware of this.

I would definitely take it further if I were you. I find the most effective way to get attention is to email companies. The email usually lands in the hands of a manager.

[breechmumma]

That is awful. Do you mind if I ask which steelecraft pram it was?

I am so glad that you bub is ok. They have a bit more to answer for then just saying it is your fault though. Wouldn't it be in their best interests to give you a replacement and look into the matter further and see if a recall is needed rather then risking you taking legal action against them.

[katha]

Yep, 2 steps! The pram is a Steelcraft Swivelrite.

[MumNeedsCoffee]

You would think with the recent media coverage over the incident with the train and the baby in the pram they'd be wanting to ensure that their handles don't just snap off!

[breechmumma]

Yep, 2 steps! The pram is a Steelcraft Swivelrite.


Yeah 2 steps. Thats crazy. Unfortunently this big bad world isn't flat Steelecraft and sometimes we need to be up just that 2 steps higher.

I am glad that it is not the type of Steelecraft that I have but I am sad that if a problem does happen with my pram it won't be dealt with properly by the company.

[tania1971]

is it a pram or stroller...or are they the same....I have a steelcraft stroller.

[peanutbutter&jelly]

They're used interchangably by a lot of people...

That really is a nasty manufacturing mistake :( I can understand why you wouldn't use one again! I had a mother's choice pram collapse while my DS was sleeping in it, again, going up 2 steps!
I have a steelcraft though, and have had for a year and a half no probs. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience with them :( :hugs:

[melb81]

Hi, I have a Steelcraft Transition 3 wheel stroller who I have retured to Britax twice now. Under warranty I had the front wheel shake out of control and the supposed to of fixed it....not. 2 weeks ago I sent it back cause it was doing the same thing, and was told that it was out of warranty now and that I will have to pay to get it down to them and pay for the part fee. Yeah right....!! I also complained that the attachable zipper for the fly/sun shade is not working properly and apparently now I cannot get any spare parts for my stoller as it is npt sold anymore. So where can I get the toddler seat to buy for when I have my next baby??? Sorry for ranting...I have had nothing but crap from Britax and the lady I dealt with Tracey was rude and abrupt. She obviosly has not children of her own. I too want another stroller. I hate to see my son shaken while he sits in his stroller.

I feel your frustration katha. Expecially with the handle coming off....thats awful. Speak to a lady called Rhonda...she is nice apparently. It is frustrating when you pay a lot of money for a stroller and it causes you grief. I should have just brought a cheap one.!!

[QueenBeeOfTheHive]

:eek: Thank goodness you caught the pram. How awful.

[katha]

I'm sorry to hear someone else has had problems and been treated so poorly too. I just find it so hard to understand given that as a company they pride themselves on the safety of their products!

[Gravy]

We have also just had the experience of a handle breaking off our Steelcraft Swivelrite 3 wheel pram (Cat: 36121).

Ours is about 5 years old and one side of the handle broke a few weeks ago and was taped up and then the other side broke yesterday. The break is just inside where the height adjustment hinge fits inside the steel tubing.

I believe this is a manufacturing fault due to the fact that when I looked at the breaks on both sides of the handle, there is an air bubble in the plastic which basically weakened that section of the plastic. For a bubble to be on both sides in the same position is either very bad luck or perhaps something that was occuring with a particular batch of the prams produced. The bubble was about 10mm wide x 4mm in a crescent shape and would not be visible until it broke (completely inside the plastic).

No doubt a 5 year old pram would show signs of fatigue but a manufacturing fault of this kind could lead to a nasty accident, luckily we avoided that.

I think I will send a copy of this post to Britax/Steelcraft just in case there is an issue that needs to be looked at, although the pram is no longer in their range.

[krystallxx]

I had a steelcraft twin pram and both back wheels fell off in the middle f a shopping centre, it was 3mths old .. After several attempts to fix it I ended up buying a Phil and Ted pram. I would never buy another steelcraft pram as their customer service I feel is disgusting!
Glad ur baby didn't get injured :)