The Family Dollar Store is recalling 1.8 million dart sets after reports of two boys choking to death on the darts. The two deaths were separate instances, a nine year old in Chicago and a 10 year old in Milwaukee. The Chinese made toys were imported by Henry Gordy International Inc. in Plainfield, N.J.. The company refused to recall the darts, even after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Committee requested a recall. The toys are sold exclusively at Family Dollar Store, so the retailer is undertaking the recall themselves.
It’s highly unusual for a company to completely refuse a recall, some drag them out, but they almost always eventually comply.
“At CPSC, we traditionally start with the U.S. manufacturer or importer as the responsible party to negotiate a recall with,” CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson told Consumer Ally. “In this case the manufacturer refused to conduct the recall, so Family Dollar stepped up to the plate and agreed to give affected consumers a refund.”
Family Dollar will offer a refund on the “Auto Fire” toy dart target sets, which were sold between September 2005 and January 2009 for $1.50.
“Family Dollar takes the safety of our customers very seriously,” company spokesman Josh Braverman told Consumer Ally. “The CPSC asked us to voluntarily issue a recall for this product that we haven’t sold in our stores in more than a year. We agreed as a way to ensure that the customers who purchased the product were aware of the potential issues.”
The sets come with toy guns that fire the 8 orange suction cup darts in the set and a small dartboard. If you have a set, take it away from your children right away and either throw it out or bring it back to Family Dollar for a refund.
For more information, call Family Dollar at (800) 547-0359 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
