Amazon has announced a new feature designed to keep consumers informed about product safety alerts and recalls. Instead of having to find recall information through third-party websites or news sources, Amazon shoppers can now access a “Your Recalls and Product Safety Alerts” page, linked at the top of their “Your Orders” page and communicated to them via email.
Upon clicking the banner or email link, consumers are redirected to a page that provides detailed information about the potential safety hazards of products they've purchased, as well as their options for refunds, returns, and repairs.
"We can now directly reach 100% of customers who have bought a recalled product in our store and provide clear instructions on what to do next," Amazon stated in a blog post unveiling the new feature.
While this feature mainly addresses products sold by Amazon, the retail giant is also making the new system available to its third-party sellers. U.S.-based selling partners can opt into Amazon’s Recalls Logistics Service (RLS). This allows the sellers to alert customers who purchased the affected products, while Amazon handles the process of issuing refunds, managing returns, and coordinating logistics on behalf of the selling partner.
However, this system is presently only available to U.S. sellers and is opt-in, which is a limitation. Many of Amazon’s marketplace sellers are located overseas and might not have the same safety standards as in the U.S., leading to the sale of unsafe products to U.S. consumers.
Being one of the largest retail websites, Amazon inevitably faces numerous product safety issues due to its vast catalog. Recent recalls have included fire hazard portable chargers and Amazon Basics Desk Chairs that posed fall and injury risks due to potential leg breakage, among others.
In 2021, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sued Amazon, pressing the company to take responsibility for recalling potentially hazardous products it sells. This complaint highlighted faulty carbon monoxide detectors, children’s sleepwear violating flammable fabric safety standards, and hair dryers sold without the necessary safety devices.
While it has taken Amazon some time to address these issues, it has historically monitored sources such as the CPSC, recalls.gov, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, taking actions such as removing sellers or posting warnings on product pages.
This new feature is live now, and Amazon has stated that it will actively notify customers about recalls and safety alerts in the future.
