Child car seats: How to buy a child car seat Investigation findings - 2012 update

Retailer advice compared

This time round, our undercover investigation found only seven out of 35 stores installed the seats correctly.

14 out of the 35 stores failed even to ask the basic question – what is the weight of our child?

28 stores fitted the seat incorrectly when demonstrating it to us in our ordinary family car.

And 21 stores completely failed to mention the importance of keeping our baby rear-facing for longer. This is important, because in a front crash, a child is much better protected if they are rearward-facing.

You can see some examples of the typical fitting mistakes they made in our 2012 investigation in the video.

How the stores performed 

All the stores that signed up to our Best Practice Charter have all been consulting with us about measures they are considering, so we hoped to see progress, but results were mixed.

What they say

‘With our free safe fit service a trained fitting expert will be happy to check the seat you buy fits your child and car.’ The service is for any seat bought in store or online from Mothercare.

What we found

Mothercare was the best of the chains this time, with a total score of 30 out of 49. It has improved from last year’s score of 26, and performed better in four of our seven assessment criteria. 

However, its overall performance is nowhere near that achieved by the independent stores in 2011. And, while our experts noted some improvements, they were disappointed that five of the seven stores we visited failed on possibly the most important point – the correct installation of the seats. 

We spoke to Mothercare, and were told about the measures it has introduced, including a new training programme, which so far has been delivered in 61 of its 200 stores. Its aim is to have at least three trained car seat advisers available in every store. 

Last year this was the only chain where one of the sales assistants used a checklist for noting down details of the seats tried and how well they fitted. We saw no evidence of this on our most recent round of visits, though Mothercare says these are normally issued once a seat is purchased.

Verdict

Some good signs of improvement, but still some way to go to match independent stores.

Verdict

A disappointing slip in standards, particularly when it came to fitting seats correctly. 

What they say 

Mamas & Papas has recently launched its own Safer Seat campaign - in partnership with Which? This is heavily based around the Retailer Best Practice Charter and should be handy for both staff and customers.

What we found

Mamas & Papas has been one of the most open in sharing and consulting with us about what it’s been doing to try and improve things. So we are pleased to see it is the most improved of the chains, with the stores visited doing better in four of our seven criteria. Its overall score moved up from a lowly 13 last year to 23 out of 49 – a good step forward, although still a long way off perfection. 

During our visits, none of the staff asked us about the cars we were planning to use the seat in, and in one store we were told ‘all seats fit all cars’, which is simply not true. 

All seven stores failed to improve on the previous very poor rating for correct seat installation, with staff making serious mistakes. Just one store installed the seat correctly and three attached the top tether strap to incorrect positions, including a luggage loop and a seatbelt guide. This sort of error could compromise the safety of a child in a crash.

Verdict 

Some signs of progress, but it is worrying that staff made serious mistakes when demonstrating how to install seats.

What they say

‘All our stores have advisers trained to fit car seats and check the seat you’re considering is the right one for your child and car. They’ll happily demonstrate how to fit it safely.’

What we found

This chain scored slightly better than last year, with its overall rating rising from a very poor 12 out of 49 to 16. Stores scored better in four of our seven criteria, but worse in two. 

Four sales staff failed to ask the child’s weight – crucial to any decision about whether to buy the next-stage seat – and just one asked which cars we were planning to use the seat in. 

Unlike all the other retail chains, several Babies R Us stores didn’t have a demonstration rig, which would have been useful for allowing staff to demonstrate the installation principles without the clutter of a car body to restrict the customer’s view. Staff also need to practise, as only one of the seven installed the seat correctly in our car. Errors included mis-routed and twisted seatbelts, both of which could compromise safety.

Verdict 

A disappointingly poor performance. Despite doing very poorly last time, improvements have been slow to materialise. 

Buying a seat now? Download and print off our free handy checklist, to help you get the best out of your purchase