Recall of the Week: Office Depot chairs due to fall hazard

By Rita R. Robison

Office Depot is recalling about 307,000 Brand Biella Leather Desk Chairs in the United States and 12,000 in Canada

The weld connecting the seat plate to the gas lift can fail, causing the chair to separate from the base. This poses a fall hazard to consumers, Office Depot and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

Office Depot has received 11 reports of the chairs breaking and consumers falling while seated, resulting in reports of injuries, including minor bruises and scrapes.

The recall involves Office Depot brand leather desk chairs. The mid-back height leather chairs were sold in black and have SKU number 130548. “REG. No. PA-25498 (CN)” and “Made in China” are printed on a label located on the underside of the seat.

Imported by Swinton Avenue Trading and manufactured by Wonderful Year Inc., the chairs were sold at Office Depot retail stores nationwide and online at www.OfficeDepot.com from January 2002 through December 2008. The cost was about $55.

Consumers should immediately stop using the chairs and contact Office Depot’s recall hotline to receive a $55 store card that may be used for a replacement chair or other store merchandise, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact Office Depot’s recall hotline toll-free at 866-403-3763 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.officedepot.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[office chairs]

The chairs were partly disasssembled on site to minimise freight volume from Orange to Sydney.