Published
A Moorabbin wholesaler has been ordered to pay for the recall and destruction of 12 types of dangerous toys after the Supreme Court found that it breached provisions of the Victorian Fair Trading Act 1999 by trading in unsafe products Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria Dr Claire Noone said today.
DW International Trading Pty Ltd and sole company officer Mr Bo Hui Dong breached the act by supplying toys that fail to comply with safety standards. The case followed an inspection of the DW International premises in 2009 where more than 1,300 suspicious products were seized.
“This decision is a win for consumers. This company traded in unsafe products, placing the public, particularly children at risk. It should be held accountable for its actions,” Dr Noone said.
“We are committed to removing all toys that are unsafe or don’t meet mandatory safety standards from the shelves.”
The court found that DW International traded in dangerous toys that pose a number of safety hazards to young children. These hazards include:
The court also ordered that the company:
“All goods which were seized from DW International will be destroyed at the defendants expense,” Dr Noone said.
“In addition, the company must pay $5,000 to cover the legal costs for Consumer Affairs Victoria.”
DW International Trading Pty Ltd and sole company officer Mr Bo Hui Dong breached the act by supplying toys that fail to comply with safety standards. The case followed an inspection of the DW International premises in 2009 where more than 1,300 suspicious products were seized.
“This decision is a win for consumers. This company traded in unsafe products, placing the public, particularly children at risk. It should be held accountable for its actions,” Dr Noone said.
“We are committed to removing all toys that are unsafe or don’t meet mandatory safety standards from the shelves.”
The court found that DW International traded in dangerous toys that pose a number of safety hazards to young children. These hazards include:
- toys which break into small parts when dropped which children can then choke on
- toys with stretchable cords which pose the risk of strangling young children
- battery operated toys which don't have secure lids. Children can easily access the batteries and can then in be danger of electric shock or getting exposed to acid.
- Yo-yo water balls which have a long stretchy chord which can choke young children
- a plastic toy set known as Police Gun Rongye Toys in which children can insert projectiles posing a serious risk of eye injury
- Animal Toys which can break into small parts that could choke a young child if swallowed.
The court also ordered that the company:
- pay for the destruction and disposal of all the toys seized by Consumer Affairs Victoria
- publish a costly A4 page notice in the Herald Sun newspaper
- be prohibited from trading in any category of goods subject to product safety standards and bans until they have implemented a compliance program.
“All goods which were seized from DW International will be destroyed at the defendants expense,” Dr Noone said.
“In addition, the company must pay $5,000 to cover the legal costs for Consumer Affairs Victoria.”
Contact details
For further information, view Consumer Affairs Victoria's Product safety section or call their Toy and Nursery Safety Line on freecall 1300 36 48 94.
