The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has accepted court enforceable undertakings from Ray’s Outdoors about the labelling of its Wild Country elastic luggage straps.
The undertakings resolve ACCC concerns that in supplying Wild Country elastic luggage straps Ray’s Outdoors may have breached the mandatory product safety standard for elastic luggage straps prescribed under the Trade Practices Act 1974.
Due to the potential harm that elastic luggage straps can cause, the mandatory standard requires them to have a permanently attached label containing a specifically worded warning that is a certain size and colour.
“The ACCC is responsible for ensuring compliance with mandatory consumer product safety standards under the Act,” ACCC Chairman Mr Graeme Samuel said.
“All companies have a responsibility to ensure that the goods they supply comply with mandatory standards. The ACCC places great importance on promoting compliance with mandatory standards and will not hesitate to take enforcement action when necessary."
When the ACCC raised its concerns with Ray’s Outdoors the company withdrew all its Wild Country straps from point of sale. Ray’s Outdoors has also undertaken to:
- relabel its remaining stocks of Wild Country elastic luggage straps to comply with the mandatory standard
- notify consumers throughout Victoria by means of a product recall to be published in relevant Victorian newspapers
- not supply an elastic luggage strap that does not comply with the mandatory standard
- implement an upgraded corporate trade practices compliance program with a focus on mandatory product safety standards.