A pushchair that folds unexpectedly, a brake that does not hold or a harness buckle that fails is a safety problem as well as a faulty product. Checking for a recall is one step, but a pram that is not the subject of any recall notice can still be unsafe, and reporting it is a separate step. This guide sets out what the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) says about reporting unsafe consumer products, and where to go in each UK nation. It is general information, not legal advice. Our guide to checking whether a pram or pushchair has been recalled covers the recall side.
Who is responsible for product safety
GOV.UK’s OPSS guidance says unsafe products are sometimes found in the UK even though businesses are legally responsible for all products they make, import, distribute or sell in the UK. The guidance, published on 29 July 2024, tells consumers who think a product is unsafe and could harm people to report their concerns (OPSS, “Consumer products: reporting product safety issues”).
Where to report, by nation
The OPSS names a different route depending on where the reporter lives:
- England and Wales: contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.
- Scotland: contact the Advice Direct Scotland consumer helpline.
- Northern Ireland: contact the local district council.
The OPSS says a complaint may be referred to the relevant local Trading Standards Service or, in Northern Ireland, to the Environmental Health Service, and that the information helps decide whether action is needed. GOV.UK’s consumer rights page gives the helpline details by nation, including Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 for England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 for Northern Ireland, with their opening hours (GOV.UK, “Consumer rights”). These numbers and hours are as published there and can change.
Why a single report matters
The OPSS explains that consumer reporting can help take unsafe products off the shelves. It says reports are used by local trading standards and the OPSS to:
- identify unsafe products across the whole supply chain, including manufacturers;
- support product safety investigations where needed;
- aid educational campaigns that raise consumer awareness; and
- form part of the wider evidence used to support regulatory or legislative change.
It adds that trading standards use the Product Safety Database to formally notify the OPSS of unsafe and non-compliant products, and that local trading standards can escalate matters to the OPSS under its Incident Management Plan. A report on one pushchair model can therefore contribute to action affecting every buyer of that model.
Reporting is separate from getting a remedy
The OPSS says that where a product has a safety issue, the owner may be entitled to a refund, a replacement or a repair. That is a consumer-rights question, and our guide to faulty pushchair rights sets out the time limits and the order in which the remedies work. It is sensible to raise the remedy with the seller at the same time as making the report, and to keep the two separate in writing.
If an unsafe product causes damage or injury
The OPSS says that if an unsafe product causes injury to you or your family, or damage to your property, you may be able to claim compensation depending on the circumstances, and directs people to the consumer helplines above. Citizens Advice’s guidance for England, which covers damage to property, says photographs and a note of dates and times are good evidence, and that a claim is usually made first to the seller and, if the buyer did not purchase the item, to the manufacturer. It says a claim for injury is a personal injury claim (Citizens Advice, “Claim compensation if an item or product causes damage”). That page states that it applies to England, and advice for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is linked from it.
Practical steps before reporting
- Note the make, model and any batch or serial number, and keep proof of purchase.
- Take dated photographs of the problem, keeping the original product and packaging where possible.
- Check the OPSS list of Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls to see whether the model is already covered (OPSS, “Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls”).
- Use the route for the nation where you live, and give the retailer and manufacturer details in the report.
- Check the labels and standards on the product using our guide to reading a pram’s labels.
Questions readers often ask
Is reporting the same as a recall?
No. Recalls are notices about specific products that the OPSS lists. A report is information from a consumer that trading standards and the OPSS can use to decide whether action is needed.
Does a second-hand pushchair count?
The OPSS’s guidance on second-hand goods says that used products sold commercially must be safe and advises checking whether a product is subject to a recall. If a used item causes a safety concern, the same reporting routes apply (OPSS, “Consumer products: buying second-hand goods”).
The bottom line
An unsafe pram or pushchair should be reported through the route the OPSS lists for the reporter’s nation: Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland in Scotland, or the local district council in Northern Ireland. Reports feed trading standards and OPSS investigations, and they sit alongside, not instead of, a request to the seller for a refund, repair or replacement and a check for any recall notice.