Zhang Yang

    nicolezyyy@163.com

    IKEA will offer “conditional refunds” to customers who have bought its Malm dresser in China, according to a press release from the Shenzhen Consumer Council. The hot-selling dresser has been recalled in North America after causing the deaths of six children who were crushed under the chests since 1989.

    The council issued an investigation letter to Ikea a week ago after the council staff found the involved Malm dressers are still available for sale in Ikea’s outlet in Nanshan District.

    The council prompted Ikea to recall the dressers in China unconditionally as it did in North America.

    Ikea said it will offer free wall attachment kits and door-to-door installation to customers buying the Malm dressers, and if the wall is unsuitable for attachment, customers can request a refund from Ikea no matter when they bought the dressers or whether they have purchase invoices or not, according to the council.

    The council said unlike its recall policies for Malm dressers in North America, Ikea is offering “conditional refunds” to customers in China. The council will supervise Ikea’s implementation of its recall measures in Shenzhen, and customers can consult or complain to the council by calling 12315 or leaving messages on the council’s website or WeChat account, szxf315.

    Ikea’s public relations manager in China, Xu Lide, said she wasn’t aware of the company’s recall measures disclosed by the Shenzhen Consumer Council. She said Ikea is communicating with the national quality supervision authority and the China Consumers Association over the issue, according to a Beijing Times’ report.

    According to previous media reports, Ikea didn’t recall the Malm dresser in China because it said the dresser had met relevant safety standards in China. But an online survey on btime.com showed that over 76 percent of people believed Ikea “discriminated against Chinese customers” for not recalling the Malm dressers in China.

    Ikea’s financial statement showed that the Swedish company’s sales revenue in China amounted to 10.5 billion yuan (US$1.57 billion) last year, accounting for one-third of its global sales. Its individual-store sales revenue in China was about 583 million yuan last year, approaching its individual-store sales in Western countries.