By Kelly Burgess on July 16, 2011 in
You would think that a manufacturer's website would be the ideal destination for a consumer to find out everything they need to know about a stroller they may be interested in purchasing. Think again. While there are some manufacturers who answer the role of the Internet as an informational highway, others are clueless.
Frustration #1: Incomplete information
Stroller manufacturer sites vary about the amount of information they provide. Manufacturers, such as B.O.B and Valco Baby, for example, lists virtually every single thing about their strollers on its product pages -- dimensions and weight both open and folded and with wheels on and off, height from seats to hood, backrest heights, seat widths, footrest lengths -- you name it, you can find it there. By contrast, Mia Moda for the longest time did not even have a website. Recently they launched their site only with lackluster results: very few specifications available there, just the basics of minimum and maximum weight capacity and a few highlighted features. If you need total weight, folded size, wheel size, frame material or just about anything else, you'll need to call customer service.
Even good stroller websites, like Graco, often fail to list specifications that are important to parents, such as folded dimensions, which are significant if you have a smaller car.
Frustration #2: Conflicting information
Consumers should be very careful about manufacturer websites and conflicting information. Often a stroller's product page will say one thing (such as the stroller being suitable for newborns) and the actual owner's manual will say another (that the stroller is suitable for six weeks and up). Usually, the owner's manual is correct, but most people don't bother to read that until they've actually purchased the stroller.
Many of these types of errors seem to result from stroller descriptions being cut and pasted across models, rather than written exclusively for each stroller. The worst offender we found for that type of error was Baby Trend. With an extensive stroller line, there are many descriptions that do not fit the stroller they describe, as well as discrepancies between what the website says is the maximum weight the stroller safely accepts and the maximum weight recommended in the owner's manual. These are not insignificant errors considering the number of consumer complaints we found related to too-tall or too-heavy children in these strollers. This is a safety issue that can lead to serious harm to a child.
Frustration #3: What's the stroller's weight?
One of the most difficult stroller specifications to find is an accurate weight, even though this is one of the most important features for parents. Most websites do list weights, but those weights may not always be correct. In order to make a stroller seem more attractive to the weight-conscious consumer, some websites don't bother to mention that the weight they have listed does not include canopies or wheels or other accessories that are an integral part of the stroller.
Usually, it's retail websites that tweak the weights, but sometimes the manufacturer's website does so as well. Peg Perego was recently taken to task by a well-respected product review source for its outright falsehoods about stroller weights on its website. The 16.4 pound Vela was listed on their site as 9.9 pounds, but that weight did not include the seat fabric, wheels, cup holder and other accessories. Peg Perego has since updated their catalog and website with more accurate weights, but they still omit the weight of the canopy.
Frustration #4: Skimming the information
Having said all that, we must add that consumers can be guilty of overlooking information that is clearly stated. We found several perplexing complaints about the Tike Tech All Terrain X3 Sport Single Stroller (*Est. $270). Perplexing because the complaint was that it has a fixed wheel, even though it's described on the website as a fixed wheel stroller intended for unpaved terrains.
Solution: Shop Smart
To avoid being misled or disappointed, simply to pay attention and do your homework. Look at the manufacturer's website, but double check the specs you find there against the owner's manual (usually available on the site). If you still have questions, or the manual isn't available, call customer service. (Although, as we noted in a previous post, not all customer service is created equal.) If your questions have not been answered satisfactorily or you have a bad customer service experience, it's probably best to find another stroller. We have plenty of stroller reviews -- complete with accurate specs.