A settlement of $425,000 has provisionally been approved unanimously by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in a case against Perfect Fitness. The product defect case pertains to a defect in the initial version of the exercise device, known as Perfect Pullup.

Products made available to consumers for purchase are expected to meet the ordinary expectations of the consumer. Retailing for between $80 and $100, the fitness device consisting of a poll with attached hanging handles is designed to be installed in a doorway using braces affixed to the door jam. The original version that became available to consumers in January 2008, had a defect that resulted in the handles breaking off when an average weight of 158 pounds was applied, causing the user to fall. A recall on the device was issued in February of this year. In all, close to 10,000 defective devices were sold both online and in stores.

Employees at Perfect Fitness indicated the company knew of the defect but failed to initially report it in violation of a federal law that requires potentially hazardous product defects to be reported within 24 hours. By the time the defect was finally reported in December 2010, the company had received 2,000 requests to return the device and 45 injury complaints due to the handles breaking. Three months later the company posted an offer on its website to replace the handles and after tests were run on the original handles, new handles were designed.

The company did not admit to violating the law regarding immediate reporting as part of the settlement.

Source

North Bay Business Journal: "Perfect Fitness to pay $425,000 to settle product-defect allegations," Business Journal Staff Report, Aug. 10, 2011