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Buckyball, Buckycube Refund Requests Due Jan. 17, 2015: CPSC

By Admin on August 18, 2014 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has set a deadline of January 17, 2015, for consumers who wish to file a refund claim for their purchase of Buckyballs or Buckycubes magnets.

The refunds were made available as part of a settlement agreement between the CPSC and Craig Zucker, the founder of Maxfield & Oberton, the company that produced the Buckyballs desk magnets. The CPSC sued Zucker individually after Maxfield & Oberton was dissolved, at least partly because of an increasing number of consumer safety complaints. The CPSC also filed an administrative complaint to force the company to stop the sale of its magnets.

Injuries to Children

Reports of children being injured by swallowing the tiny magnets first surfaced in 2010, when the CPSC issued a voluntary recall for Buckyballs because of insufficient warning labels.

However, the products remained on the market, and children continued to be injured by swallowing them, including an Oregon girl who swallowed 37 of the magnets, which tore holes in her intestine and stomach.

Settlement Agreement

To settle the CPSC's complaint against both him and his former company, Zucker agreed earlier this year to establish a recall trust to provide consumers who bought Buckyballs and Buckycubes with refunds.

Under the terms of the agreement, Zucker was ordered to provide $375,000 in an escrow fund and to establish a website at which consumers can file refund claims.

How to Get a Refund

If you purchased Buckyballs or Buckycubes, you can file a refund claim at the Buckyballs Recall Website, buckyballsrecall.com.

In order to obtain a refund, consumers must complete a claim form (either online or mailed) and return their Buckyballs or Buckycubes magnet sets via the prepaid USPS postage available through the website or via their own shipping carrier. According to the recall website, a receipt is not necessary. Packages must be postmarked by January 17, 2015, to be eligible for the refund.

Consumers who have questions about the recall can call the Recall Administrator at (866) 905-8102.

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