Avoiding Injury from New Products

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The purchase of a brand new product is always a time of anticipation and excitement for many people. It is one of the reasons why unboxing videos have become so popular online and why people are always excited when a package they ordered shows up at their door. However, there are occasionally risks involved in purchasing a new product, especially a technical one. Generally those risks are relatively minor and typically involve the product not working properly, but in some cases a product failure can hurt the person using it.

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There are ways to mitigate that risk, but there is still a chance that a product defect could end up hurting someone. If that does happen, then the injured person needs to contact a product liability attorney to help them. The reason is that they will likely be up against a big corporation and will need all the help they can get since the corporation will have its own attorneys. An experienced product liability attorney can help to even the playing field and give you the best chance of receiving compensation. If you have been hurt by a defective product, then you can go to getinjuryanswers.com to learn how they can help you.

1.Do Not Be an Early Adopter

Many new products that make it to the marketplace sometimes have bugs or defects that end up making it past the QA (Quality Assurance) process. In some cases, those bugs and defects may simply cause the product to not work as intended, but there are cases where they could cause a major malfunction that ends up injuring the user. 

 

That is why it is best to wait a few weeks after a product launches to consider purchasing one. By then the early adopters will have noticed and reported any problems with the product, at which point the manufacturer should address those concerns. If you are an early adopter, then there is a chance that you could get a refund or replacement for a defective product, but it is better to wait until any defects have been ironed out before making your purchase.

2.Check Online Reviews Thoroughly

When purchasing any new product it is best to read reviews and evaluations from people who have actually used it. That means you should check both professional reviews and user reviews. Professional reviewers can give you a good evaluation of the product and have the experience to identify any flaws or defects that are a problem or could become a problem later on. User reviews are great because those people have used the product for a while and they have done so in a more casual and less formal way than a professional reviewer. 

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That means they would have subjected it to the wear and tear of regular use and so would notice any problems that would not occur in the short time that a professional had with the product. There are some cases where a professional will post a long term follow-up on a product to let readers know how it holds up after weeks or months of use, but you never know when those will show up. That is why you should check user reviews if you want to learn about the long term viability of a product.

Focus on Quality Over Cost

It can be tempting to go for a lower priced version of a product over the more expensive premium version, but that is not always a good idea. That is because, in most cases, if a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is. The manufacturers of low cost products typically come by those costs by cutting corners and using low quality components in their products. There is a good chance that they do not conduct the rigorous safety tests to meet the high standards set by other companies.

 

That means a low cost product is more prone to failure than a more expensive high quality one. The low cost product might work in the short term, but it will eventually fail and when it does it could do so in a catastrophic way that hurts the person using it. That is why it is best to focus on quality rather than price. There are quality low priced products, but you need to look for them carefully and not get fooled by a low cost, low quality product. You can also wait for sales or price drops of the better products if you do not want to spend too much, just make sure that you avoid buying cheap, poorly made products that could end up causing you harm.

Check the Packaging

Not all product defects occur in the manufacturing phase, some of them can occur during the distribution phase as well. It is possible that a product may get dropped or jostled and that could end up causing a defect where there was none before. This can affect the packaging of the product as well, which is why you should check to see if the packaging of a product has any dents or scratches because that could indicate damage to the product, especially if it is a delicate technical product.

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If the package is small enough to be held in the hands, then you can gently shake it to find out if there is any rattling to indicate loose components when there should not be any. Retailers should avoid putting defective products on the shelves but people make mistakes and sometimes a damaged product might end up on display. In the case of perishable items, they will have an expiration date, so you should check to make sure that the product has not exceeded that date. By carefully checking the packaging of a new product, you can avoid buying a product that has been damaged during distribution.

Try to Choose Name Brands

A product with a recognizable brand is not a surefire guarantee of quality, but it does have a higher possibility of quality than a brand you have never heard of. That is because name brands are likely to have stricter safety standards and use higher quality components. That does not mean that a previously unknown brand cannot be of good quality, but it is generally safer to choose a well known brand until a new one can become more well established and trusted. A well known brand will also have more attention, which means that they need to have higher standards in order to maintain their reputation.

Contact an Attorney If You Have Experienced a Defective Product

A defective product can be more than just an inconvenience, it can be dangerous enough to cause harm to the user. If you follow the tips laid out above, then you can reduce the chances of purchasing a defective product. But no matter what you do, you can still end up with a harmful product; if that happens, then you should contact a product liability attorney to help you. 

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They can help you identify where the defect occurred and hold the responsible party accountable. This is necessary because you will be up against a big company and will need an attorney of your own to stand up to them. So if you have been injured by a defective product, be sure to contact a product liability lawyer to help you.