WeMakeItSafer Launches New Technology to Protect Consumers From Product Recalls

BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new tool by WeMakeItSafer called Items I Own™ (http://WeMakeItSafer.com/ItemsIOwn) will bridge the gap in communication between manufacturers and consumers, addressing a problem that has made recalls largely ineffective in recapturing dangerous products from consumers' homes since the first Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall in 1973.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/SF45002LOGO)

According to WeMakeItSafer, as many as 80% of recalled products are never returned or fixed, a problem that has led to an estimated 300,000 injuries and deaths by recalled products after they were recalled.

"The problem is information misalignment," said WeMakeItSafer CEO, Jennifer Toney. "Manufacturers know which products are dangerous, but don't know who owns them.  Consumers know what products they own, but don't have an easy way to tell which ones are dangerous."

Items I Own™ solves this problem by acting as an information hub.  The system gathers, cleans and structures data about recalled products, then matches it to information about the items a consumer owns using a set of complex algorithms that the company developed from over four years of research and data analysis.

"Items are checked for new recalls daily, but what makes Items I Own truly special is its ability to check belongings against thousands of past recalls, an otherwise daunting, if not impossible, task," Toney said.  "We believe there are nearly half-a-billion recalled products still in use in homes and childcare facilities across the country.  We want to help consumers find them before more people get hurt."

While safety is the main focus of Items I Own™, the tool also assists consumers with several other product-related tasks, such as tax-deductible donations and lost-item insurance claims.   WeMakeItSafer is committed to privacy, and account information is kept confidential.

Items I Own™ is free and available now at WeMakeItSafer.com (http://WeMakeItSafer.com/ItemsIOwn).  

About WeMakeItSafer

WeMakeItSafer (http://WeMakeItSafer.com) develops tools and services for consumers, manufacturers and retailers to improve product safety and recall effectiveness.  In addition to its unparalleled web applications, the company boasts the most comprehensive, structured recall data available anywhere in the world.  Since its private release in September 2010, users have checked more than 27,000 products for recalls.

SOURCE WeMakeItSafer