Invested in a bunch of those Baby Einstein DVDs, but wound up with a dopey, drooling baby anyway?
Our bad, says Disney. In response to complaints made by groups who oppose marketing to children (and babies), Disney is now offering refunds to parents based on claims made about the Baby Einstein line that consumer advocacy groups say are baseless. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood posted a statement on their website, hinting at reluctance from Disney to concede that it may actually be harmful to expose a child under 2 to television:
As a result of our 2006 Federal Trade Commission complaint, Disney stopped claiming that Baby Einstein videos were educational for infants, but the company made no move to compensate parents who purchased them.
We thought parents deserved better. So, with help from CCFC members like you, we kept the pressure on until Disney agreed to reimburse Baby Einstein customers.
The refund offer is a wonderful victory for families and anyone who cares about children. Recent research shows that screen time is not educational for babies. Now parents who purchased Baby Einstein DVDs, mistakenly believing the videos would make their babies smarter, can recoup their money.
Disney finally caved, offering parents first a replacement Baby Einstein product, then a coupon for 25% off a Baby Einstein product, then way below at the bottom, a refund up to $15.99.
To participate, you must have purchased a Baby Einstein DVD between June 5, 2004 and September 4, 2009.
If you are not satisfied with the Baby Einstein DVD you purchased during the period mentioned above, for a limited time beginning on September 4, 2009 and ending on March 4, 2010, you may exchange it for one of the following:
- One (1) Baby Einstein Book of your choice
- One (1) Baby Einstein music CD of your choice
– Or –
- One (1) coupon for 25% off the purchase of one Little Einsteins™ product. Redeemable with promotion code only at DisneyStore.com.
or you may return it, and we will refund the current retail value of the DVD ($15.99).
