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Baby Einstein Refund Program Expanded by Disney
October 25, 2009 by Cathy Ribble
Filed under News
The Walt Disney Co. announced that it will expand its Baby Einstein refund program by offering cash refunds on any DVDs bought from June 5, 2004, to September 4, 2009.
The company has been under scrutiny concerning the educational aspect of the Baby Einstein products. Customers are given the option of exchanging DVDs for a Baby Einstein book or music CD, or receive a 25% discount on any other Baby Einstein product. The new program offer expires March 4, 2010.
The attack on the product line was launched by The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood with a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission in May 2006 alleging that educational claims on the Baby Einstein web site and the product packaging were not supported by scientific research. They do not believe that videos teach words to babies under 2 years old. Some pediatric experts say that watching television can lead to attention problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also questioned whether television or videos will enhance the skill development of children under two years of age.
Although the company refuted the claims, Disney eventually removed some of the testimonials from the Baby Einstein web site and modified the product packaging. In December, 2007, the FCC decided to take no formal action after investigating the claims.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood was not satisfied with Disney’s action and retained attorneys who threatened a class-action lawsuit against Disney. It is unclear at this point whether Disney’s expanded refund program will settle the threatened lawsuit.
“We believe that this is an acknowledgment that baby videos are not educational,” said Susan Linn, a psychologist and director of The Campaign.
The Baby Einstein Company was founded in 1997 by Julie Ainger-Clark, a mother and former educator, and was later bought by Disney in 2001.
For complete details of the refund program, visit The Baby Einstein DVD Upgrade/Moneyback Guarantee.
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