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Walmart ruined my brand new carpet!!!

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ferro14

Junior Member
You knew that one of the boxes would contain bleach.

Then put something down on the carpet first...Heck, why would you take a dirty box that had been sitting on the ground outside and set it down on your brand new carpet?

You failed to take appropriate precautions.
Well I can't believe that you open all your packages while wearing a hazmat suit and with a tarp covering your floor and towels nearby. You seem very odd compared to the rest of the world.
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Well I can't believe that you open all your packages while wearing a hazmat suit and with a tarp covering your floor and towels nearby. You seem very odd compared to the rest of the world.
Hyperbolize much? :rolleyes:

When I have something shipped to me that I know contains liquids, particularly things like bleach, oil, soap, etc., I do make sure that I open it in a safe place. It seems odd to me that one wouldn't.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Ferro14, I will have to take some time to do some additional checking on "small quantity exceptions" to the legally required labeling on shipments of hazardous materials, but the lack of proper package labeling I see as more of a concern than your ruined carpet (although I understand your priorities differ).

It is possible that you have legal recourse but not for the reasons you suppose.

Edit to add: I recommend you save all packaging material and consult with an attorney in your area.

There can be harsh penalties for those who violate federal regulations on the shipping of hazardous materials. Amazon.com has been fined a couple of times recently for failing to properly follow hazardous material labeling on their air-shipped packages, for example, and their failures could have had catastrophic results.

After a personal review by an attorney in your area, you might find the recommendation is to inform Walmart and FedEx and the Department of Transportation of the noncompliance with the law.

A civil action is a potential possibility for you, hence the need for you to preserve packaging and have evidence of damages.

Household bleach (sodium hydroxide) is cited by the DOT and the IARC and the EPA as a special health hazard substance, and, while not on its own a flammable substance, it can lead to the combustion of other substances.
 
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ShyCat

Senior Member
I said AFTER I had removed the bleach from the box, I went back to the box and THEN noticed there was a leak.
No, in your first post, you said

I pulled out some items and started unpacking them. Most of the liquids were packed with tape over the top, and also placed in clear plastic bags. Of ALL things to NOT be packaged this well... liquid-gel Bleach! When I got closer to the bottom of the box, I noticed something was leaking. Wasn't sure if it was soap, shampoo, dish soap, etc. It was like a slippery gel feeling.

I eventually pulled out the bottle of bleach, and it literally dripped EVERYWHERE.
You noticed the leak before you pulled out the bleach, not after.

Oh, and year-old carpet is not brand new.
 

quincy

Senior Member
No, in your first post, you said



You noticed the leak before you pulled out the bleach, not after.

Oh, and year-old carpet is not brand new.
Even with that, the bleach should have been secured so it didn't leak and the package labeled as required by law.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Household bleach is listed by the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a hazardous material. The shipping of household bleach, as with the shipping of any hazardous material, must comply with federal regulations.

Here is a link to FedEx's Hazmat Shipping Guide. It is lengthy (150 pages) but has the federal regulations, the classifications of hazardous materials, and tells how packages containing hazardous materials must be labeled to comply with the law. The type of label required on packaging depends on the specific hazardous materials being shipped.

http://www.fedex.com/us/services/pdf/HazmatShippingGuide.pdf

One problem I see here, and what xylene was touching on, is proof that the package containing the bleach was improperly labeled (the box would need to have been saved or photographed) and proof that the bleach was improperly sealed and secured. There are other problems.
 

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