UPDATE — It seems our friends at MilanDirect have finally done the right thing and removed the "Meets Australian Standard AS/NZS 4438" claim on the chair product pages.
This is after lying about it to their customers for so long, including me (see their response to my email below). They only acted after being aware of the ACCC becoming involved.
This begs the question: which quality standards do these chairs meet? Remember that they are made in the same Chinese factory that every other cheapy office chair is made.
The only thing I do know; I will never trust this company again.
MilanDirect (www.milandirect.com.au) sell 2 chairs for which they "claim" meet the criteria of Australian Standard AS/NZS 4438. The chairs are as follows:
AERON INSPIRED MESH ERGONOMIC OFFICE CHAIR WITH HEADREST
http://www.milandirect.com.au/shop/office-chair-aeron-inspir…AERON INSPIRED MESH ERGONOMIC OFFICE CHAIR - LOW BACK
http://www.milandirect.com.au/shop/aeron-inspired-mesh-ergon…
I simply wish to inform that this claim is misleading, dishonest and more importantly dangerous for consumers who may believe that the chairs in question are safe/fit for a specific purpose/use.
You may also wish to search the Deals on Ozbargain that have been posted by MilanDirect and read through some of the comments from customers who have bought the chairs and have given feedback regarding the questionable quality of build and materials used during manufacturing.
Some advice from a leading Australian ergonimist may also be warranted so I wrote to Mark Dohrmann regarding this issue.
Below is my email and his response.
Dear Mark,
Regarding your very informative article on an ergonomic home office setup (http://www.ergonomics.com.au/pages/400_useful_info/430_usefu…).
I recently inquired at MilanDirect about a chair they sell and claim meets Australian Standard AS/NZS 4438. I have forwarded to you a copy of the response I received from them. You can see that they "borrowed" a section from your article - or is it from the official documentation?
Is it correct when they write "there is no formal certification required" for a chair to meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 4438? I thought chairs had to pass rigorous testing by approved testing agencies to be deemed certifiable under this standard.
The chair in question can be found here http://www.milandirect.com.au/shop/office-chair-aeron-inspir… .
Thank you for any help in bringing clarity to this issue.
Regards,
Jason Frye
Reply
Dear Jason
MilanDirects answer to your question is misleading, wrong, and deserves to be publicised to the commercial buying community.
AS/NZS 4438 sets a range of criteria much wider than the oversimplified dot points your respondent has set out. Significantly, the Standard sets the benchmark for durability, which this low-priced copy is most unlikely to meet. Its easy to make a chair look pretty. In six months ??
The Standard requires a number of tests for stability, materials and durability to be met. The tests are precisely specified in the Standard.
Compliance with AS/NZs 4438 requires independent certification otherwise its just a claim. AFRDI do the independent certifying for just about all suppliers who want their products assured. Claiming compliance with AS/NZS without certification is plain misleading, and could warrant a report to ASIC.
We have a wide network of commercial clients and buyers who need to be warned about these sorts of claims. Be careful!
For the record, we dont sell any chairs or furniture. We assess chairs (against AS/NZS 4438), but we dont do the durability testing set out in the Standard.
Mark Dohrmann AM BE FIEAust CPEng CPE
Managing Director engineer and ergonomist
Mark Dohrmann and Partners Pty Ltd
Consulting Engineers and Ergonomists
Phone: 03 9376 1844
Mobile: 0419 347 436
Mail: Post Office Box 27, Parkville VIC 3052
Website: www.ergonomics.com.au
Fax: 03 9376 3124
ACN 006 211 445
My original email to MilanDirect asking for proof that the chairs do indeed meet Australian Standard AS/NZS 4438 and their response is below.
Hi Dean
I am enquiring about your Aeron Inspired Mesh Office Chair: http://www.milandirect.com.au/shop/office-chair-aeron-inspir… .
It states on the product page that it "Meets AS/NZ 4438 Standards of Compliance". I tried to locate on your website any test reports that would confirm this but I could not find any.
Please can you email me a copy of the test report that certifies the chair to this standard. I want to confirm this before ordering 2 or 3 for my home and office.
Kind regards
Jason Frye
Reply
Hi Jason
This chair meets AS/NZ 4438 Standards of Compliance in accordance with both VIC and NSW Work safety agencies. There is no formal certification required but rather in order to be deemed classification it must meet the following requirements:
- adjustable in height;
- a separately adjustable lumbar support you can bring forwards into the small of the back. Preferably, also altering vertically to suit your trunk length;
- a seat short enough to allow you to get full back support without the front edge of the seat pushing into the back of your legs;
- a five-star base (for stability);
- a curved, "waterfall" front;
- well padded - you shouldn't be able to feel the seat base under the padding when you're slumped heavily in the chair.
If you are interested in purchasing this chair or any others you can use the following link:
http://www.milandirect.com.au/shop/category/office-chairs/
We have many great office chairs and I'm sure one will be suitable for your needs. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions about any of our products.
Kind Regards
Adrian - Milan Direct
Wholesale Designer Furniture
Thanks for posting this cg. I might be sending mine back, it has already started making a bit of a creaking noise after only 4 weeks use! Like I said in the bargain thread, if it was $130 it would be good value, but at $230 it is a rip-off.