MSA ANNOUNCES PLANS TO DISCONTINUE REDPOINT AUTO BELAY
Posted: December 10, 2009 Filed under: Challenge or Ropes Course, Climbing Wall 5 CommentsMSA is in the process of developing a reimbursement program for eligible Redpoint and Auto-Belay Descenders. The reimbursement program plans are currently being reviewed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Following the CPSC review, MSA plans to issue a recall notice to owners and distributors of the affected products, including instructions for the return of units.
It is important that the Stop-Use remain in effect. Please do not use any Redpoint Descender or affected Auto-Belay Descender. As a reminder, the Stop-Use Notice applies to the following descender units:
- All Redpoint Descenders (part numbers 10024873, 10027646, and 10027798) regardless of the date the unit was manufactured or last serviced;
- Auto-Belay Descenders (part number 10021806) manufactured or last serviced on or after June 30, 2000.
Recreation Law 
True the term auto belay is not from climbing, but Redpoint is.
Industrial use is where the technology came from but MSA saw the climbing gym market and actively went after it. Do a simple google seach and you can find the old marketing materials. In there own reimbursment notice MSA states: “As previously announced MSA is discontinuing the Redpoint Descender and exiting the
recreational market for climbing wall auto-belay systems.” These particular units were specifically designed, marketed and sold to climbing wall users. Climbing wall use was the ONLY use listed by MSA for the stop use models.
So if the issue really is, was the product used for its intended use by climbing walls, the answer is a resounding yes.
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Auto belay is a work term a dozen years before the first climbing wall. Auto belays are used for confined space, and fall hazards. That is where these came from.
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Not created to be used by climbing walls? The name is redpoint auto belay. This product was marketed to climbing gyms. Get in contact from someone from the CWA (climbing wall association) they might have more information on a possible class action lawsuit.
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It is outside of my area of the law, but I'm pretty sure you can't sue over a product recall. The issue is, was the product created to be used by climbing walls and the answer is no. It was adopted and the manufacture finally got tired of the problems associated with them and climbing walls. (Problems meaning lawsuits. They were being used in a way for which they were not intended.)
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James,
I own 2 of these at my home climbing wall. Now they put out a 'stop use”. All they offer is a $200 refund?! Is there a class action or anything else I can do to be more fully refunded for this purchase?
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