Believe it or not, the kidlet has a big thumbs down (the thumb he’s not sucking on) for a product and we want to get the word out for you unsuspecting parental-consumer-types out there.

Meet the Radio Flyer Fold 2 Go Trike. We purchased this tricycle a scant month ago — that’s right, only one month ago — because it was just the perfect size for a 2 year old. Needless to say, kidlet fell in love. Up and down our paved driveway we went. Lest you think we abused the product, here is a photo of said driveway:

A month later, this is what we’re left with:

Yep, it’s a split front tire. Now in all fairness, we decided that this may be a toddler’s version of a “lemon” and so I tried to contact the Radio Flyer Company. But alas, they do not have a customer service email address (who in the heck doesn’t have an email address these days??).

They have a half-hidden toll free phone number, though, so I braved the inevitable phone tree and made the call, only to be told that I would have to contact the store where I purchased this unfortunate toddler transportation. Unfortunately, the store said it was Radio Flyer’s responsibility. In short, we got the shaft.

And so mom and dad are out $45 and kidlet is without wheels. Chaos reigns in the household and the moral of the story is this: just because it’s a well-known brand doesn’t mean it’s quality, folks. Beware.