Since I’m on the topic of strollers (see my rant on Strollers / Prams and HK Taxis), I made a reminder to myself that I needed to share my story about the Chicco Cortina / Extreme Stroller. 

In general, I am a big fan of Maclaren strollers.  However, since the birth of baby #2, we needed something a little more versitile and after walking through Chicco in Hong Kong - we are regular shoppers at Chicco and own most of their basic pieces (crib, travel cot, newborn stroller - which I call the beast because it weighs 20 pounds by itself, multiple high chairs, yada, yada, yada), we saw this new lightweight, one-hand foldable, fully reclinable stroller for $1,500 HKD!

What a bargain!  Truly, this stroller is amazing and it was (I will explain why I’m using was and not is) my stroller of choice when going out.  The features on this thing include:

• Fully reclinable seat (so your children are sleeping flat)
• DEEP DEEP basket at the bottom for carrying virtually everything
• Upright stand when folded (so it can stand right beside you in tight spaces)
• One-hand folding and release (with a push of a button, you can fold and release this baby with one hand)
• Long compressible roof (it literally folds all the way to the front if the seat is upright - so you don’t need an extra rain shield for those light rain days)
• Washable front tray (for those toys or snack)

See how great it is?  And it’s affordable!  So now where is my sad stroller?  After about half a year of usage, it’s in the Chicco shop.  Lucky for us, we were still in the shopping mall (and not on the way home) when the right rear wheel detached itself.  You can imagine my shock.  The whole thing literally fell off its bearing.  So we took it back to the store, who happened to have a technician on sight and he said that this “sometimes happens to this model”.  Hmm.  Right.  Quality problem?  Anyways, the technician put it back on somehow and said that it’s secured and away we go.  The second time this happened (just this past weekend), we were walking to the mall.  Can you imagine how you would handle this if you were in the middle of who-knows-where without a plan B?  I would be furious!   So we trudge up to the store again and explain that we didn’t want this defective guy anymore.  Sorry stroller, you’ve served us well, but we can’t deal with this floppy wheel anymore. 

The case is still open.  I haven’t heard back from the store or company yet on how they would handle this case, but I will give the saleslady credit for very discreetly handling our case - as there were other customers looking at the exact same model in the store.  Maybe ours was just a dud, or maybe not - but strollers just don’t do that!  The wheel is one of the key components that enables a stroller to be what it is - MOBILE! 

Anyways - I give the stroller itself 4.5 stars for its features and functionality.  My stroller I give 2 stars for self-destructing on me.  Just thought I’d share this store for people who are interested in purchasing this stroller.  And no, I don’t attribute its self-destruction to abusive usage.  I abuse my Maclarens far more than the Chicco and they are holding up very, very well (2 years and counting).  I should buy another Maclaren, really - they are far more stable and versatile than my 2 Chiccos strollers.