When manufacturers release a product there is an expectation that they have perfected it already. That there will be no glitches, no design flaws, no missing ingredient, and all other things that can go wrong in the production process. It will not just boost their reputation as a company which provides only the best for customers, but it is definitely a lot easier not to deal with lawsuits and fees. However, there are times when things go wrong and you would not notice it until thousands of your products have already been bought off the shelf.
What causes recalls and who handles them?
There are many reasons why flawed products still end up being sold in the market. Maybe the testing period was not long enough, or the parameters set during the tests were not able to consider a wide array of conditions.
Maybe the flaw was caused by tampering, or there were ingredients that were accidentally put in during production. In any case, these flaws can lead to dire consequences. There are reports of phones exploding and catching fire in airports, tires that have caused more than 3,000 injuries, and medicine that killed people instead of cured them.
This is why products get recalled the moment consumer product safety commissions all over the world get wind of what is going on. There are also websites that get updated for product recalls in major consumer countries like Australia, the United States, and most Asian countries.
As for government initiatives to police the products being sold in the market, there are agencies responsible for approving products and for recalling it. Depending on your country, the scope of these agencies may include: food and drug, traffic safety, and consumer product safety.
Keeping your home safe from recalled products
Chances are, some of you already own products that may have been recalled in previous years. So here is how you can make your home safe from any of its glitches.
Take a look at what you have at home
The most common recalls come from the automotive industry, followed by the pharmaceutical industry, and then the tech industry.
What you can do is make a list of what you have in your house under those three categories. For cars, look at what can pose an immediate danger like tires or car seats. For medicines, make sure these are prescribed properly by the doctor and that the expiration dates are clearly on the bottles. For gadgets, make sure you look at recall notices to make sure you did not buy a defective device.
Have your recalled products replaced
Companies with recalled products usually offer consumers to replace the product or provide store credit so you can buy another item from their store. Notify the company’s customer service immediately about the recalled items you have in your home and ask how you can get a safer replacement. Please do not sell recalled items, instead ask the company how you can dispose them properly.
Learn to use the products you have bought
Sometimes, accidents happen not because the product is flawed, but because the consumer did not use it properly. To avoid misuse, make sure you have read the instructions properly. In this way, if something bad happens, you are sure it was not because of you.
Hopefully, companies will be more transparent about their testing and its results so that the public can gauge how safe their products are before deciding to purchase.