The big story from the Q2 2019 Recall Index we’ve just released isn’t as much about the number of events or units recalled as it is the recall environment companies are finding themselves in. While Congress focuses on safety-related regulatory processes at the CPSC, and FDA tries to find its way on matters related to cannabis and CBD oil, companies are finding a regulator that is stricter and more sensitive to pressure from lawmakers.
Continue ReadingFake product recalls – unlike other claims of so-called “fake news” – are exceedingly rare. But they are not without precedence. Just last year, a car dealership in Washington, D.C., was heavily fined by the Federal Trade Commission for sending fake recall warnings to car owners in the hopes of drumming up more business for the dealership’s repair shop. The dealership sent out bright red mailers that mimicked official recall notices from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Continue ReadingMost consumers are aware that it’s illegal for retailers to sell products that have been recalled—the large fines resulting from these violations, often totaling millions of dollars, tend to receive a fair amount of media coverage. After all, intuitively it makes sense that retailers would be responsible for ensuring that their customers don’t go home with potentially dangerous or hazardous products.
Continue ReadingIt’s no surprise that notifying consumers directly about product recalls is the most effective way to get dangerous products out of circulation. What is surprising is how much more effective direct notifications are, and why manufacturers and retailers don’t use them more often. A study last year by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that recalls which employ direct notifications have a healthy response rate of about 50 percent.
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