So how effective are product recalls when it comes to keeping customers safe? According to some new research, the answer might be “Not very.”
A recent report from the Chicago-based advocacy group Kids in Danger found that only 10% of children’s products that are recalled are ever actually returned or fixed.
That means a lot of potentially dangerous or unsafe products remain in the hands of an extremely vulnerable group.
The Kids in Danger study also found it takes companies entirely too long to recall a product in the first place. On average, it takes 13 reports of design flaws and two injuries to get the gears turning on a recall of a children’s product.
Some other troubling stats:
- Incidents and injuries involving children’s products were down (38% and 16% respectively) from where they stood in 2012, but deaths increased by 22% during the same period.
- 1,566 incidents, 196 injuries and 11 deaths were reported before recalls were issued in 2013, and
- even worse news: there were reports of 584 incidents and 39 injuries after recalls were announced in 2012.
Part of the reason recalls may not be having the desired affect?
“Research has show that consumers need to hear about recalls multiple times before they take action,” said Scott Wolfson, the Communications Director for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
And that tends to mean using multiple avenues to get the word out. However, there seems to be one avenue that’s become a huge part of people’s day-to-day lives, but is getting ignored where safety is concerned.
Social media.
The report shows there were 63 recalls in 2013 where the manufacturer had a Facebook page. Of those 63 incidents, there were only nine cases where the manufacturer mentioned the recall on Facebook.
In the same vein, there were 63 recalls in 2013 where the manufacturer had a Twitter page, but the recalls were only mentioned on Twitter in eight of them.
Sites like Facebook and Twitter can be home to a lot of positive, fun interactions with your customers. However, they shouldn’t be limited to that. They’re important avenues to get the word out – both good and bad.
What ways do you use social media to get the word out to customers? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
