Who blocked the way home appliances are recalled?

Lack of policy is the biggest barrier to home appliance recalls

When referring to the recall, many people first think of returning products. Actually, it is not true. Although recalls mean that products have mass quality problems, the company’s solution is not only a return, compensation can be returned, it can be Free maintenance, but the recall is actually only a consensus reached among manufacturers, consumers and public opinion on the treatment plan.

There are two main product recall methods: one is "voluntary certification, mandatory recall" and the other is "compulsory certification, resource recall". However, this is only in developed countries and there is no relevant policy in China. In general, when a product has an accident or receives a large number of consumer complaints, the relevant department will notify the manufacturer to submit the relevant proofs. After the confirmation, the manufacturer must submit the recall plan. After the reconfirmation, the recall is implemented. In China, the relevant department The role is generally assumed by the AQSIQ. In the United States, there are a total of six government agencies responsible for product recalls, each responsible for products in different fields. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is mainly responsible for the recall of general consumer goods.

In many recalls of a global nature, China is often a market that has been excluded. This is not unrelated to the lack of relevant Chinese laws and regulations. Article 18, paragraph 2 of the Consumer Protection Law stipulates that if the operator finds that it is provided The goods or services are seriously flawed. Even if the goods are properly used or services are received, they may still cause harm to the personal and property safety. They should immediately report to the relevant administrative departments and inform consumers, and take measures to prevent the occurrence of product recalls. However, this “measure to prevent product damage from product recalls” does not clearly stipulate what measures should be taken so that many manufacturers have loopholes.

In terms of household electrical appliances alone, on July 2, 2010, the “Management Regulations for Recall of Household Appliances Products” (Draft for Soliciting Opinions), drafted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, was publicized on the website of the State Council Legislative Affairs Office to solicit opinions and suggestions from all sectors of the community. However, after four years, the regulations are still being solicited. The draft stipulates that producers should fulfill their recall obligations for home appliances they produce, and for defective home appliance products, the manufacturer or other operators of the home appliances can effectively supplement or amend consumption instructions, returns, exchanges, repairs, etc. Prevent and eliminate the damage that may result from damage. The domestic manufacturer’s recall measures for home appliances in the country should be equivalent to those recalled overseas. If the recall is not implemented as prescribed, a fine of less than 30,000 yuan shall be imposed.

Product recall is not necessarily a bad thing for companies

For manufacturers, product recalls are almost negative, and they are basically evasive, because product recalls have a huge impact on the company's financial resources, manpower, and image.

In 2010, Sharp recalled 48 kinds of 970,000 refrigerators globally. It is estimated that the entire recall cost including replacement parts will be approximately 1.2 billion yen, equivalent to nearly 80 million yuan. In 2012, Sharp recalled 737,000 units of refrigerators globally. The cost still reaches tens of millions of yuan. In 2013, Bosch Siemens recalled 5 million dishwashers. At that time, the media estimated that this recall would cost Bosch Siemens $925 million, equivalent to RMB5.67 billion. Although Bosch Siemens denies this, it did not disclose the financial resources expended afterwards. . Also in 2013, Gree recalled 2.25 million dehumidifier products for the North American market and it is expected that the recall amount will reach RMB 1 billion.

This series of huge numbers all indicate that almost every recall will cost a lot of money to recall manufacturers. For some manufacturers, the cost of recall may not affect the operation. For some manufacturers, the recall consumption is enough to become Huge burden.

Sanyo Electric has seen several recalls in recent years, recalling only 270,000 washing machines in 2009. According to relevant agencies' forecasts, the total cost of repairs and replacements exceeds 10 billion yen, which is equivalent to Sanyo’s total business in the current year. Half of the profits, which may be an important reason for Sanyo's white-light sector to be acquired by Haier at a price of 10 billion yen.

If the recall does not affect the image of the company, surely no one will believe that in a mature market, product recalls have become the norm. Consumers can also rationally view, and in the less mature market, consumers are unable to rationally see product recalls. Once a manufacturer has a product recall incident, it is considered to be of poor product quality, and even non-recalled products will be affected.

On August 4, 2010, Matsushita recalled 29 models of 365,600 refrigerators from various models to the Chinese market. After Matsushita announced the recall, all supermarkets in the country will be the first ones to remove all the recalled products. Some individual regions It even suspended the sale of all models of Panasonic refrigerators, which caused serious damage to Panasonic, which was originally unsatisfactory in China.

For some companies that have poor performance in some markets or their own development is not ideal, the recall does have a great impact, but for a stable company, the recall is not necessarily a bad thing, but also can help companies establish social responsibility The good image allows users to feel more trust when choosing.

For example, in February 2010, Sanyo recalled 100,000 CRT TVs for the Japanese market. Recall that the product was mixed with iron and other impurities due to the handling of plastic wraps, resulting in premature aging and crispness. The user may experience bruising when moving. In fact, the products recalled by Sanyo are products that were produced during the period from 2004 to 2005. The reason for this recall is not harmful to the use system. Therefore, such a recall will increase consumer trust.

In a survey on product recalls by Tencent’s home appliances, 76% of netizens said that product recall means that the brand’s sense of responsibility is strong and will continue to support it. It is believed that the recall is equivalent to unreliable quality. Netizens who will not purchase will only 13%. Most netizens gave a positive evaluation of the recall. The netizen “wxf” said that a company has never recalled a problem, how is it possible that there is no problem, and the netizen “bug crawls” indicates that the first recalled company has Conscience, the second represents the strength of the company.

Relevant data show that the recall completion rate in most recall cases is very low. The data provided by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission is 2% to 50%. In 1993, the average completion rate of 176 recalls by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission was only 11%. . There are many reasons for the low completion rate of recalls. Consumers may not be concerned about recall events, do not pay attention to recalls, or products have already been eliminated. The reasons for manufacturers include recall hotlines, long maintenance times, and simple recall rules. . In fact, it is precisely because most of the recall incidents have a low rate of actual recall completion, and there have been cases where individual companies have used the recall to speculate.

Summary: Rational sees recalls, consumers and manufacturers should win

From March 15, 2014, the new consumer rights protection law will be implemented. The new consumer law will have better regulations for the "Overlord Clause," the "Three Guarantees System," and the "Recall System." The home appliance recall system is also It is expected to be strongly promoted this year, which is a happy event for consumers. From another point of view, consumers and manufacturers are precisely related to products. Consumers should be more rational in their handling of recalls. Mature products are more mature in view of product defects to give manufacturers more room to allow manufacturers to have problems with their products. Dare to actively think of solutions that are more beneficial to consumers, such as recalls, and ultimately achieve win-win results.