Back a few years ago when I was still working as a promotional products end-user client, I thought product safety was pretty much a black or white issue. In the most simple of terms, a product was either safe or it was not. Well, if you work in the promotional products industry sourcing and buying products and keeping up with product safety and compliance regulations and procedures, you already know that it is not always the case. Safety and compliance lives in shades of grey.
I’m sure you’ve already read about the voluntary recall conducted by Top 50 Supplier Jetline Promo, which involved a USB-to-AC Power Adapter due to the possibility of overheating. While only one of the 31,000 adapter/chargers showed the potential to overheat, this QCA accredited supplier opted for the conservative approach, and voluntarily recalled the items. A recall, no matter how small or extensive, inevitably causes a lot of discussion and hype within the industry.
In order to shed more light on the matter, I contacted Jetline CEO Eric Levin about the recall. According to Levin, “I find it hard to believe that others haven’t had a similar situation. We hope that by a Top 50, QCA-certified supplier setting an example and leading the way, others will follow suit. Jetline wants to be first in a ‘not-if-but-when’ situation. There were those in the industry who tried to capitalize on the media hype, but for the most part our decision was looked at as ‘Thanks for setting the tone and sending the correct message out.’”
As for the actual process Jetline used, Levin remarked, “The CPSC says that you must report if you believe that a product may even have a potential to be hazardous. The QCA accreditation process has various exercises that prepare the company for a recall scenario, including going through a mock recall exercise.”
If you are faced with a recall, how will you react? Do you have a recall plan in place? There are some good lessons to learn from the Jetline recall and put to use in your business. For the rest of the story and some other things to think about, read my post on the Promo Marketing Blog.
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