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Safety-related complaints: what are they and how do you deal with them?

It is important to analyze complaints about defects in your products. Reported defects may relate to the operation of your product, and in some cases may also pose a risk to consumer safety. In the latter case, you are dealing with a safety-related complaint. You can think of a bicycle where the handlebars unexpectedly come off or a poorly insulated USB charger that gives off an electric shock. With a well-designed complaint procedure, you keep a finger on the pulse and limit the risk of brand and image damage.

A real-life example

Precon Quality Services takes care of several clients throughout their VGK process, one client recently received a complaint about a wooden toy article intended for children under the age of 3. A consumer reported that a wood splinter had come off the article. This can lead to a choking or suffocation hazard in this target group. The risk analysis was conducted by Precon Quality Services in cooperation with the client:

  • The complaint sample and several reference specimens collected;
  • Checked whether similar complaints were known;
  • Examined the complaint sample for reproducibility of the complaint.

The complaint proved to be reproducible: the reference specimens also had splinters coming off the product. Based on the results of the risk analysis, sales were immediately discontinued. In the subsequent complaint consultation, based on the client's quality policy, it was decided to proceed with a full recall of the product. This is the recall of the products from the market and from consumers. Precon Quality Services in cooperation with the client:

  • The safety warning written;
  • Informed the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority;
  • The warning posters put up;
  • Organized the recall of stock of products to the distribution center.

The well-established complaints procedure and the professional actions of all involved managed to avert further exposed risks to consumers.

Responsibility

The responsibility for analyzing safety-related complaints lies with the manufacturer of the product. For private label products, the brand owner has this responsibility. The producer or brand owner must record, analyze and review all consumer or customer complaints.

By correctly recording and dealing with safety-related complaints, you gain insight into these risks and are able to eliminate them with the use of appropriate measures. If you take corrective measures, you must notify customers and the NVWA. If you are not the producer or brand owner of the product, but the distributor, you have a legal obligation to report potential safety-related complaints to your supplier and keep records of them.

What can Precon do for you?

Précon Quality Services has worked for many years as a quality consultant for international market participants in the supply chain. We are experienced in a broad spectrum of non-food consumer products. By setting up your complaint procedure together with you, we can help you record, analyze and correctly follow up on customer complaints. A well-established complaints procedure can be an important tool for your company to reduce the risk of actual mishaps. Consumers, regulators and the media expect you to handle complaints quickly and appropriately. This is important for your brand and reduces the risk of image damage.

Want to know more?

Précon Quality Services can help you with this. Please contact us at 030-65 66 010 or info@precongroup.com.

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