The first response is all that matters
When it comes to consumer complaints about food quality it’s the initial response that defines the future. This was evidenced again just after Christmas when a Napier family found what looked like a carpet tack in a large lollipop.
In reality the tack had done no damage because the youngster dropped the lollipop as soon as the tack was visible. But the parents were concerned enough to contact the distributor, Universal Trading Limited.
Concern turned to outrage when they detected a lack of sympathy and concern from the distributor.
The next call was to One News which made a meal of the story during a very dry news time. The reporter contacted the store where the lollipop was purchased, Pak ‘N Save Napier, which immediately withdrew the confectionery sale, and through their co-operative Foodstuffs, initiated a nationwide withdrawal. A call to their competitor Progressive resulted in the same for their stores.
In the scale of food issues this was not a biggie, although the statement on TV news was that the family said only a “Christmas miracle” saved the toddle from injury. In fact the toddler has dropped the lollipop of his own accord so the risk was small, if one at all.
Why did this become an issue? Because the distributor responded poorly to the initial call from the consumer! As a result they got unwanted national coverage.
The story was overblown – there was coverage two nights running on the major bulletin – but the lollipop’s distributors only had themselves to blame. The first consumer contact is really critical.
Tags: issues management