Shops should tweet, text customers about faulty goods, says Oz watchdog

MELBOURNE - An Australian consumer watchdog has suggested that shops should alert their customers about faulty products through tweet, text and email.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission also wanted retailers to place “tracking labels” on products so they can be easily traced in a safety recall.

And it has suggested that retailers offer rewards to customers who return low-value goods that are found to be dangerous.

“Recalls have the highest success rate if they can be traced directly to the consumer,” the Daily Telegraph quoted the ACCC as stating in its review of Australia’s product safety recall system on May 26.

“Communication channels allowing direct contact between the supplier and consumers are the most effective methods of communicating product recalls.

“Some suppliers now use new Internet phenomena like Facebook and Twitter to advertise recalls,” it stated.

The ACCC said it was considering seeking legislative changes so it could prosecute stores, which continue to sell products that have been recalled.

Its research found that customers typically return only 57 percent of products recalled.

Only 30 percent of toys, most commonly recalled due to a choking hazard, and 18 percent of clothes, recalled for fire or choking hazards, were returned to retailers in the past three years.

Last year, 779 products were recalled due to defects, or health or safety hazards. (ANI)