Retailers have spoken out about the damage of the Samsung recall.
Over recent months, Appliance Retailer has spoken to many retailers around the country who have been dealing face-to face with customer anxiety over the recalled washing machines. Every retailer has unanimously spoken about their concern about the extreme danger posed by the faulty machine and also of Samsung’s poor management of the issue. Claire Moffat and Emily Bencic report.
Of one thing they are clear, Samsung is no longer their supplier of choice and they are now facing consumer resistance to buying Samsung products.
Tasmania’s Campbell’s Betta Home Living (pictured above) store owner, Barry Campbell has seen resistance from customers buying Samsung’s laundry offering.
“There has been a noticeable impact on sales of Samsung top loader washing machines since the recall.
“Our store has not felt the impact on the brand’s product range in other categories, however, I believe negative feedback does infiltrate on a brand across the board.
“Unfortunately, there has been mismanagement on the handling of the recall. However, we personally contacted customers once we became aware of the affected products to advise them to contact Samsung,” Campbell said.
Western Australia’s Dorsett Retail managing director, David Dorsett-Lynn (pictured below) has ensured that all of his customers who bought one of the affected machines were advised of the recall and has swapped out units not even sold by him.
“Samsung have not made it easy at our end with loads of returned washers waiting too long to be credited and picked up considering it is a giant issue caused by Samsung you would think they could make it easy for us to help them,” Dorsett-Lynn said.
Victoria’s Camberwell Electrics owner, Hans Vanderstadt says brands cannot afford negative publicity.
“It sticks in the minds of consumers and permeates across the brand’s product range, which in turn tarnishes the brand’s integrity,” Vanderstadt said.
“I haven’t personally dealt with customers who have been affected by the recall, but consumers have visited our stores to discuss their concerns and we have done our best to provide a resolution by making arrangements direct with Samsung.
“However, I think the biggest factor in play is a lack of communication. Retailers and suppliers need to support and respect one another, but Samsung is being a little distant and aloof to the recall, taking cautious responsibility,” he said.
In August, The Good Guys (TGG) and Harvey Norman took the unprecedented step of offering direct refunds to customers who had bought one of the recalled products. At the time, The Good Guys chief merchandiser manager, Geoff Reader explained to Appliance Retailer that the catalyst for the move was ‘customer safety’ after Samsung began repairing the machines with a fire-retardant plastic bag and tape rather than offering a refund.
Appliance Retailer has spoken to TGG again today and Reader has reiterated their policy of customer safety, despite the action of suppliers.
“The safety of our customers is paramount at The Good Guys and we always work to put customer care and satisfaction first at all times,” Reader said.
“Any customer who purchased one of the recalled Samsung washing machines from one of our stores can either return their machine to any The Good Guys store or arrange to have their machine collected, at The Good Guys expense. Customers can then either get a full refund or we can provide them with a replacement washing machine.
“We have made every effort to work with Samsung in order to contact all customers who purchased an affected model. We encourage anyone who has not yet responded to the recall to visit or contact their nearest store,” Reader added.
Black & White Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd managing director, Geoffrey Booth, says Samsung’s recall demonstrates that compliance does not always equate to product safety.
“Compliance to the regulatory requirements must be regarded as the bare minimum a supplier must do before launching products into the Australian marketplace,” Booth said.
“As a responsible supplier, Samsung has complied to the requirements before launching this product, and yet in this case still ended up conducting a recall, at some considerable cost, since the recall has been open since 2013.
“However, the real value in purchasing well-known brands is the extra precautions that they typically put into a product before sale such as additional testing above the standard, pre shipment and production inspections, market research, risk assessment and field testing. These extra efforts distinguish such brands from the rest of the market and contribute to the enhanced safety of their products,” he added.