Product liability – the consumer is the king after all
Defective products are always the burden of the consumer who has to rush back and forth to the shop to get the product replaced or seek a complete refund. In most cases, the products are quickly replaced since the product liability lies on the manufacturer. However, in the case of a dispute, legal assistance can always be available and the compensations awarded may sometimes be far more than the cost of the product. That is one of the reasons why the manufacturers prefer replacing the defective products at the earliest opportunity as it also protects their goodwill and reputation in the market.
Manufacturers also go the extra mile in compensating the consumer handsomely for pointing out the defect and stays in touch with the consumer to ensure that the goodwill is not destroyed. Simply by word of mouth the damage can be done and there have been exemplifying situations where manufacturers have declared bankruptcy after consumers altogether shunned the entire range of products totally. To avoid this manufacturers take product liability and defective products very seriously and ensure that the decisive test of quality is performed for every single product before the product is finally sent for packing and dispatch.
The procedure for claiming compensation is also quite cumbersome. Consumers these days are prone to using credit cards and therefore they first seek a complete refund from the manufacturer or the supplier selling the product. Once the refund is obtained, the goodwill of the manufacturer is attacked by word of mouth, which spreads fast and wide. Defective products are not what the consumer is paying for. Hence, all precautions must be exercised to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. This is more prominent in the case of durable consumer goods and processed foods. All the necessary legal requirements must be complied with before the final product reaches the hand of the customer. Even if the product is entirely machine made without the involvement of manual supervision, the product still must pass the quality standards clearly before being handed over to the customer. Not only the manufacturer, the supplier’s reputation is also at stake since this may affect his footfall sales drastically once the customers have a notion that the supplier is unwilling to replace the defective products. In every case the consumer is totally protected with refunds, compensations, monetary benefits and other pay-offs as per the provisions of the law in force today. That is why the suppliers and manufacturers offer extra benefits like discount coupons on next purchases and other non-monetary goodies to keep the customer with them.
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