Our trust is restored in Mattel, but what of other manufacturers? As more manufacturers start to look more closely at their supplies and production process, they're going to discover more problems and defects that were flourishing right under their noses. We expect more recalls to come.
Message From Chairman & CEO [Mattel]
]]>Get off my lawn, you darn kids! :D
]]>I'm thinking ALL toys should be a couple dollars more, if that's what it takes to ensure that these toys are tested before they go out into stores.
Mattel sounds like they are going to do this NOW. I think they should have had a better handle on their suppliers BEFORE the trouble. If that's impossible, because it's China, maybe they need to move production back to the States or Canada or even Mexico.
]]>Mattel is a multi BILLION dollar company -- they can and should have had their products properly inspected (and if necessary, produced in a country other than China, a country that takes product safety as seriously as we do here in the US). There is absolutely no excuse for this and I won't ever buy Mattel products again.
]]>Personally, I try to buy quality, not price. I'm lucky to be able to "splurge" though... there's some sad social commentary there, I'm sure. And it's extremely annoying when we walk by a Dollar Store and there are neon plastic toy things out front and my toddler shrieks that she wants it now -- ever tried explaining "that toy is lethal/cheap/poisonous/stupid" to a three-year-old? She still doesn't get the crap, but *I* get headaches from the complaints :-)
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Good apology, they've admitted their mistake and are working towards improving their standards. Toys are being made in China to keep the prices competitive, I don't think they have much choice unless people in the U.S. can live off 20 cents a day.
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If Mattel truly cared about it's customers, it wouldn't be outsourcing its manufacturing to China. Thanks for the apology Bob, but I'll stick with the safer option and buy Legos instead of Mattel products this Christmas.
I was a bit more disappointed by the magnet apology. They admit it is a design problem (toys are made so magnets can fall out), but their only solution is "better design" -- that's a little vague. It is also something that would be difficult to delve into for your corporate apology video, however.
Overall, however: thank you Mattel.
]]>A good apology, but I think it'd be better if the toys were not only inspected in the United States, they were also produced inside the country so that random checks would be more effective. Like has already been said, the vender'll clean up for a day while the inspectors are there then go back to meeting quotas however they can.
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This guy looks like a ken doll for some reason....
Unlike other companies when Mattel found out this was happening they immediately apologized and started the recall. There was little question (that I know) of "how much will this cost us?" Right when they found this out he immediately apologized in a press release and a massive recall was issued. It wasn't even one of those wimpy politically correct w/o actually admitting fault type of apologies.
]]>It's BS to say "We're doing everything we can now", when it SHOULD have been done all along.
This is just another example of big companies being isolated from their suppliers, because the suppliers are overseas and largely unregulated.
]]>I'd be more trusting of the safety of Mattel toys if they'd promised the testing of the toys was to be done in the United States, and not by anyone involved in the manufacturing process.
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Regarding the unannounced inspections at vendor facilities, how does an American company just show up unannounced at some Chinese plant in the middle of that country?
Shouldn't he be offing himself right about now or something?