Electrical devices with dangerous defects, potentially dangerous substances in food, a fault in the gearbox of a new car model: If such problems occur with goods that have already been sold, many manufacturers recall their defective products. In such a case, as an affected consumer, you should follow a few important instructions in order to find out about the recall in good time and to protect yourself from possible damage.
How exactly does a recall occur?
If it turns out that a product that has already appeared on the market has defects that impair its intended use or even pose a danger to consumers, a recall often occurs. Such a step is of immense importance, especially when it comes to potentially health-endangering foods. Petra Müller from the Thuringia Consumer Center explains to the MDR: “If there is sufficient suspicion that food could endanger health, manufacturers and retailers must take immediate action. Companies are obliged to warn publicly about the potential danger and to point out on the shelf or at the entrance that something is wrong with a particular product.” But the government does not rely solely on the sense of responsibility of manufacturers and retailers to protect consumers. If, after a risk assessment, the competent authority comes to the conclusion that the product in question must be recalled, it is entitled to legally order a recall, although in most cases the manufacturers act on their own initiative solely out of their own interest to avoid liability risks.
According to the consumer advice center, recalls are a measure that is carried out regularly, especially in the automotive industry. If, for example, a defect occurs in the brake hoses of a particular vehicle model, the affected vehicle owners are identified by the Federal Motor Transport Authority, who are then asked to bring their vehicle back to the workshop. In the case of a recall campaign that affects new vehicles, the manufacturer usually contacts the owners of the vehicles themselves using customer data from the dealers themselves.
Under no circumstances should you ignore a callback
So what should you do if you are affected by a recall? In the case of food, according to the MDR, consumers have the opportunity to obtain information via thefoodwarning.de portal, on which the responsible authorities of the federal states and the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) have been summarizing and publishing the relevant information for consumers for several years. In addition to the ones Food industry The content of the portal has recently also included information on consumer goods and cosmetics.
According to the consumer advice center, if the recalled product is a vehicle, consumers should definitely accept the manufacturer’s offer to carry out a repair or deliver a replacement, otherwise they not only expose themselves to the risk of an accident with possible property damage and personal injury, but may also lose claims for damages. However, if you were not aware of the recall campaign at all and were harmed by the dangerous product, your claims for damages are usually not lost, unless the manufacturer communicated the warning in such a sufficient way through the media that you should actually have noticed it.
Rights and obligations of consumers
According to the MDR, if you are asked to return a defective product as part of a recall campaign, this is possible without showing a receipt and with a full refund of the costs. If you discover a safety-endangering defect yourself, as a consumer you should inform the manufacturer as soon as possible and make sure to describe the problem as precisely as possible. This makes it easier for the manufacturer to do everything else to eliminate the impending danger for other consumers. According to the consumer advice center, if you have purchased goods that are found to be defective, you can contact the seller within the two-year warranty period, regardless of a recall.
Thomas Weschle / editorial team finanzen.net
Image sources: Lisa S. / Shutterstock.com
