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Re-activateFollowing our post on the recalled Senseo coffeemakers we heard from a reader who wants to know why, when she returns her recalled $109 deluxe model, the company says it will send her a $70 HD 7810 replacement.
So we e-mailed the folks at Philips, Senseo's maker, who replied, "We are working with consumers individually as they register their products to replace the old unit with a model of the same value, however we are guaranteeing that consumers will at least receive the HD 7810."
When we pushed them a bit further, they told us, "When consumers register their product we will do everything we can to exchange it with the same model. It's simply a matter of capacity. Our intention is to make the consumer whole."
That's an important point for consumers, who have a dangerously low rate of returning recalled products and need every incentive. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says return rates are only at most 30 percent.
We think manufacturers should offer incentives that will entice consumers to respond to recalls. We would like to think that the potential of someone in the family getting hurt would be enough to convince consumers to act, but apparently it's not. We would also like to think that all companies feel a responsibility for publicizing recalls widely, but most don't.
Some companies act responsibly. Just last week, the maker of the Bush Hog off-road utility vehicle offered customers $50 to have defective models repaired (850 UTVs were recalled).
We know that no one likes to mess with their morning Joe, but concerns about trading models shouldn't stop you from getting a recalled product out of your home. If you own one of the recalled coffeemakers, the safest move is to stop using it and follow Philips' instructions for returning it.
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