Daryl
Christmas is coming up - clearly Mattel doesn't care about its customers if they're apologizing to the culprits. The only message Mattel & China for that matter, is going to understand is an organized boycott of their products. I'm already doing this myself - I don't feel anything is safe coming out of China.
JC
I find this highly unlikely. Chinese markets have recently had recalls on toothpaste, dog food, blankets supplied to Australia and numerous other products. It is obvious that they don't have the same standards as the North American market and we are compromising all the years of fighting for safe products by importing from this region.
Is it really that bad to purchase an item for more money if we know that it is keeping manufacturing in Canada where we can control the items in question?
Chris
I agree with most of the comments here, BUT, ultimately, it is up to the consumer to get these products made back in USA/Canada. The fact of the matter is, the majority of consumers would rather pay $25.00 for an item than $100.00. Working in the retail industry, we've had to make a shift from Canadian made to Chinese made as the majority of our customers were not willing to pay a higher price to have the products made here in Canada.
John
This sounded fishy in the first place. Normally what happens is a U.S. or Canadian company would produce the product here in North America. But to save money they do the work in China... They contact a manufacturer and send over specs. And they follow he specs. We have to weigh the benefits. Profits in the stock market or a few kids that react adversely to lead paint. I know if you are not a share holder you would pick safety first. But if you are the ceo you want profit, what's a few sick kids???? And the big bonus here is the more affluent group in the usa and canada will buy the more expensive toys so they will be better but the poor will the the ones affected, another bonus they will not launch the law suit. So its a big for the North American company.
Travis
The problem with your statement Daryl is that you 'feel' nothing is safe coming out of china. I'm just going to take a guess that you have very little experience or knowledge when it comes to imported product from China. Yes, they are a cheaper quality for the most part. That doesn't make them evil, just more prone to flaws and mistakes. The actually percentage of those products being unsafe is most likely quite low, otherwise you could have counted beurocrats with a passion to justify their jobs to have said something by now.
Po
I don't want any lead in my children's toys... forget "acceptable levels", any level over zero is unacceptable.
So it was a small percentage that had unacceptable levels of lead... they don't exactly say what the other problems were and any company shoud recall any possibly defective/unsafe products.
I don't like reading an apology to the manufacturer when Mattel was basically protecting consumers. Sorry, but I feel that consumers should have precedence over manufacturers (and it's Mattel products that are earning a bad reputation, not some no name manufacturer in China).
Bill
All I have to say to anyone about this is you get what you pay for! I feel that we should all pay more attention to where the items we buy are coming from.
still got a job?
Don't like to work?
keep buying foreign!
Roger T
I think the US itself rushed to point fingers making China a scapegoat. The public and world needs to know that China is not always at fault something the West likes to place blame when and whenever things go wrong. The West needs to learn to accept wrongs - something which the West hasn't learn from their past history.
Anthony
I have bought a few things made in China and frankly it was nothing but a crap. The very same as Mattel's apology to China !
Kara
Po "I don't want any lead in my children's toys... forget "acceptable levels", any level over zero is unacceptable."
I don't think you should be breathing actually, because there is definitely >0 air pollutants in the air. Some automobiles also still use leaded gasoline, i.e., emitting them into the air your breathe. It might only be 0.00002 part per million in the air, but still, you have zero tolerance for lead, so please don't breathe and avoid hurting yourself.
Sandra
Recall on toys because of lead content is enough
For me to bypass Mattel Toy Products.
If it was Mattel or China's Problem is not my concern.
MY children come first.
What a cop out on behalf of Mattel.
May they get their pants sued off.
It is all about the bottom line by Mattel.
To hell with the children are most precious gift.
G. Thomson
Hey, I lived and worked in China. My students eagerly paid a substantial premium to get foreign manufactured electronics, medicines, appliances, etc. because they said foreign goods were safer, and lasted longer. When I bought a Chinese bicycle, my students were alarmed when I told them I hadn't arranged for it to be reassembled and checked out for missing parts.
robert
Do you realize that China's manufacturers are producing the toys for Mattel. Customers buy the toys from Mattel. No matter what the mistakes are, design or production, Mattel is responsible for the products they release to the market, so I don't trust Mattel anymore.
Ed Gruberman
Oh yeah the problem of producing the product here in Canada or the USA is 1) gov't inspectors 2) safety in the workplace , msds and that stuff 3) law suits. and the biggest issue is it cost money to do all this....What is a few sick kids?? it's not like we dont have hospitals for kids.
Ledell
I would like to hear Mattel apologize to the many children and parents who trusted their product. I will not be able to trust anything from Mattel in the future. Will Mattel pay the doctor bills of those who will or have become ill. To say that deign flaw attributed to high levels of lead is rediculues unless you requested the high levels of lead?
Marcus
What a joke. The application of lead paint is a DESIGN FLAW?!?! I'm an engineer and if I specified the use of a banned substance/material in my design, I'd have some serious problems!!
I wonder how much money, greed, and political B.S. made Mattel kiss China's a$$.
DO YOUR BEST TO STOP BUYING THINGS "MADE IN CHINA", CANADIANS! Where's our patriotism gone??
Larry
You're absolutely right Ian, Mattel is "bowing and scraping" here for the sake of the bottom line!
Ryan - Waterloo
Sounds like a token gesture to make the Chinese happy. I'm a little shocked that a company the size of Mattel would swallow their pride and accept blame though. Guess it goes to show where the balance of power in the world is shifting... (and that's an upsetting reality).
lily
If North America's endless appetite and greed for cheap consumable products weren't so insatiable then China could get on with concentrating on quality.
greed breeds greed.
so, the answer is stop consuming so much and start protecting world resources! it all starts in your own back yard...
Deb
And where is tht apology to the consumers for allowing the product to hit the shelves? I agree with whatajoke - how much $$$ lined whose pocket for this bit of fiction. Was the toothpaste a design flaw, how about the pet food or the blankets. If this is an attempt by Mattel to martyr themselves before the Christmas dollrs start to flood in, then shame on them! My Xmas $$$ will go elsewhere, thank you very much. Time for big business to wake up and smell the lawsuits!
Jeff
It's funny, people here are complaining outsourcing to China, using term "North America" all the time. why people don't realize, we Canadian live on the oursoucing from States? It's not "We North American" it's "They American" people!
GW
Imported cheap foreign goods is a two edged sword.
1. Loss of manufacturing jobs loss, which means a lower standard of living for North America.
2. A countries military power hinges largely on it’s manufacturing capability. It would be best if humanity could somehow overcome the need for war but realistically (at least in the near future) this is unlikely. Although China to my knowledge has never directly started any wars, you never know what the future holds (oil) and do we really want to keep building them up?
I say we need to increase duties on Asian goods. Look after our children’s future.
Gis Bun
Excuse me? Design flaw? For putting lead paint on toys?
Talking about sucking up to China! [Maybe China told Mattel to take responsibility or don't make their goods there.
