Would you settle for this - foreign object in baby formula

mwa

Hi

Just after opinions really. Back in August I noticed a sharp piece of plastic floating in my 9 month old's bottle of formula milk. I removed it and called the manufacturer who asked me to send it and the rest of the milk in for inspection. They first of all sent me 7 pounds worth of vouchers to cover the cost of the milk I'd had to send in.

They have now written to me saying that they have identified the piece of plastic as 'the same material as their sealing material used in their processing' with detailed technical explanations of their processes, saying that they use sieves 3mm and 1.5mm to catch any stray objects but as the object is 1.4mm it basically could have got through their processing procedures. They go on to say they have tightened up procures blah blah and apologising.

They have sent me 10 x 1 pound vouchers off their product by way of apology.

I personally think it's a bit cheeky and TBH was expecting a bit more, I don't mind vouchers but 10 quid?! When they have admitted their mistake?! If my baby had been using a sippy cup instead of a bottle he could have swallowed this and it was a sharp piece of plastic!

What are your opinions on this please? I am not after 'compensation' before anyone asks, but do you think what they have offered me is 'enough'?

Thanks in advance for any replies

MWA

**confuzzled**

Personally I think it is enough, you've brought it to their attention, they've had a look at their procedures and corrected where it went wrong and you've got a tin of formula for free as a thank you from the company.
Yes it could've been worse if your LO was using a sippy cup but thank your lucky stars he wasn't

SkintGypsy

I would keep the vouchers but write back and tell them it's an insult due to what could have happened. Unfortunately they really don't have to do anything more, since there was no injury and this really is just a goodwill (or not!) gesture.

However, my boss always said that a satisfied customer can be an ambassador for your business, and an unsatisfied one a terrorist!

MrsE_2

mwa wrote: »

What are your opinions on this please? I am not after 'compensation' before anyone asks, but do you think what they have offered me is 'enough'?

Thanks in advance for any replies

MWA

Personally I would have made it as public as pos & sod the hush money. Environmental Heath, local papers anything.

hngrymummy

I went on a food hygeine course recently. The lady doing it explained that although foreign objects often get reported to the company in question, it doesn't get reported to environmental health, which it really should be.

If you're really not after compensation, thank them for their reply, say that as they cannot guarantee that it will not happen in the future (they did just say that it could pass through the sieve) you will not be using their product, and that you have notified environmental health.

Really they should notify EH, but whether or not they will is another matter, which is why you need to.

When I found that my vegetarian soup was actually bacon with the wrong label on it, I complained and got such an appologetic response. They assured me that they would be looking into all of their procedures thoroughly, finding out how this had occurred, undertaking retraining as necessary and ensuring that this kind of thing would never happen again.

JimmyTheWig

Do you have to use those vouchers on 10 different packs of milk? If so, I'd be a bit miffed. But if you can use it to get a free pack of milk and still have some left over then I think that's fine.

It's certainly enough as far as you personally are concerned. You are better off as a result of this happening. I don't think you could ask for more.

As to the safety side of things, I guess it depends on how often it might happen. Obviously if it were to happen to you again then you'd go absolutely mad. But the chances of that are tiny.
So I'd say accept it but report the matter to the relevant body - e.g. trading standards, food standards agency, etc.


[Am trying really hard not to mention the alternative which guarantees no foreign objects in a baby's milk...]

Luciferswench

Nothing harmful happened as you spotted the object prior to feeding baby, the company refunded the cost of the tin of milk - (you did replace it with the same brand?) they investigated the matter and revised there proceedures. Then sent £10 more vouchers for you to buy the product.
Complaint dealt with IMO.
What did you want?

Quackers

mwa wrote: »

What are your opinions on this please? I am not after 'compensation' before anyone asks, but do you think what they have offered me is 'enough'?

MWA

So what exactly are you after?

What is 'enough'?

Your baby didn't swallow the plastic. Isn't that 'enough'? Isn't that a result?

Nothing happened.

We could spend our whole lives thinking about the 'what ifs' but what does it achieve?

You had the cost of the original milk replaced, you have received an apology, you have been given some vouchers for future purchases if you choose to make them.

I think you should move on and forget about it now.

mwa

Thanks for your replies so far.

The vouchers they sent me originally and now are 1pound off per item in the range so the original 7 pounds worth they sent didn't exactly cover the new packet of milk anyway and I will use these new ones towards a few different things such as purees etc as he is no longer on the milk he was then due to being older.

I don't know what I would be happy with really which is why I asked for opinions, I guess I just thought 10 pounds of vouchers was a bit stingy considering they were admitting it was a piece of plastic from their machinery.

I am not one of those people who complain at everything and am of course very relieved that nothing nasty happened to my boy! I wouldn't dream of making it public or anything like that.

Thanks again
MWA

JimmyTheWig

So they didn't even replace the milk that you sent?
I would be fuming. Absolutely fuming.

skintchick

THey should refund your money for the tin of formula IMO, NOT send you vouchers you have to use on further products from them. I'd report them to EH, tell your local paper, and see what happens. I don;t think it's good enough really but then I do have a very low opinion of formula companies and this doesn;t surprise me as children's health and wellbeing is not their primary concern.