Product recall failure
Thousands of customers have been asked to support a product recall of some Zwilling Kettle models affected by a safety defect with the handle after instances of scolding. A really bad situation needing fast action.
Specific instructions were given to check model numbers, cut the cord if your model was affected and provide photo evidence. It was promised that reimbursement for the kettle purchase would follow. Not compensation, just the value of the kettle. So far so good.
After submitting the evidence we've since been advised a 3 week period to respond and an estimated 8 week period for the refund to arrive. By anyone's standards this is a woeful attempt at minimising the impact of an already really bad situation for the company. The recall process has been outsourced to a company called Sedgwick who clearly do not have the capacity to deal with the recall effectively or efficiently.
A company and trust in brands is earned in small drops over time but can be lost in pails in an instant and that's what's happened here for us. We'll not look at Zwilling in a positive light again. And maybe tens of thousands of people will feel the same. Not for the product defect per se, but for the awful customer experience that's accompanied it.