A controversial product recall started Sunday by consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Co (P&G) in China has sparked criticism of the company's recall policy, which some say violates consumer rights.
P&G has detected possible microbial contamination in its Oral-B mouthwash products (350ml, 500ml), the company said in a statement.
Consumers who want a refund should send the empty product bottles, receipt and a copy of their bank account passbooks to the company's Guangzhou office, P&G said.
Consumers will get the refund in 10 to 15 working days, the company said, but refund applications should be made between July 16 and August 14, according to P&G's recall requirements.
Qiu Baochang, president of the legal panel at the China Consumers' Association, told the Global Times that these requirements are unreasonable.
"Few consumers will keep the empty bottle after they consumed their mouth rinse," said Qiu, adding it is also unreasonable for the company to set a time limit on the refund application.
"Consumers have the right to ask for compensation at any time," said Qiu. "The recall should be made at customers' convenience, for example, conducted at places near the consumers."
Qiu believes that P&G should offer more than one way for consumers to get a refund.
"It is an infringement on consumers' privacy for the company to demand a copy of consumers' bank account passbooks," he said.
Qiu added that consumers have the right to demand compensation worth 10 times the products' retail price based on the Chinese law.
The affected products were manufactured in Colombia, with "best before" dates running from July 15, 2011 to June 30, 2014, according to a statement from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
A total of 35,892 bottles of P&G's Oral-B mouthwash products have been imported to the Chinese mainland this year, said the AQSIQ.
P&G made its recall announcement on Friday, two days after the company started to recall its Oral-B Tooth and Gum Care Alcohol Free Mouth Rinse in Canada.
However, the company said that the contamination posed nearly no risk to healthy people, but might impact people with severely weakened immune systems.
A salesperson in a Beijing Wal-Mart store told the Global Times Sunday that the company's Oral-B mouthwash products have been removed.
