Recall is a system in which, according to the Basic Product Safety Act, defective products are repaired, exchanged, or refunded when there is a risk of bodily or property harm due to a defect in the product. The recall system is carried out by the government issuing an order to recall or improve distributed products, and its main purpose is to prevent sellers from selling unsuitable products and to protect consumers.
Our government introduced a recall system for all consumer goods and services in 1996, starting with automobile recalls in 1991, and has been operating it consistently. On September 11, the National Institute of Standards and Technology issued a recall order for 54 products that did not meet safety standards or had a high risk of fire. Among electrical appliances, there were many heating appliances such as batteries, electric ranges, and rice cookers that had a risk of fire or electric shock, and among household goods, there were furniture that had a risk of electricity, and cosmetics and masks that had been detected as containing hazardous substances.
However, it is difficult to identify recalled products in daily life. You cannot know what items you purchased, when, and how, and you do not receive notifications by mail like with cars. In such cases, you can check the ‘Domestic Recall’ section of the Product Safety Information Center operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Consumer 24 operated by the Fair Trade Commission. We will introduce what to do when you are concerned about a product recall.‘Product Safety Information Center’ to check recall information immediately
The Product Safety Information Center can be accessed by searching for ‘Product Safety Information Center’ on portal sites such as Naver and Daum. If you simply type ‘recall’, more vehicle recall search results will appear, so enter it accurately. Once you enter the homepage, you can check information on product recalls, hazard reports, product safety complaints, etc. You can also see photos and descriptions of the most recently recalled products in the ‘Domestic Recall’ section below.
![If you want to check if a product has been recalled, do this! [이럴땐 이렇게!]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/09/13/130043426.1.jpg "If you want to check if a product has been recalled, do this! [이럴땐 이렇게!]")
To check the detailed recall product information, hover over ‘Product Recall’ at the top and go to ‘Recall Information Search’. Then, you can check the most recently recalled products in order. However, from the consumer’s perspective, it is more important to check which products have been recalled than the most recent recall items. Therefore, enter the product item suspected of being recalled in the search box at the top right.
For example, let’s say you have a 5-drawer dresser that you recently brought into your home. However, when you apply force to the front of the top of the dresser, the product loses its center of gravity and seems to tip over. The first thing to check is, of course, the manufacturer, but if it is difficult to obtain related information, you can search for recall information. For dressers, you can enter furniture or dressers, and you can also enter the product brand name or the model name you purchased.
If the product is in the recall list, check the response method below. In the case of furniture, it states, “Consumers who own the product should stop using it immediately,” and “Contact or visit the contact information to receive repairs, exchanges, refunds, etc.” In this regard, check the company name and contact information in the recall inquiry and ask about the response method.
You can also check information on overseas recalled products. This section includes information on recalls of products from various overseas countries, such as the OECD International Recall Information Sharing, the International Consumer Product Safety and Health Organization, and the U.S. Consumer Product Commission. Since this is not a product sold domestically, it is difficult to receive a refund or exchange for the product, but if you are planning to purchase the product through overseas direct purchase, it is worth searching at least once. Also, keep in mind that there may be a product that has been recalled overseas, even though a recall order has not been issued domestically.
If there is a problem with the product, you can report it directly.
You can directly report a problematic product through the report section. For example, a new product placed in a closed space smelled of gas and caused a headache, a new stove handle got hot and burned, or a secondary battery exploded while charging. To report, go to the report section, agree to the collection of personal information and provision of accident information, and then enter simple personal information.
Then, click on the ‘Report’ item and enter the informant information, KC certification information, product model name and model name, manufacturer, and accident information in detail. Enter the accident information, such as age, gender, phone number, address, occurrence area, damage details, and damage level. Also, enter the details of the damage and the injured or damaged area, and provide whether there was a fire, treatment costs, product damage, accident date, product photos, and damage photos. This is the item to use if you were not careless when using the product, but the product itself was problematic and caused damage.
If you want to check recalled products by category
You can also view detailed domestic recall information on the Consumer 24 portal operated by the Fair Trade Commission. Search for Consumer 24 on portals such as Naver or Daum, then go to Product/Safety Information to check the recall, or click the orange ‘Recall Check’ button on the main screen to access the recall description.
In this section, you can see all recall information issued by government ministries including the Product Safety Information Center, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Automobile Recall, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. You can also check the recall target by 12 categories such as industrial products, living radiation products, and food. To search, select ‘Product/Safety Information’ on the home screen, then click Domestic Recall to move to the section.
You can enter the target product directly in the search bar, or you can search by specifying a category such as industrial products, living radiation products, food, livestock products, or medicine from the categories above. If you are looking for a product that needs to be recalled, click on the image to view detailed information. The detailed information includes the reason for the recall, the recall announcement period, the cause of the hazard, the recall method, etc., and you can also view the certification information or business information at the bottom.
In addition, on the Consumer 24 portal, you can additionally check the product history of livestock, marine, and agricultural products, safety information such as breaking news on hazard information processing, ‘Products/Services’ that covers financial, medical, and travel agency insurance subscription information, product information, etc., and major certification information such as KC certification, HACCP certification, and medical device GMP.
2024-09-17 21:06:29