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13 13 20 8Buyers beware: Kuwait no country for recalls Image-conscious companies loathe to lose customers
Libyans vote in historic polls TRIPOLI: Eager voters cast their ballots yesterday in Libya’s first free national elections in decades after the ouster of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, despite protesters disrupting some polling in the restive east. In Tripoli, voting began with queues of people keen to elect the General National Congress, which will be at the helm of the country for a transition period. “Words cannot capture my joy, this is a historic day,” said Fawziya Omran, 40, voting in a school in the heart of Tripoli. Voters in the capital turned up draped in black, red and green flags - the colours of the revolution that toppled Gaddafi last year - as mosques blasted chants of “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest). Joy was also palpable in the eastern city of Benghazi, cradle of the revolt. “I feel like my life has been wasted so far, but now my children will have a better life,” said Hueida Abdul Sheikh, a 47-year-old mother of three. Protesters demanding greater representation in the 200-member congress forced the closure of many polling stations elsewhere in the region, however. Nuri Al-Abbar, chairman of the electoral commission, said acts of sabotage, mostly in the east, prevented 101 polling stations from opening. “Ninety-four percent of polling stations opened,” he told reporters in Continued on Page 13
TRIPOLI: Libyans hold up their ink-marked fingers that shows they have voted as they celebrate in Martyrs’ Square yesterday. — AP
Max 44º Min 33º High Tide 03:30 & 14:24 Low Tide 08:31 & 21:03
By Shakir Reshamwala KUWAIT: Recalls are a necessary evil for manufacturers, since the cost of recalling millions of items is far less than a class-action lawsuit by disgruntled customers. Moreover, any deaths or injuries caused by using a faulty product may result in long-term damage to a brand, a loss that far exceeds any losses caused by a recall. Manufacturers also risk censure by local governments and trade bodies and even mandatory shutdowns if they fail to recall products that pose a harm to consumers. In the US for instance, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website has information on more than 5,000 product recalls, including dozens already this month. It also has an app for recall alerts. Not so in Kuwait. All products sold here are free from defects, are of excellent craftsmanship and won’t harm your health in any way. One reaches this conclusion since no product ever seems to be recalled in this country, despite the fact that similar products may be part of a global recall by the manufacturer. This may also be because most products in Kuwait are distributed by agencies, many of whom have a monopoly on certain brands and may view a recall notice as something that can hurt their standing in the local market. Automobile recalls are another sensitive issue in carcrazy Kuwait. Dealerships see a recall as a sign of weakness that can impact sales in the cutthroat market. A mechanic working at the service center of an auto dealership said recall notices are regularly received, and when vehicles come in for regular checkups, the Continued on Page 13