James’ seven-year-old daughter was happily noshing on her Quaker Natural Granola when she came across this chunk of wood. Quaker was quick to send James a coupon so he could buy more woody granola from Costco, but then offered a refund when reminded that the bulk warehouse doesn’t accept manufacturer’s coupons.

James sent us his correspondence with Quaker.

He first wrote:

My 7 year old pulled a 2 inch sliver of WOOD out of her bowl yesterday morning, which I am very glad did not end up in her mouth. This would be the very first time we have tried this product, from this months Costco coupon, and now I have 4 pounds of Granola that no one wants to go near. How can I get a replacement or a refund? How would have this gotten in to the bag? Are there wood mixing paddles in the process anywhere? This is all too bad because they really liked the taste until she found the wood.

James:

We’re very sorry about the experience your daughter had with our Natural Granola Oats, Honey & Raisins cereal and understand your concern. Your family’s well-being is very important to us and we’re relieved to learn that your daughter wasn’t injured by the object she found in her bowl.

To begin, we’re sending full value coupons to replace your purchase; they should arrive in about a week. Also, we’re sharing your report with our quality assurance team. However, we need to request additional information from the package; please e-mail the additional code information following the Best Before Date found on the bottom of bag (in fold).

Next, be assured that many safeguards are in place in our plants to prevent foreign materials from coming into contact with the product. Screening equipment and inspection procedures should prevent an occurrence such as you reported.

Finally, James, we hope you’ll accept our apologies, again—as well as our thanks for the chance to respond to the situation. Hopefully we’ve done so in a way that satisfies your concerns and questions, and allows us to keep you as a valued consumer. We know you have a choice of brands and always appreciate your choosing ours.

Geri
Quaker Consumer Relations

He responded:

Hello-

The (see attached) Best before date:
Aug 30 09 A(or R)B BB

I don’t think Costco accepts coupons so I am not sure what good that would do me there.

Thanks-James

James:

Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with the response to your previous contact regarding Quaker Natural Granola Oats, Honey & Raisins.

We always try to understand each consumer’s concern, and then provide high quality service. It appears that in your case, your concerns and expectations were not completely understood. We appreciate that you let us know, so that we can further improve our service in the future.

An adjustment for any product that does not meet our high standards of quality is usually made in the form of a coupon of equivalent or greater value for another product. Thus, coupon value to replace the product was previously included with additional value to compensate for your inconvenience. Since this form of compensation was not to your satisfaction, we are enclosing a refund for your purchase in the interest of good consumer relations. Additionally, we are sending a special gift for your 7 year old.

Mr. _____, we hope you’ll accept our apologies, again—as well as our thanks for the chance to respond to the situation. Hopefully we’ve done so in a way that satisfies your concerns, and allows us to keep you as a valued consumer. We know you have a choice of brands and always appreciate your choosing ours.

Peggy
Supervisor
Quaker Consumer Relations

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