Déja-vu all over again

I hope Pea never faces a faulty product.

Pea rides around town in a Bugaboo stroller.  It's a pricey ride, likely worth more than our 1996 Toyota Corolla, but when we bought it, it was with the knowledge that it would be the only stroller we would need to buy.  Part bassinet, part proper stroller, it does it all.  And above all, it has a good track record and is a safe piece of equipment.

I'm sure the folks who bought a Maclaren stroller recently were also confident that their choice was a solid, and safe, decision.  After all, Maclaren's reputation among parents across the continent is as good as they come.

But the Mclaren stroller recall announced today in the US is likely to tarnish that reputation severely, perhaps beyond repair.  Like the SIGG water bottle and Fisher Price toy recalls from the past year, when you mess with the safety of children, you are very likely to lose your customers for good.

And rightly so.  When we were growing up, safety was far less of an issue.  It was considered good to eat dirt - it built immunities.  We didn't wear seat belts.  Our parents not only smoked in the car, they didn't even crack a window.

But this is a different time.  We as young parents are far more prudent and savvy about what's good, and bad, for our kids.  We have the internet... and not just at home.  We can read product reviews and ask questions of an online community from virtually any mobile phone.  More than any other generation before us, we have access to every details about the products we buy for our kids.

Now I am not saying that our parents would have ignored a product recall that could potentially lead to a severed finger.  I'm simply saying that businesses who choose to market a product for children need to be absolutely certain that the trust they gain from a paying customer is never compromised.

Because today's parent has far too many choices to take a chance on a broken brand.  Or a broken hand.

I may not know what I want my Pea to become, but I hope she never faces a faulty product.