Wherein Mr Ullman chats about what seems to be missing
While I have been as amused as anyone else by the whole Chick fil-a thing there seems to be something that has been lost in the silliness of boycotts and creepy Republicans going for the cartoon.
It is this: "Chick-fil-A made the choice to voluntarily withdraw the Jim Henson Kid's Meal puppets for potential safety concerns for our customers on Thursday, July 19." http://www.chick-fil-a.com/FAQ#?category=1
There are a bunch of things wrong with this. If Chick fil-a knows of a safety issue with the puppets then why are they not being proactive in getting the item recalled? They are saying that these things are unsafe so why have they not reported the problem to Consumer Product Safety Commission?
So why does this disturb me? Three reasons really:
- They have an incompetent corporate lawyer and are relying on bad advice. This means that a number of children are going to be hurt and the litigation will last for years.
- They are not listening to their insurer. Their insurer is going to pay most of the bill and they will be concerned about this issue. (There is a very good reason why insurance companies are willing to pay a first year Actuarial with one exam under his/her belt $48,000 a year. Like railroads, insurance companies are not willing to spend a dime when a penny will due.)
- They are lying, there isn't a safety issue with these toys.
None of this reflects well on the corporate culture of Chick fil-a. In the first two cases, by not insisting that the Consumer Product Safety Commission look into the problem, they are allowing children who already have the toys to be injured even though they know there is a safety hazard. In the third case they are slandering another privately owned company.
Frankly I think it is time for Chick fil-a to issue a statement about the toys. If there is a safety issue then the Jim Henson Company will likely address it and work with them to protect the kids. They will also make sure the problem doesn't happen again. If there isn't then Chick fil-a needs to offer apology.
