Kumho tire "hidden rules" secret

After the “3.15” exposure by CCTV, why did Kumho Tire react so dull and even fearless? There are extremely complicated reasons behind this. There are both legal issues and some “unspoken rules” in industries that cannot be seen. Kumho Tires Back to "play" over.

Under the pressure of great public opinion, Lee Han-ho, the chairman of Kumho Tire (China), finally apologized to Chinese consumers and promised that “the company will determine the application for the recall of all tires in the shortest time”. Qiu Baochang, a lawyer of the famous automobile rights defending lawyer and the China Consumers Association lawyers, said in an interview that “Kumho’s decision to recall problem tires is a positive gesture, but whether it truly recognizes the seriousness of the problem depends on how its specific implementation plan is. ."

Kumho Tire was CCTV's “3.15” exposure for nearly a week, but consumers can only wait for a principled position. In the "3.15" the next day, Kumho Tire's first reaction was to issue an official Weibo report to refute CCTV reports.

Why is Kumho Tire so fearless? There are both legal issues behind it, and there are some "unspoken rules" in industries that cannot be seen.

Group Litigation Needs to Be Matched with the "Three Laws"

Regarding the legal issues, Qiu Baochang’s lawyer believes that according to the “Consumer Protection Law,” “Product Liability Law,” and “Law on Tort Liability,” producers or sellers use false pretenses, shoddy products, or unqualified products. If the goods are impersonated as qualified, thereby jeopardizing the personal and property safety of the consumers, civil compensation of 50,000 yuan or less shall be carried out, and if more than 50,000 yuan constitutes a criminal offence, the public security department may intervene. However, the problem is that in the actual operation process, consumers are often on the weak side because of difficulties in obtaining evidence and appraisal. When a new car travels for several hundred kilometers, tire bulging or cracking occurs. Manufacturers and dealers will then push the responsibility to the owner of the vehicle. This is clearly not taking the law seriously. The reason is that the relevant laws are The penalties for illegal activities are too low. For products such as automobiles and parts that are related to personal safety, there is a problem that manufacturers refuse to recall and only impose a fine of 30,000 yuan. This is really nothing to say.

Therefore, Qiu Baochang suggested that Kumho Tire users patiently wait for the AQSIQ's investigation results. For the time being, do not sue or claim personally. If the situation is clear, if the class action is required, the above three laws should be used together.

Tire manufacturers should break the silence

The Kumho Tire Institute may be just the tip of the iceberg. Is there any more tire manufacturers that are using the back gel instead of raw rubber? The information from the industry indicates that using recycled rubber instead of raw rubber is not a rare thing. Encouraged because it is in line with the green trend. Only in China, the ratio of backwashing rubber and raw rubber is not known as public knowledge. This means that the personal safety of consumers is to a considerable extent consigned to the conscience of tire companies. Unscrupulous companies such as Kumho Tire, consumers only feel bad. An industry source who did not want to disclose his identity stated that after the Kumho tyre incident, its supporting vehicle manufacturers had taken off their relationship with Tianjin Jinhu in the first time. However, what consumers now need to know is that they have tires. Manufacturers, what is the concept of using recycled rubber in the end? If tire manufacturers remain silent, consumers, especially the media, will guess that the price of raw rubber has doubled and auto manufacturers have been unable to raise the price of the car because of competitive pressure. In the context of cost control, is there any tacit agreement and “collusion” that harms the rights and interests of consumers? Take a look at the actions of Kumho Tires and the unsuccessful conduct of Carrefour and Wal-Mart’s unpaid tariffs. This inference is not alarmist. .

Crisis PR missed the best time

After Kumho Tire was exposed by CCTV “3.15′′, why did it lose the ability of crisis of multinational companies? According to the “hidden rules” of the popular industry, these days Kumho Tire has certainly not been idle, but its effect is counterproductive.

According to the analysis of a senior media person, Kumho Tire dares to cry with CCTV, and 9 out of 10 is a bad idea that its low-cost PR company hired. The Chinese tire quality standard lags behind foreign countries for 10 years. Then there was a 180-degree turn. It was estimated that in the face of the tragic media and network denunciation, it was more likely that the vehicle manufacturers would withdraw their orders. Kumho Tire executives could not stand it. It is too late, and the best time for seeking consensus has been missed. According to an online survey conducted by Sohu Auto on the 22nd, in the Kumho Tire’s option to “punish with heavy blows, heavier treatment” and “establishment of mechanisms and not to dispose of individual cases”, the voting ratio of the two is 19597:591; For all recalled and only recalled problem tyres, the voter ratio is 12034:396.

Media PR is also awe-inspiring

Kumho Tire's media public relations are in place. A few years ago, Kumho Tire began to suffer from bulging, cracking, and puncture problems. It was recalled in 2004 in the United States and in 2006, and in 2009 it took a sensational media complaint from consumers in China.

However, in December 2010, a number of domestic media (including individual authoritative industry media) were “invited” to visit the Kumho Tire Tianjin plant, and the relevant reports were full of glorification - “It can be seen from every process. Kumho Tire has strictly controlled all aspects of production to ensure the quality of the products produced."

“Kumho Tire's four factories in China have passed international and domestic related quality certifications, including US DOT certification, European ECE certification, Gulf GULF certification, and China 3C certification.”

The above-mentioned senior media sources told reporters that in all sectors including automobiles, the “hidden rules” of the media are universal. However, before the major issues related to the fundamental interests of consumers, the mainstream media is no matter how “friendly” it is with multinational corporations. Needing each other will not lose the professional and moral bottom line. The final intervention of CCTV is a good illustration.

If a multinational company uses its mind in the "hidden rules", that is, self-destruction of credibility and brand, Kumho Tire provides a typical sample.