Product quality

I am writing in reference to an article in Kompas (Feb. 27) on Mendesak adanya standardisasi mutu produk (Urging standardization of product quality) written by Sudaryatmo, head of the Indonesian Foundation's complaint department. The article referred to the falling quality of consumer products and suggested the need for a proper forum or law to address the issue. Sudaryatmo gave various examples of letters from irate consumers to establish his point.

One of the letters was written by Siti Sabarsih regarding the Tango Hazelut chocolate bar. This letter was published in November, 1996 in many newspapers. We, the manufacturers, took immediate action in November, 1996 by contacting Siti Sabarsih to identify the problem. It was discovered there was no problem, only a misunderstanding on the part of the consumer. Siti then wrote another letter which was published in Media Indonesia (Nov. 19, 1996) where she clarified that she had been contacted by our distributor PT Arta Boga Cemerlang and the management of Golden Truly (where the chocolate bar in question had been purchased) and was extremely satisfied with their response. She said that what actually happened was a mistake and a misunderstanding.

We would like to draw the attention of Sudaryatmo to the fact that while there can be problems with consumer products, not all complaints are always justified. Sometimes consumers tend to react more strongly than they should have. We would also like to take this opportunity to reassure Sudaryatmo and all of our consumers that our products are manufactured under the most stringent quality control and it is our constant endeavor to deliver only the very best in the market place. We are always open to suggestions for improvement as we want to strive for the highest of quality standards.

KAPIL GARG

Marketing Manager

Indo Cocoa

Jakarta