Pampers recently released a new version of it's Cruisers and Swaddlers diapers, bragging that the new "DryMax" versions are now thinner and more absorbent. According to P&G, the DryMax versions use the same ingredients, but the old versions had an absorbent pulp, whereas the new DryMax diapers have the absorbent layer printed right into the lining of the diaper.
Parents by the thousands began complaining about the new diapers leaking badly, and causing terrible diaper rashes on their little ones' bottoms. Not only common diaper rashes, but many cited severe rashes with oozing watery burn-like blisters. Many called the diaper rashes "chemical burns" because in their estimation these burn-like rashes, being uncommon to their child and then suddenly appearing on their child coinciding with the DryMax debut, would seem to be caused by some chemical in the diapers. You would think P&G would be concerned about their diapers causing harm to infants, but instead they at first denied the complaints existed. I met a woman who complained to Pampers just after the DryMax debut, only to be told that hers was one of only 2 or 3 total complaints Pampers had received regarding DryMax. Later, as parents realized that Pampers was not only ignoring but even flat out denying their concerns, they turned to Consumer Affairs to file their complaints. A consumer alert was issued on the Pampers With DryMax. Still, Pampers did not heed their customers. If ignoring them doesn't make them go away, they must have decided, then we will call them liars and make it out like they are trying to frame us. So P&G began to outright attack the THOUSANDS of concerned mothers, calling the DryMax rash claims lies, saying that those rashes that DID occur would have anyway, DryMax or not, and those who are calling them "chemical burns" were coached to do so by a facebook group (with currently well over 8,000 members) made up of supporters of Pampers' competitors who are out to tarnish the Pampers name. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pampers is compiling a "Pampers Dishonesty Report" on this facebook group and anyone else on the World Wide Web who dares to speak out against the rash-causing DryMax diapers.
Seriously?! SHAME on you, Procter & Gamble! Shame! Your loyal customers' babies are in pain and they of course want the problem dealt with. Instead of fessing up like mature adults you first tried to sweep it under the rug and now you are ATTACKING the concerned parents?! I do not currently support any disposeable diaper company. In fact, the ONLY disposeables I successfully used on my first 2 children were Pampers Swaddlers and Cruisers. I am pregnant again and can tell you right now that I will NOT be buying Pampers for the new baby after seeing the horrendously dishonest way that P&G is treating concerned mothers like myself. You lost this customer not because of DryMax, but because of the most appalling and disgusting exaple of "customer care" that I have ever seen. I hope I'm not the only Mom who has NOT been affected by DryMax but whose sense of HONOR and HONESTY has been severely offended by the nasty and childish way P&G is handling this. I am taking a stand against buying any more Procter & Gamble diapers, and that includes Luvs, due to this gross mishandling of the DryMax complaints.
Sources
Facebook group:
Pampers bring back the OLD CRUISERS/SWADDLERS!
Wall Street Journal article:
Diaper Gripes Grow Louder for P&G
Consumer Affairs:
16 pages of Pampers DryMax complaints
MSNBC article:
US Consumer Product Safety Commission launches investigation into Pampers, DryMax
Wow, I was wondering what changed! We get these, and they leak! And before they were fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of Procter and Gamble though...they have a history of bad things, aside from this issue. They support questionable, anti-family organizations, for example. I try in general to boycott them, and am ashamed to say I didn't even realize they made pampers.
I didn't even realize they made Pampers until I heard the hype leading up to DryMax either. :( They are really so hard to avoid it's IRRITATING. They apparently own Gain, Era, Febreeze, Charmin, Bounty, Cascade, Dawn, MrClean, Herbal Essences, Aussie, Clairol, Scope, OralB, Crest, Covergirl, Secret, Old Spice, Gillette, and more, in addition to Pampers and Luvs! Very very hard to avoid. :( We use Charmin TP, Bounty paper towels, Cascade Dishsoap, Aussie shampoo, and Gillette razors. *sigh* Then I found out they're made by P&G and am debating whether to just boycot the diapers or to get an extensive list of P&G brands and try to cut them all out. Which will be a real pain since we unknowingly have alot of favorite brands owned by them.
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