In 2009 CVS/pharmacy was being sued for allegedly selling expired products to their consumers. They were accused of having sold food, beverages, baby formula, dairy products, and over-the-counter medications that had past their expiration dates.
Connecticut State Attorney General Blumenthal filed suit against the company. Investigators found expired CVS products being sold in stores in the summers of 2008 and 2009. Investigators said that they found expired products in about 20 out of the 40 stores that they checked.
When the company found out about the situation, and stated that it is CVS company policy to remove all items from their shelves before the expiration date passes. They ended up having to pay settlement of around $875,000 to both the state of Connecticut and New York.
The company’s statement was as follows,
“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority and CVS Pharmacy has a clear product removal policy in place at all of its stores to help ensure that items are removed from store shelves before they reach their expiration dates. Any unintentional deviations from this policy that are brought to the company’s attention are quickly rectified for customers.”
From what I have read I believe it says that it was just a spokeswoman who delivered this message, and not a higher up in the corporation. If I were to have issued this statement to both the states of Connecticut and New York which are huge consumer states of CVS’ products, I think as a public relations professional of the company I would have tried to get a statement issued by a president or vice president. This is because I think this is a pretty severe situation. I would address the CEO letting him know that the public would feel better and think that the company is actually doing something by seeing a recognizable face admitting to the fault.
“CVS peddled potentially tainted food and ineffective medicine,” Blumenthal said. “Whether CVS was careless or heedless or overzealous for revenue, it betrayed its trust to consumers.”
I do not believe that CVS handled this situation to the best of its ability. They did not seem very caring about the topic or sincere, I also do not think they did enough to ensure investors that they will not let this get in the way of the company and they will change for the better. The only things to make investors feel better is the information provided to them on the companies website about on the companies website.
I do however believe that CVS does a lot for the community, and that this was a mistake that they did not know was taking place. Seeing as how CVS has had a near pretty good track record before this, I think that its consumers will forgive CVS for such a mistake. I do think that this CVS should enforce a new policy in place at all of its pharmacy stores that will make sure that these mistakes do not happen. I would have an employee at each store in charge of daily checking the items. By showing the public that it will not make this mistake again I believe that they can quickly regain its clients trust.
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