Tacony "Made in America" Claim challenged by FTC

[kirbysthebest]

I was just reading that the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) was threatening to give Tacony a spanking.  Luckily they closed the investigation without action, after Tacony's agreement to make some changes to Social media, Advertising, and packaging.


 


 

[this post was last edited: 8/2/2016-15:32]

http://https//www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/closing_letters/nid/musa_tacony_closing_letter.pdf

 

[gottahaveahoove]

They were lucky.

Of course, it was all contingent on a few actions to be taken...labeling, etc. They also stated that this didn't mean that there weren't errors in the original statements, AND, that they reserve the right to 'open it again', should the need arise.
One must be careful about wording.
It can get one in a heap of trouble.

 

[n0oxy]

made in the United States

The uprights and I think some canisters are made here, but the motors are from another company, I'm not sure which company Tacony uses for their motors, but I don't think it's Ametek. The Prima is actually made in China.

 

[luxlife]

"The Prima is actually made in China."

Well IF that's the case then one could conclude that it IS possible to find a well made Chinese vacuum. The Prima is probably the best of the Chinese made machines, especially when compared to other Chinese vacuums that now bear certain venerable old American brand names we've come to respect.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Labeling

The contention that FTC had with Tacony, and any manufacturer that states "Made in America" is that a certain percentage has to be Made in America.  If it is "made" with "globally sourced parts" then it is actually "Assembled in America"  or in the case of the Moxie and Prima Disassembled and Reassembled in America.


 


 "


 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">As discussed, unqualified “Made in USA” or “Built in USA” claims likely suggest to</p>
 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">consumers that products are “all or virtually all” made in the United States. The Commission</p>
 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">may analyze a number of different factors to determine whether a product is “all or virtually all”</p>
 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">made in the United States, including the proportion of the product’s total manufacturing costs</p>
 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">attributable to U.S. parts and processing, how far removed any foreign content is from the</p>
 


 


 


<p align="LEFT">finished product, and the importance of the foreign content or processing to the overall function</p>
 


 


 


of the product."


 


 

 

[sptyks]

Yes it is quite possible to buy a WELL MADE upright vacuum cleaner that is 100% made in China.


 


I own a Royal Everlast 8300 made in 2008 by TTI in China. This machine is built like a tank and is as well made and has the Quality as any of my Kirby's. The cleaning performance with it's 10 amp motor is as good or better than my Kirby Sentria. The retail price of this machine was in the $700 - $800 range in 2008.

 

[n0oxy]

vacuums made in China

I think the Perfect canisters are also made in China and they are very good and very powerful.

 

[kirbysthebest]

The issue at hand, is not if a good quality machine can be built in China.  As there are a number of as you mention, Royal, Hoover, Perfect, and some Miele I understand.  What the issue was is if you say Made in America, it has to be made here, or at least a good portion of it. 

 

[panasonicvac]

Panasonic did the exact same thing on their machines. Although they didn't advertise that much on the "American made claim". I've seen some boxes from brand new Panasonics that has a feature saying "Made in the U.S.A" but when you look at the information sticker, not everything is made in the U.S.

Even when they moved their production to Mexico, some websites claim it is made in North America, but again not everything was made in North America.

 

[eurekaprince]

What I find interesting is that in recent years, ratings plates for some Kenmore products don't even say where the vac was made. The most you get sometimes is the location of Sears corporate headquarters. In the same vein, some European vacuums offer the vague statement "Made in the EU" with no indication of where in the European Union the vac is made.

 

[human]

Yeah, that's very common. My Motorola Moto X smart phone purports to have been made in USA although virtually every component originated from overseas and final assembly happened in Texas.

My favorite example of stretching the truth was when McDonald's got busted back in the '80s for claiming their burgers were made with "American" beef. They just failed to mention that the "America" they were referring to was SOUTH AMERICA, specifically Argentina.

 

[tolivac]

I have many Royal metal uprights that were built in China.Completely satisfied with their quality.However I just bought a Royal CR5128 model from the vac shop here-commercial orange bag upright.Was surprized to see on its nameplate "Assembled in the USA"This was a surprize to me-started a thread on this to see how long Royal has been building these in the US .I am figuring the machine was just that-assembled in the US of Foreign sourced parts.Satisfied with this one-using it currently.All get their turns.Originally Mike ordered this for a church that has an older Royal-they were wanting a new one.the machine was on Mikes salesfloor-So I bought it since that Church was not interested-Guess they want to continue to use their old Royal.Mike also tried to sell them a Port-A-Vac they didn't want that either-either these churches have lots of money-or none.

 

[godfreys_guy]

China EU

Just my 2c:
China is really no longer a poor manufacturer, the reality is that, countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Turkey are now the default cheap countries in which to build products.

China has moved from strength to strength and I recall reading an article a few years ago where a ford exec was discussing how they underestimated Hyundai and the Koreans in general with their cars, and thought they'd always produce cheap n nasty vehicles.... and that they wouldn't take China for granted.

Chinese manufacturing really comes down to 1 thing: quality control. If you can master and oversee this factor then you'll find that your product will be very good!

The factor that leads to the 'disposable' factor is the consumer. People expect to pay the same amount they did 10 years ago for many household goods - this isn't realistic, as well as people 'feeling the notion' that it'll prob be cheaper to toss than repair. In my new job I work a lot with special orders in the Aus version of Home Depot and the amount of spares available and they are dirt cheap amazes me - we deal a lot with TTI through Vax, Ryobi, AEG (Ridgid) and Homelite and they have pretty much every part available and it's all very affordable.

As for the EU labelling - Countries such as Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic & Hungary are generally the countries used for manufacturing these goods but because they either have a somewhat unknown or unkind reputation - easier to slap a Made in EU sticker on it. ***Hey have you seen my Lux Platinum... I bought it because it's Slovenian manufacturing at its best....*** said no one ever!

 

[durango159]

I toured their factory just a couple months ago and saw numerous models being manufactured first hand by human beings-- not machines!!

I saw Vibrance, Brilliance, Gusto, full size power nozzle, Volt power nozzle, new Pet Vac, and a few other units being produced. I saw got to see a testing room where machines are run 24/7/365 for durability to see how long they last. Also they have a quality check where someone completely disassembles random machines from every line to ensure everything was perfect. If any single thing was wrong with that unit then every machine on that line that gets reviewed again!

Very clean factory, lots of nice people and gorgeous products!! Just like with other machines on the market certain parts like motors may be subcontracted out to another vendor. Think about computers-- the processor and video card is usually Intel or AMD, while the tower is HP, Dell, etc. Think about lawn mowers-- the engine is generally Briggs and Stratton, Koehler, Kawasaki or Honda. But at the same time a manufacturer like John Deere, like Toro or Simplicity or Riccar can go out to engine and motor manufacturers and have that engine/ motor company build a motor to the specs of the product manufacturer. So a certain vacuum motor might be built to certain specs and not just a random motor produced by that company already!
Business can be done in many ways!!

In any regard, it really doesn't matter where a product is produced-- China, Mexico, Germany, USA. That product has to meet requirements and design specifications set by the originating manufacturer. A piece of high quality machinery can be produced just as much in China as it is in the United States. On the same token a piece of crap can be made in the U.S.A just as bad or worse as one that can be made in China. It all comes down to the specifications set by the Research and product development teams of various product manufacturers!