Response from Huggies re: products

[lil monkey]

Hi all,

I ended up emailing huggies to complain about their wipes and nappies and here is their response. Perhaps we should all send our nappies back at their expense?! As per below, the correct contact details are:

The correct details for any enquiry or complaints related to Huggies Nappies products please contact our Consumer Advisory Service on 1800 028 334 or via our “contact us” page on our website at:
http://www.huggies.com/au/help/contactme.


Dear Lu,

Thank you for contacting us via our internet site.

We are sorry that you have encountered problems with our HUGGIES(tm) nappies. We would like to send you some replacements for the nappies although I do require two clean unused samples of the faulty product.

Could you please forward your samples to our free postage address of:

Kimberly Clark Australia
Reply Paid 343
Milsons Point,
NSW 1565
Ref#10394037


Thanks also for letting us know your thoughts on the slight size change
on our Huggies Baby Wipes(r). We are really sorry you are not happy
with the change but we appreciate the fact that you have given us a
chance to explain why it had to happen.

Unfortunately due to the increases in the costs associated with the
manufacture of our Huggies Baby Wipes in the US, Kimberly-Clark
Corporation has had to reduce the size of our Wipe slightly to offset
these costs. Since Kimberly-Clark Australia import the Wipes from the
US, we must accept whatever product form and size they produce on their
machines even if we prefer to stay with our current product.

Despite this, we are happy to say Huggies Baby Wipes are still bigger
than the J&J Baby Wipes, and cover your hand when cleaning your baby.

Huggies Baby Wipes are still thick and soft, gently clean and moisturise
your baby's skin, are alcohol free and hypoallergenic.

We hope the above explains the change in the product. Rest assured that
Kimberly-Clark continues to strive to produce products which meet the
needs of our mums and dads

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on
our toll free number of 1800 028 334.


Regards,

KCA Consumer Advisory
Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty Limited
52 Alfred Street
Milsons Point NSW 2061

[mummyb]

hi thanks for sharing this with us,
i cant belivea company that makes billions could seriously think we wouldnt mind if they changed their product but not the price.
it may only be cms to them but its not the point it costs us the same and them less its not like they werent making a profit before they changed the size. :p
thanks again happy parenting

[mamabear]

I just responded to this in another forum. I also conatcted Huggies re the change in size and spoke to a customer service person. She explained that it was either an increase in the price on the supermarket shelf (due to increased costs associated with production) or a slight reduction in size. I didn't even notice for myself but had to have it pointed out by a friend. I know which I would rather have, money in my pocket. They are still the best on the shelves IMHO. Yes I've tried the others but keep coming back to Huggies.

Happy Parenting!

[meshan]

Just a suggestion - give the Dove brand wipes a go. I find they are much bigger and thicker then huggies, they are also cheaper!

I have also just discovered Coles Homebrand nappies. They are fantastic value and good quality.

[Evo]

Meshan - are the Dove wipes widely available? I don't recall seeing them - but then trips to the supermarket these days are usually chaotic and rushed thanks to DD :) . I really like the Huggies wipes but the Dove ones are the same quality but cheaper I'd prefer to buy them.

[The Huggies Team]

We’ve noticed that some incorrect contact information regarding Huggies consumer enquiries has been added to the BubHub website.

We take any complaint seriously, but for us to be able to respond as quickly as possible we need the information to reach the right people. The correct details for any enquiry or complaints related to Huggies Nappies products please contact our Consumer Advisory Service on 1800 028 334 or via our “contact us” page on our website at:
http://www.huggies.com/au/help/contactme.

If you are experiencing any problems with our Huggies products we welcome your feedback, as it is through feedback from you that we are able to ensure that we are continually providing mums with high quality product.

Hopefully we can sort out any issue as quickly as possible. We’re all mums and we know that none of us have time to waste.

Kind regards
The Huggies Team :)

[raziemam]

:) I use DOVE wipes also! They are usually on the bottom shelf where all the other baby items are for sale...

[Charlie4]

Hi Ladies

I read your posts with regard to Huggies and their responses to the query. Well, that's not news. It's amazing, that as Mummyb pointed out, they feel they can reduce the size and not the price. Of course, they want to make as much profit out of you as they can.

I spoke recently to an acquaintance I met at a dinner party. He is a chemist and told us he used to work for this company who makes shaving foam. He told us that the total product cost to the company is around 5 cents. FIVE CENTS. That's all. Just check out the price of shaving foams at the supermarket and make your own conclusions.

Yet people are amazing. They may be presented with other products that overall will be of better value and quality, but just because they have bought a particular brand for years, they do not wish to change.

Solange

[Joey]

Has anyone tried the above product?

We are due in mid Nov. and are contemplating buying the starter pack available here

http://www.nurturedfamily.com/detail.aspx?ID=41 .

We figure using re-usables - when we can - will be kinder to the environment and cheaper in the long run.

Any thoughts?

[kelbel]

Has anyone tried the above product?

We are due in mid Nov. and are contemplating buying the starter pack available here

http://www.nurturedfamily.com/detail.aspx?ID=41 .

We figure using re-usables - when we can - will be kinder to the environment and cheaper in the long run.

Any thoughts?


Hi,

I havent tried the product, but i too wanted to use re-usables, but i have found it to be easier and less stress by using disposables. I wont say that i dont have the time to wash them- its just that there are way too many other things to do and its 1 less thing u have to do.. sorry, i tried re-usables and it didnt work for me, but good luck if you try..

[suziebear]

I also wrote to Huggies as I bought a carton size box of Huggies Nappies and Refills of their wipes. The Nappies had all the tags on one size broken meaning they did not do up properly. I wrote to Huggies complaining and even sent them samples. I also complained about the wipes as they were in the sealed box and as dry as paper towel.

They did apologize greatly and sent me a free packet of nappies (the smallest size they sell - what did I buy - a CARTON)

I now use Dove or JJ wipes and baby love nappies. Believe it or not I think they are better than Huggies.

Happy Nappy changing.

[maybe1more]

Well they could of that least sent you a carton back as there not cheap, i brought a can of formula once and it didnt have the scoop in it so i wrote a letter of complaint and sent my reciet and they sent me 2 tins back! Not bad i thought. As for Huggies i dont buy them anymore either i too have switched to baby love, the huggies were leaking through the night even thou i would put a new nappy on bub just before i put him down for the night, since ive changed my bub hasnt wet through once.I highly recommend them. :) Mum to Connor14/07/03 and trying to concieve again

[onabreak]

Just letting you all know I emailed Kimberly Clark Australia about a month ago complaining about the new Winnie the Pook nappies and how they leaked all the time compared to the old ones. The emailed me back and said could you please post us a sample of the nappy (clean and unused of course). So I did and today and week later in the mail I received a rather large parcel at the door. They had sent me a bulk packet of Crawler sized nappies (44 in the packet) in return to my complaint.

I was so surprised that they had sent me the large packet of nappies. I was expecting only a few in replace of the 5 I complained about.

My husband and I were very impressed how quickly they got back to me and the amount they sent me. I already have a pack of nappies at home so now I have nappies to keep me going for about 2 weeks.

Very Imprerssed. It does help to complain sometimes.

[lil monkey]

The problem is that you complain and send back the whinnie the pooh ones and they send you some of the same ones back!!!

I have found places that still sell the old ones so i have stocked up with several packets so hopefully they will last me until they decide to do something about the very poor quality ones they have now!!

In the meantime the WTP ones I do have I use on her during the day and change her as soon as she has done a wee otherwise I end up with having to wash all the sheets and her clothes. unbelieveable that this has happened to a product that has never had a problem like this before - all for the sake of cost cutting! :mad:

[Norman]

I know this has certainly been a hot topic of late but I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same problem with Huggies Nappies that I am. My son has been using the Infant size (4-8 kgs), and the most recent packet I opened are rough and hard inside. I have had no problem with leakages or the size but am very reluctant to use them on him as an adult wouldn't wear their underwear if it felt as rigid and rough as what these nappies do. I gave Huggies the benefit of the doubt and bought another pack yesterday, admittedly from the same store (Cannon Hills Coles) - and they have the same problem.

Everyone's complaints must be getting to Huggies though as I have been unable to contact them on their customer service line for the last 2 days.

[Briannabear]

I have found that too, Norman. They are much thinner (my daughter leaks through them), and they feel tough. Brianna tends to get a bit of nappy rash when she wears them.
Ive ended up shopping around to find places that still stock the original ones! (quite costly though... cant seem to find boxes)

[Norman]

I still haven't been able to get through to Huggies (Kimberly Clark) and have decided that I will write to a parenting magazine such as Mother & Baby, as while Bub Hub is growing in membership the magazines have a wider circulation. Perhaps with pressure applied in the right places we, as consumers, might get what we are asking for - a top quality product to match the price tag. Otherwise what is the point in buying the most expensive brand.

[Briannabear]

Everyone Ive spoken to feels the same way!

I agree completely. I dont mind paying the extra money to buy huggies, but only if they are good quality - and at the moment they arent! :rolleyes:

[Norman]

Well - I got through to Huggies Customer Service personnel - and the lady that I spoke with was very polite and understanding - I'm not saying that I forgive Huggies for a drop in their quality - but at least they were polite about my complaint. Like the other people who have had problems I am sending 2 samples from the 2 packs I have had the problem with (hard like cardboard and rough inners).

I asked the Huggies rep what they were doing about the large amount of complaints and she said she wasn't aware that there had been complaints like the ones posted on Bub Hub. But she said people need to make their thoughts known to Huggies ... etc

I'm still going ahead with my blurb to a parenting magazine and see if that avenue can exert some pressure.

[willsmum]

How can they claim to not be aware when they have posted in this very thread!!

After heaps of cardboard Huggies, we now use Snugglers nappies with no probs and Dove Swisspers unscented wipes ($3.95 for pack of 80).

[3cherubs]

Hello,


"Snugglers" nappies are made by the people who make Huggies, so you may find there is no difference in nappy make up. I found Snugglers to be just as bad as huggies. I now use babylove and so far no problems, even with the newborn ones.
If you want huggies to notice that their nappies are no good, then stop buying anything that Kimberly Clark make. I have!!!

[willsmum]

I realise that they are made by the same company, but Snugglers do the job for us, and the price is reasonable so we just boycott the product that doesn't work (ie Huggies themselves) rather than boycott the whole company.

We have also used Coles own brand, Bilo home brand and Lullaby brand with no problems but the bulk boxes for Snugglers are the most cost effective for us.

[justtwogirls22]

i had problems with huggies baby wipes - alot of them were folded in three so really hard to use when you grab with one hand - i emailed their contact us section & got a reply the next day that they were sorry for my inconvenience & within the week received a huge replacement pack :D

[TwoBlue]

Hi all

I have been using the nappies available from Aldi stores, they are branded Mamia and are FANTASTIC !!! they also have "pull ups" available and mamia wipes and i highly recommend all of them, they are cheap and good too !!

I have been noticing lately that they are often out of stock of these items, obviously people are catching on !!

Cheers

[WeThree]

i recently complained to huggies about a box of nappies i purchased where several of the rip tabs had come off, i did not have to send any nappies, rather they just wanted me to write down the barcodes on a form on their internet site plus my name etc, which i did. i very swiftly recieved a bulk packet of nappies in my little girls size. i have tried EVERY other brand of nappy, even all the ones from overseas that you can buy at bulk nappy outlets and not one lasts the distance like huggies, not aldi, babylove, homebrand, certainly not snugglers, they are crap. all of them are ok for the day, but at night they are the only ones that will keep my son dry till the morning, none of the others hold nearly as much and i end up having to change his whole bed in the middle of the night(he is a complete piddle pot!)or put 2 of the other nappies on him at a time. the other nappies might seem cheaper but in the long run you end up buying more. Although their sizes are not very generous i am otherwise a very happy huggies buyer! :)

[razzle]

Well after wingeing to all and sundry about the 'new' Huggies I bought a pack of Baby Love to try (again) and (again) they are crap - far too stiff and not soft at all.

Anyway, I've been buying the smaller packets of Huggies (half the size of the box) and I've noticed that the nappies look and feel completely different to the bulk box I just finished. The have a more fitted look, the elastic seems tighter or something, I don't know. In any case, I've been through 3 packets now and not one of them has leaked. Eloise has a nappy on from 6pm until 8am - that's a lot of hours (and wee). Maybe the box I bought was a bad batch?? :confused:

It's cheaper buying the smaller packets sometimes anyway - when they're on special for about $17 it's cheaper than $39 for the bulk box.

[rebecca]

Good to hear that we are all experiencing the same dramas re the nappies for our little ones, I have been using huggies, however since the new batch of winnie the pooh infants I have sent and phoned Kimberley Clarke regarding how s*** they are and how the sizes differ from box to box or pack to pack. As cooper does not fit the 6-11kg as he is a little too skinny, the infants are the only nappies that currently fit him..I have now changed to baby love as these are the only nappies that I have found to be consistent. Box of 100 Infants $26, and I pay $40 for huggies infants that do not fit. If huggies were not so unreliable I would use them, maybe once cooper is a little bigger I will try the crawlers..for now we are using babylove and they are ok, except when he does a huge number 2 and it goes up his back and on his outfits...

[osmummy]

I have had my DD in Huggies since birth and have not experienced a problem however I have just changed to Snugglers (due to cost of Huggies) and EVERY one has leaked...and I mean really leaked and in under an hour of her having it on! I have contacted KCA by email and will see what their response is. I cannot use the Snugglers I have bought so what does one do with 136 unusable nappies! Sigh....

[Moorish]

Osmummy throw the unused nappies on eBay - I've seen them for sale on there quite often, or if you're feeling generous, donate them to the salvos or your local church group who may have use for them in a new parents pack or something.

It's great to hear everyone's opinions of huggies & other brands of nappies. I'm not sure how old everyone elses kids are but my girls are now 3.5 & 23 mths old so I've had a few years of trying different brands! This is what I've settled on & will be trying again for dd #3.

Newborn - Huggies worked well because babies pee so much & so often! Also, Baby Love were good in the smaller sizes as they seem a lot softer & more absorbent but only during the day, never at night & never the larger sizes - always leaked.
Crawler & up - I use Snugglers during the day, due to the cost factor (so expensive when your have 2 toddies in nappies) - Snugglers work well during the day but I never use them at night, they seem to be thinner. Huggies at night.
My 3.5 yo has been out of day nappies for a little while now but she & her little sister have an arvo nap at the same time during the day so I still put a snugglers on her during nap time & both girls use Huggies at night.
I must say, I've got one pack of normal brand huggies for the 3.5 yo & the new "pooh" nappies for my 23mth old & only since reading other peoples posts has the lightbulb flashed above my head. :D They youngest has so far wet through about 4 times with this new box so I might contact Huggies too and put my 2cents in.
One more thought to consider. Huggies - Kimberley Clarke must be making some serious cash of their product if they are able to send out such extravegant "apology" items to it's customers, after all, what are they getting back in return? 2 samples of the pack you've already paid for? It's either a huge mark up on their product or they've got some great tax write off's happening!

[Norman]

Two weeks ago I returned 2 packets of Huggies nappies to Kimberly Clark after speaking to one of their consultants - who was lovely and reassured me about their products.

On Monday 2 replacement packets of nappies arrived by courier and I was feeling very happy with Huggies (though didn't open the packets as I had a packet open already).

Today I took advantage of Woolworths special on Huggies nappies about bought 2 jumbo boxes (yes, ds' wardrobe is now stocked full of huggies).

This afternoon I opened 1 of the replacement packs to find they were all like cardboard - which is what I originally complained about. So I opened all the packets and they are all the same.

I guess you can call me a mug as I've continued to buy them and had the same problem now in 6 packets - but I'm no longer going to be such a fool!! The letter with the replacement packs from Kimberly Clark apologised that their usual "stringent quality control procedures" had failed. As this has not been a one off problem I guess that this is just the way their product is now.

Only problem is I have tried other brands and found them to produce a little redness on ds. Oh well - I guess its only 2 years or so that we will have this problem for - ugghh!!

[slick2]

I was loyal to Huggies thinking the more expensive the better, until I'd had enough. I've had very similar problems with Huggies. I used them for about 6mths after I had my little boy. I had broken or weak tabs, leakages, hard (cardboard) insides and also found that the gel inside would get everywhere when he wet.

I tried a few different brands and ended up choosing Snugglers. They have proven to be better quality, cheaper and have never leaked or got that horrible gel stuff everywhere. And my boy really can fill them overnight, they hold well.

I also found that huggies wipes seemed too wet and would be dripping especially when I got to the bottom of the pack. I have used J & J ever since and don't have problems with them either.

[WeThree]

hi everyone, in an earlier post on this thread i mentioned that i had recieved a large packet of nappies after complaining about a couple of tears in some of the huggies nappies, well yesterday i recieved a beautiful childrens book, compliments of huggies and another letter once again apologising for my 'inconvenience', did anyone else recieve one of these? i think it was such a nice gesture - thanks huggies! (i agree with kevin budgie- we are sooo spoilt here in australia, not just when it comes to nappies but everything else to, we are very lucky :) )

[onabreak]

Hi Coopsntilly

I had complained about there nappies aswell and received a large packet in return and that was about 2 months ago.

I did not receive a beautiful childrens book. :mad: How long did it take for them to send it to you after you received your replacement nappies?

[Narelle]

I think Huggies nappies are fantastic, I havn't had a problem with them at all, I did try a different brand briefly when I was in Melbourne and near a factory outlet and they were crap, it's Huggies for me! However I do prefer the Dove wipes.

[Milly]

I don't mind Huggies products and I do like their nappies, but it is the cost of them I don't like. We use Snugglers nappies with our daughter and they are fantastic. I bought a pack of Huggies Toddler nappies just recently (as they were on sale) and whilst they were good, when put side by side with the Snugglers in the same size (Large 10-15kgs) they looked pretty much the same. Yes, the Huggies had a more elasticised waist band, but really, at the end of the day there was no major difference to justify the significant price difference. I get 15 more Snugglers nappies than Huggies for much less money. So much cheaper and so much more economical. We have not had had any worries with the Snugglers at all. And, I really don't need Winnie The Pooh iconography on the nappies either. It seems that you must pay extra for that too. Crikey the kid wees and poos in them, she does not care one iota whether Winnie the Pooh is on them. Nope, old Winnie is not a big selling point for me either with the Huggies. :D

Huggies are just too expensive for me to buy on a regular basis. :o

[WeThree]

hi mandymoo, i complained about the nappies a few mths ago and promptly recieved a big packet of nappies and then from out of the blue i recieved this book in the mail a few days ago :confused: im wondering whether it was a big mail out to everyone who had complained lately or whether they got confused and thought i complained twice or something!

[Merlion]

hi

my mum (she looks after jessica 2 days a week and sometimes on Saturday when we need to do things and don't want to drag her along) buys Huggies nappies. I find eventhough they are for Jessica size they always seem to small. I have also found the Winnie the Pooh ones always seem to leak alot faster than the original ones she used to buy.

I persoanlly buy Snugglers. I can buy them in a big box (6-11kgs) from BigW for $35 for 140 nappies (they come in Bulk packs of 144 (newborn) 90 (12-18kgs) I think too) and they normally last approx 3 1/2 weeks. They are slightly big for Jessica (she's 8.2kg) but they work a treat. She only leaks through the nappy when she has done both a huge pooh and has pee'd at the same time. I normally change her nappy when she goes to bed (approx 10pm) and only change her nappy when she wakes up approx between 10-11am. Its normally fairly full but it has never leaked once during the night.

I also buy Woolworths brand wipes and if you like you can buy a bulk box of 6pkts of 180 wipes in each pack for aboutr $20.00 from Woolworths. They are excellent and they work a treat.

Alicia :p

[onabreak]

I have already complained to Huggies about there nappies and that they were leaking. Now my dd has gone up to the 10-15kg nappies and we are using the new Winnie the Pooh nappies. I have to say they are terrible nappies, they are leaving the obsorbent gel all over her bottom, which can't be good and some don't have the grip tabs.

Looks like Huggies will be hearing from me again, as I have still been buying them since my last complaint and they sent me a replacement pack.

Not happy JAN!!

[mommybear]

I can't believe the price of the shaving foam!!!

I like the Huggies wipes but might give the Dove wipes a go.

Mommy

[Marcy]

Hi

I to have encounted this problem i was to told to write a letter and sent in a clean sample of the nappy (which my son has now grown out of that size) i founf they were tearing when putting nappy on bub. I changed to BABYLOVE nappies (they just as good and cheaper) also i've changed to COLES NURSERYLAND wipes (BLUE BOX) they cheaper and just as good as huggies give them a go and c how u go.

Marcy
Scott 33
Samuel 15mths

[LucyE]

Joey
I use reusable cloth nappies and think they're great. I've had to use disposables on occasions and purchased Huggies thinking they're the best because they're the dearest. Well, they completely turned me off disposables. Yes, cloth nappies takes time washing (about 10minutes every second day) but all the sheets and soiled clothes (from the leaking Huggies) need to be washed too. At least with cloth I can trust that I won't need to change inbetween changes.

I've got those FuzziBunz nappies that you mentioned and think that although they're pretty good there are some even better Australian made ones available these days. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links so let me know if you are interested.