Electronics giant Sony has apologised to mainland consumers for the substandard quality of six digital camera models uncovered during a quality control inspection in Zhejiang .
The apology, Sony's first to mainland consumers, is the latest incident in a string of quality-related scandals this year involving well-known foreign brands.
Following the suspension of camera sales in the province, Sony's mainland headquarters issued the apology on CCTV's regular Sunday consumer television programme, Weekly Quality Report. The apology was issued by Sony public relations director Li Xi .
'Our mistakes have caused trouble [to consumers] and drawn a lot of attention to the issue. Our users are very concerned about whether they can continue using Sony products. We've caused customers a lot of inconvenience, so we are apologising,' Mr Li said. Zhejiang's Industry and Commerce Administration said some of the cameras' features, including white balance and automatic exposure did not meet mainland standards. Ye Yuanchun , deputy secretary general of the Zhejiang Consumer Rights Protection Association, said: 'Any company, especially a big enterprise, should respond to consumers quickly and come up with responsible proposals to deal with the fallout.'
While dissatisfied consumers could return cameras, Sony had no plans to recall them. The company has sold about 19,000 of the digital cameras in Zhejiang this year.
Chinese law only stipulates that producers should accept returns if faults do not cause health or property losses.