I had been despairing of ever finding a hero to write about, when along came Ingersoll-Rand, the parent company of Kryptonite bike locks. Actually, this story almost became a villainous one, but wise heads prevailed and now we can proclaim the company to officially be "good guys."
Here's the background:
Someone, somewhere, discovered that the world-renowned design of Kryptonite "U" locks could be compromised with the shaft of an ordinary ballpoint pen. (The lock style in question is the round type, not the flat type.) News spread like wildfire among bicycle enthusiasts, both on-line and off.
Ingersoll-Rand quickly acknowledged the problem, which was a good first step. However, they then punted by saying only locks bought after a certain date would be eligible for replacement. That would have left people like me and my husband out of luck -- we've got three bikes locked up with Kryptonites that were purchased quite some time ago. Why should the decision to replace the locks be based on date of purchase? A compromised lock is a compromised lock, which also means a missing bike.
Well, someone, hopefully someone from the PR department, convinced TPTB that the replacement policy was resulting in bad press and bad feelings. I know we were considering buying locks from a different manufacturer, and I doubt we were alone. Anyway, Kryptonite has announced that anyone with an affected lock can get a replacement for free.
Yay!
I'm pleased on two fronts -- one, that Kryptonite (and Ingersoll-Rand) did the right thing, and two, that I finally have a hero to report!
About Me
- Sharon Bond
- Raleigh, NC, United States
- Sharon Bond is an award-winning strategic communicator known for creating and executing common-sense solutions to difficult organizational problems. With a wealth of experience in both corporate and organizational sectors, she has helped numerous groups reach their goals through effective communication counsel, strategy, tactics and content. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in managerial communication from Northwestern University. Sharon Bond’s work has been recognized by such groups as the International Association of Business Communicators, the Business Marketing Association and the North Carolina School Public Relations Association. She focuses on helping organizations become as effective as possible, whether that’s measured through increased sales and customer engagement (content marketing communications and PR) or acceptance of major change in an organization (employee communication). Her expertise spans traditional marketing communications and public relations, such as media relations, trade show support, event planning, crisis communications and more.
1 comment:
To expand on the story - a local paper in Davenport, Iowa reported that the same technique (using a Bic pen) could be used to open gun cases manufactured by Stack-on. The company has since ordered a worldwide recall of their cabinets to replace the locks.
Here's the story:
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?t=Search&doc=/2004/09/28/stories/local/1036122.txt
I nominate Barb Ickes, the reporter from the Quad-City Times who broke the story as a "hero" worthy of further blogging.
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