all manufacturers who make absolute crap (with apologies to Mr Ratner) were the first to get ISO9000.
It's commonly believed, incorrectly, that BS5750/ISO9000 are about high quality. They're not, it's about consistent and known quality.
I'ts perfectly legitimate to say you'll produce crap, consistently produce crap to known procedures, and thus obtain ISO9000 accreditation.
Similarly you can get an AOC by only just adhering to the minimum standard of every safety procedure, whilst providing shocking customer service. It would be lovely to believe that such companies will then be shunned and go out of business, but given that Ryanair continue to turn a healthy profit, this is clearly untrue.
G