This post was written in collaboration with Electrical Safety First and their #DontBeElectricked campaign, raising awareness of the dangers of buying fake electrical products online. Please sign their petition here.
Fire safety is such an important topic, and particularly at this time of year. Not only do we have more open fires and candles in the home, but there’s a lot of cooking that goes on, often combined with alcohol, not to mention the fact that we all drag in a big lump of firewood into the house and then stick potentially ancient Christmas light around it.
Then there’s Christmas gifts.
Electrical goods sold in the UK have to meet very stringent safety checks to comply with British regulations so we can be reasonably confident that if we buy something in a shop, it’s safe to use. However often people buying Christmas gifts from online market places like eBay and Amazon may not realise that they’re actually produced and shipped from China, where goods aren’t subject to the same checks.
At best, they might be buying a disappointing knock-off that doesn’t work how you’re expecting it to; at worst, they could be extremely dangerous.
How common are fake electrical products and why are they dangerous?
Around one in three people in the UK have been conned into buying fake electrical products online at some point. As someone who is now the proud owner of many dodgy phone chargers and a set of hair curlers which were half the price of the brand name ones but I’m too scared to plug into the wall, I am definitely among them.
But why does it matter?
Well, aside from not working as expected, you could potentially get an electric shock from a counterfeit electrical product, or it could overheat and cause a fire. I don’t know about you, but I imagine if my house burned down at Christmas because I’d received a knock-off gift, I’d probably be pretty miffed.
How to spot fake electrical products online
Some of the worst offenders are Amazon and eBay; although they’re doing what they can to remove reported listings, anyone can set up a new account and use dropshipping from outside of the UK to fulfil orders.
So how do you spot the fakes so you can avoid them?
They’re too good to be true
You know the old saying ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably is’…? If something is available for much cheaper than you’d usually pay on the high street, and it isn’t a specific sale item or offer, then it may well be fake. If it’s got suspicious social media ads all over Facebook claiming all sorts of miracles, but you can’t see the comments section – it’s probably fake.
The reviews are suspect
Overly glowing reviews or reviews from unverified purchasers might be fake; no one gets that excited over a blender. Review Meta is a good tool for checking whether Amazon reviews are legitimate.
The supplier isn’t based in the UK
Electrical goods manufactured overseas aren’t safety tested and many are produced as quickly and cheaply as possible. Check the contact address is a real place and not just a PO Box. Unfortunately a ‘co.uk’ website address doesn’t guarantee that the website is UK based. As many companies use dropshipping to fulfil orders, check how long they estimate for delivery. Any longer than a few days and it’s probably coming from abroad.
My preference for expensive electrical items is to always use a reputable retailer or high street store.
The description seems dodgy
Many overseas companies selling fake electrical products online operate from China and have badly translated descriptions which are easy to spot. Also, if a description on Amazon or eBay is at pains to tell you it’s real, authentic, genuine etc then it might not be; most companies don’t usually need to tell you that.
How to spot if you’ve been bought a fake item
The packaging is flimsy, badly printed or has mistakes
If the packaging looks ‘off’, it could well be fake. If the instructions are poorly translated, this is also a sign that it may not be legitimate. If there are no instructions at all then this is a red flag!
Check the plug
Firstly, the plug should have the BSi kitemark or CE mark on it. If you’ve purchased your product from a UK retailer, look to see whether the appliance has a three-pin UK plug or charger. The UK domestic voltage is 230V/50Hz; don’t use it if it isn’t!
Check for safety marks
Genuine electrical products have one or more safety certifications on their label so if the certification mark is present only on the packaging, but not on the product itself, it’s probable you have a fake.
Use your gut feeling
If you are still uncertain about your product for any reason then there’s probably a reason and you shouldn’t use it. You can always take your product in to a high street store to compare it to genuine stock to check.
What to do if you’ve bought fake electrical products online
Ask for a refund
For this reason, it’s advisable to pay online via PayPal or a credit card as you can apply directly to these companies for a refund.
If you are not able to settle the dispute yourself, contact the retailer that manages the marketplace (such as Amazon) as they are able to intervene on your behalf.
If they are unable to help, contact the Citizens Advice.
Leave feedback
If you’ve bought via a marketplace such as Amazon or Ebay then leave feedback to warn others. Don’t make any untrue claims as the seller could have it removed; be factual and present any evidence you have.
Report it
Report fake products to Trading Standards so that they can take action against the seller; selling fake products is illegal and puts people’s lives at risk.
Sign the Electrical Safety First petition here.
And finally – help make this a thing of the past by signing the Electrical Safety First petition. The aim of the petition is to force marketplaces (such as Amazon and eBay) to follow the same regulations as normal high street retailers, and ensure good for sale via their site are safe. It also asks them to remove listings of fake and counterfeit electrical goods within 24 hours of being reported, making them safer for everybody.
You can follow Electrical Safety First Twitter.com, Instagram.com and Facebook.