Consumer watchdog Which? has issued details of some concerning findings
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A consumer watchdog has issued a warning that phone chargers sold online by major retailers including Amazon, B&Q and eBay can electrocute users and even explode. Which? purchased 15 USB phone chargers from seven online marketplaces and put them through rigorous testing to establish whether they were safe and legally compliant for sale in the UK, discovering that nine were so poorly made that users faced a genuine risk of electric shock.
The nine chargers were sourced from Amazon, including Amazon Haul, as well as AliExpress, B&Q Marketplace, Debenhams Marketplace and eBay. Eight of the chargers also presented serious fire and explosion risks.
All 15 chargers were found to be lacking vital information on their packaging, the charger itself, or accompanying documentation – details which are legally required for them to be sold in the UK. One charger, advertised as an “Apple” USB-C 35W Power Adaptor for £11.99 on eBay and bearing the Apple logo, turned out to be a hazardous counterfeit.
During electrical strength testing, arcing sounds were detected from the product within just 10 seconds – a phenomenon that occurs when a current leaps between two parts of an electrical circuit, potentially triggering a fire, causing the product to explode, or delivering a potentially lethal electric shock. When Which? researchers cracked open one charger’s casing, they discovered a lump of modelling clay inside, believed to have been used to make the device feel heavier, sturdier and more authentic. One customer who purchased the charger left a review on the listing stating it had overloaded and destroyed their iPad and phone, rendering both unable to charge.
Two unbranded phone chargers purchased from eBay sellers for £2.10 and £2.80 both presented risks of fire, explosion and electrocution, according to Which?. The investigation also covered Amazon’s budget platform Amazon Haul, where a USB-C charger sold for £6.99 failed electrical safety tests and was deemed a shock and fire hazard, reports Kent Live.
The 2-1 Super Fast Charger priced at £10.99 from a seller on B&Q Marketplace also failed safety tests, with the potential to explode, ignite a fire or deliver an electric shock to users. A Dual Port 35W charger retailing at £9.99 from the Debenhams marketplace similarly failed all of Which?’s electrical safety tests and was also found to be weighted with modelling clay.
Two chargers sourced from AliExpress sellers for £1.30 and £5.69 displayed multiple faults capable of causing an explosion, fire or electric shock. Meanwhile, chargers purchased from sellers on Temu and Shein passed Which?’s safety tests but lacked required product markings, including details of the UK importer. Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said: “Badly designed electricals like these can have life-altering – even fatal – consequences. Online marketplaces have known about the danger of knock-off chargers for the better part of a decade, but consumers continue to be placed at risk.
“The Government must urgently use the new powers it has under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act to update product safety legislation and impose a clear legal duty on online marketplaces for ensuring the safety of products sold through their third-party sellers, with tough enforcement for those that fall short.
“By making online marketplaces legally responsible for unsafe products, the Government can set a world-leading standard for product safety in the digital age.”
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, said: “Counterfeiting is a very intentional act. The driving force is often solely about maximising profit and, in doing so, cutting corners on safety. Our own research into counterfeit Apple chargers found criminals filling them with metal weights to mimic the feel of genuine products. This introduced a serious risk of electric shock.
“Whilst we welcome the Government’s initial plans to regulate online marketplaces, a clear and legal duty of care must be placed upon those companies. This must be backed by robust enforcement and meaningful penalties that reflect the very real risks millions of UK shoppers are exposed to every day.”
The retailers concerned confirmed they had taken down the problematic listings, either on their own initiative or following Which?’s discoveries. All emphasised that customer safety was a top priority for them.
