Beware online electrical bargains... most are unsafe

nEARLY three-quarters of cheap electrical appliances bought online are unsafe, a consumer watchdog has discovered.

tests on dozens of usB chargers, travel adapters and power banks bought through online market places found many had potentially lethal faults.

the research by consumer group Which? looked at unbranded or unrecognised brands sold through Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish and AliExpress. in many cases, the tests found examples of poorly designed products which could cause electric shocks and start fires.

tests were conducted on 12 usB chargers similar in appearance to a genuine Apple usB charger, but bought through online market places.

the devices claimed to be compatible with Apple products but eight were so badly designed they presented an electric shock risk. seven failed electrical strength tests designed to check that they work safely at a set voltage. the vast majority of usB travel adapters were also found to be unsafe, with 11 of 12 failing a probe test to check if they could cause electric shock if a finger or object was pushed into the holes.

Four of the nine unknown brand power banks failed tests, with a range of faults which could lead to them overheating and catching fire.

of the branded products tested, one power bank made by trust and purchased from Amazon Marketplace was so poorly put together that it started to smoke and melt during charging. And a mobile power bank from go travel overheated during testing. natalie Hitchins of Which? said: ‘online market places that list cheap and unsafe electrical products sold by unknown brands are putting people at risk.

‘these might be cheap but our testing shows they have the potential to cause serious damage or injury. online market places need to take greater responsibility for the products that are sold on their sites.’

A spokesman for go travel said it had received no complaints about its power bank, and that it had been tested to the appropriate standards.