December 4th 2014
With Christmas being the peak period for shoppers looking for cheap goods online, the dangers of buying counterfeit electrical and electronic goods are once again highlighted.
Advertisements for 'cheap' electrical goods which are actually fakes on internet auction sites, online market places or via social media sites, is commonplace. These advertisements are convincing and so, n many cases, are the goods, in branding, appearance, packaging and functionality. The prices vary from roughly what you'd expect to pay for authentic items, making them even more believable, to 'bargain-basement'.
Buying from anywhere apart from reputable, authorised sources, however, can be fraught with danger and result in a variety of issues from unreliable goods which do not work or fall apart – to those which actually threaten your life. GHD – the hair straightener of choice for many women and girls – is always a favourite for counterfeiters. Only this morning on BBC's 5 Live radio programme, a woman was interviewed who had bought GHD hair straighteners for herself, via an ad on a social networking site. They functioned OK for a year and she had no reason to think that they were anything but genuine, but shortly after that they caught fire and exploded whilst in use and she narrowly avoided injury. The BBC's Rip-Off Britain website reports that in 2012 a lady was electrocuted and killed when she answered a call on her mobile phone which was connected to a fake charger.
The site offers the following advice, provided by Sylvia Rook, Lead Officer Fair Trading at Trading Standards Institute:
Checks you should make to avoid buying counterfeit goods
– Check the background to the trader thoroughly. Where are they based? Is there a full name and address on the website?
– Put the name of the company into an internet search engine and see if there are any complaints or adverse reports recorded.
– Be very wary about buying electrical items from traders outside the UK. Don’t assume that a trader using a .co.uk website is based in the UK, as they may not be.
– Don’t buy an item that is for sale at far below the normal selling price, unless you are certain it is from a reputable source.
– Some premium brands will only permit sales from reputable sources. For example you are unlikely to be able to buy genuine cheap Apple or GHD products from a marketplace store. If you are not sure if a seller is licensed, ask the manufacturer. You can also look on https://www.brand-i.org/ which is a shopping directory of websites that only sell genuine items.
– Some premium brands will only permit sales from reputable sources. For example you are unlikely to be able to buy genuine cheap Apple or GHD products from a marketplace store. If you are not sure if a seller is licensed, ask the manufacturer. You can also look on https://www.brand-i.org/ which is a shopping directory of websites that only sell genuine items.
– Always pay on credit card for items over £100 to give you extra protection.
– Look at the item carefully when it arrives.
– Does the packing and labelling look correct and is it of the quality you would expect?
– Are the instructions in English, and is the item fitted with a UK 3 pin plug?
– Is the voltage of the product 230V, 50 Hz (UK domestic voltage)?
– Is the item CE marked?
If you are not sure, do not plug the item in, as you could be putting yourself or others at risk from electrocution or fire.
Bought something and not sure?
– Contact Trading Standards for advice if you have any concerns.
– If the seller is based in the EU, you have 14 days within which you can return the item for any reason and get your money back.
– If an item is faulty or mis-described then you have the right to your money back (including all postage costs), although this may be difficult if the trader is based outside the EU.
It is not against the law to buy fake goods, but it is illegal to offer them for sale.
