Consumers face serious safety risks from phone chargers sold online by major retailers including Amazon, B&Q and eBay, a consumer watchdog has warned.
An investigation by Which? revealed that numerous USB phone chargers available through these platforms could electrocute users or even explode.
Which? purchased 15 USB phone chargers from seven different online marketplaces for testing, aiming to assess their safety and legality for sale in the UK.
The findings were alarming, with nine of the chargers being so poorly manufactured that they posed an immediate risk of electric shock to anyone using them.
These dangerous items were acquired from Amazon, including Amazon Haul, as well as AliExpress, B&Q Marketplace, Debenhams Marketplace, and eBay.
Further analysis showed that eight of these faulty chargers also presented significant fire and explosion hazards. Crucially, all 15 chargers examined by Which? lacked essential information on their packaging, the device itself, or in accompanying documentation, rendering their sale in the UK illegal.
One of the chargers, sold as an “Apple” USB-C 35W Power Adaptor charger for £11.99 on eBay and marked with the Apple logo, was found to be a dangerous fake.
Arcing sounds – when a current jumps between two parts of the electrical circuit, which could cause a fire, lead the product to explode or cause an electric shock – were picked up from the product after 10 seconds of an electrical strength test.
Which? researchers opened the charger’s case and found a lump of modelling clay inside it, which they believe was used to give the charger a more weighty, robust and genuine feel.
One customer who bought the charger posted on the listing to say that it had overloaded and ruined their iPad and phone, both of which had stopped charging.
Two unbranded phone chargers bought from eBay sellers for £2.10 and £2.80 both posed risks of fire, explosion and electrocution, Which? found.
Which?’s investigation also extended to Amazon’s low-cost platform Amazon Haul, which sold a USB-C charger for £6.99 that failed electrical safety tests and was found to be a shock and fire risk.
The 2-1 Super Fast Charger costing £10.99 from a seller on B&Q Marketplace also failed safety tests and had the potential to explode, cause a fire or to give users an electric shock.
A Dual Port 35W charger for £9.99 from Debenhams marketplace also failed all of Which?’s electrical safety tests and was weighted inside with modelling clay.
Two chargers bought from sellers on AliExpress for £1.30 and £5.69 had multiple failings which could cause an explosion, fire or an electric shock, while chargers bought from sellers on Temu and Shein passed Which?’s safety tests but were missing required markings on the product, including details of the UK importer.
Which? head of consumer protection policy Sue Davies 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.”
All the retailers involved said they had removed the listings in question, either proactively or as a result of Which?’s findings.
All said they treated customer safety as a priority.
