Posted on 12/02/2016 12:43:44 PM PST by Swordmaker
Consumers are being warned off buying bargain iPhone chargers online, after 99% failed a basic safety test, Megan White reports for The Mirror. Out of 400 counterfeit Apple chargers purchased from online suppliers around the world, 397 failed a basic safety test, according to safety campaigners.
Knock-off cables can be bought for as little as one pence on auction sites such as eBay, but Apples official leads retail at £19, White reports. Common problems with fakes included counterfeit plugs, non-sleeved plugs where the metal pins are exposed, live parts, two pin plugs attached and only basic insulation. They could also cause users electric shocks.
A second operation targeted local charity shops, antique dealers and second-hand shops and found 15% of 3,019 used electrical goods were non-compliant, rising to 27% in London, White reports. Only buy second-hand electrical goods that have been tested and only buy online electrical goods from trusted suppliers, said Leon Livermore, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Read more in the full article here.
Absolutely. These tests are not random or arbitrary. They ARE REQUIRED for the UL or CE label that is clearly indicated on every consumer product Apple sells (and 99% of every other LEGITIMATE company) that does business internationally. The problem lies that the CE and UL labels are counterfeit as well as the product, as counterfeit companies are inherently not legitimate companies.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and CE (European equivalent) are the two watchdog groups that set up safety standards for consumer and industrial products. They publish teams of materials and standards dealing with electrical breakdown, chemical, abrasion, corrosion, voltage levels, and even have a calibrated “finger” for testing fan shields. Many countries require compliance with these standards for import into their country.
Compliance is voluntary as some countries do not require compliance. But the companies I have worked for embraced this from the safety standpoint.
I made the mistake of trying to save some cash, and bought a cheap one. It didn’t catch fire, but it just didn’t work. I think it was counterfeit.
Try reading the original article, Okie. THEY TELL YOU WHO DID THE TESTS, so you don't have to ask dumb questions.
Whst a joke. I can see issues with cables but modern chargers are ubiquitous. Enjoy the punch.
Not to mention spreading FUD.
;-)
Some folks take stuff way too seriously, don’t they?
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