Beware of potentially dangerous online-purchased electric blankets. A consumer watchdog group has warned about the prevalence of illegally made electric blankets on the market.
According to Which? Some of the items on the market are “manufactured so inadequately” that they might “represent a major risk.”
Electrical Safety First, a nonprofit organization, claims that it has discovered “extremely unsafe” electrical goods being sold online by unauthorized vendors.
It’s looking for new rules to safeguard consumers better.
People are turning to electric blankets in droves due to the price of living problems to cut down on their heating bills.
Which? Nine of eleven electric blankets, throws, and shawls purchased from third-party vendors on AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and Wish were illegal to sell in the United Kingdom.
A consumer advocacy organization found fault with the items’ construction, presentation, and documentation.
Which? Some goods had electrical wires that could be readily pulled out, and others lacked the appropriate safety standard markings.
Many of the blankets were safe, highly efficient, and unusable.
Online marketplaces have finally withdrawn all of the problematic products that Which? had highlighted.
Which urges websites that knowingly host sales of potentially dangerous or illegal goods? To take greater legal accountability for their actions.
The current method primarily places the burden on independent vendors.
The head of Which consumer?’s protection policy, Sue Davies, warned that people’s safety might be in danger if they purchased these items cheaply on internet marketplaces.
She said that customers should not be in danger and that the government should move quickly to make online marketplaces more legally responsible for hazardous and unlawful items offered on their platforms.
Labour MP for Gateshead, Ian Mearns, introduced a Private Member’s Bill last week to impose further regulation in this field.
Safe Work First, a nonprofit, lobbied for the legislation to “address a gap in the law” that now allows online marketplaces to function “without any accountability” to ensure the safety of their website’s items.
Third-party vendors on Amazon, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Wish.com were found to be offering “very unsafe” electrical devices for sale by Electrical Safety First.
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Manager Lesley Rudd stated, “Households are continually placed at risk from items, such as unsafe electric blankets, while they attempt to keep heating down costs.”
The legislation must be changed since otherwise, and individuals will remain unsafe.
The listings were deleted from AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and Wish, after Which? raised safety concerns.