A BATHROOM essential sold via Amazon has been recalled, over a serious risk of fire.
The USB Electric Toothbrush Charger has a number of issues with its fuse, meaning that if an electrical surge or fault were to occur occur, it could cause a fire.
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The Office for Product Safety and Standards has issued an urgent recall of the product, as it does not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 or the Plugs & Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.
The recall states that the fuse within the charger’s plug does not contain any granular filler, is the wrong length, and that the fuse endcaps are insecurely fixed.
“In the event of an electrical surge or fault, the plug may overheat and ignite, causing a fire,” the recall reads.
The product, which comes from China, is now being rejected at the border.
The £8.99 charger has a “waterproof design” and a “smart standby” mode, which detects when the toothbrush is fully charged.
However, it has now been deemed unsafe for consumers.
The model of the product is XT-3757 and the brand name is Shenzhen Binsheng Technology Development Co Ltd.
Anyone who has purchased the project should stop using it immediately, and should be able to contact Amazon for a full refund.
Products are commonly recalled when they pose a risk to customers’ health and safety.
This comes after a number of cheap money-saving gadgets sold on sites such as Amazon and AliExpress, were recalled because they failed basic electrical safety standards
The so-called energy saving plugs, appealed to Brits keen to keep energy bills down.
According to consumer Watchdog Which?, one product, available on AliExpress, claimed to “reduce” line loss and “improve” power factor, with around 260 buyers.
Another product, sold on eBay, claimed to use “a capacitor system to store electrical energy, allowing it to be released more smoothly”.
However, experts from Which? found that these products had poor quality soldering, contained too much lead, and had unmarked non-standard capacitors indicating they were not manufactured in the UK and therefore potentially unsafe.
Your product recall rights
Chief consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know.
Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods.
As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action.
But it’s often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk.
If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer’s website to see if a safety notice has been issued.
When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you – the customer – to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don’t there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault.
If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer.
They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice.
In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected.
You should not be charged for any recall work – such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item
“It’s incredibly concerning to see that these scam eco-plugs are still widely available on many online marketplaces, despite the fact that they are illegal and potentially a danger to their users,” said Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy.
“Sadly, it’s not surprising that these dangerous items have reappeared on major online marketplaces.
“It fits the pattern we’ve seen following countless Which? investigations and is yet more evidence of why change is needed.
A popular kids’ dinosaur toy sold on Amazon was also recently recalled due to a “serious risk” of choking.
The 3D printed toy was mislabelled, and a young child could smoke on a small part.
The recall notice states that the toy, from China, is now being rejected at the border.
And a popular airfryer sold in B&M, Argos, Poundland and Tesco has been recalled due to the risk of it bursting into flames.
Customers who have one of four models of the airfryer by Tower are being told to get in touch with the company.
Models affected include the T17023 Tower 2.2Ltr Manual Air Fryer, T17061BLK Tower 4Ltr Manual Air Fryer, T17067 Tower 4Ltr Digital Air Fryer and the T17087 Tower 2Ltr Compact Manual Air Fryer.
Anyone with an affected device is advised to unplug them and “stop using them immediately.”
