With 64% of fake electrical goods now being sold online1 – and 44% of MPs surveyed2 believing counterfeit electrical goods are a problem in their area – Electrical Safety First is asking stakeholders and other interested parties to support its call for increased consumer protection in the government’s Digital Economy Bill.
Although the Bill is primarily concerned with broadband connectivity, the Charity believes it offers an opportunity to address major concerns regarding loopholes around selling counterfeit electrical goods online.
In recent years there has been a considerable increase in fake electrical goods entering the country, with the top electrical fakes being mobile phones and chargers, and health and beauty equipment. Research by Electrical Safety First found that around 2.5m adults have purchased a counterfeit electrical product in the last 12 months3 – double the number of people that reported purchasing a counterfeit the previous year4. And not only are the majority being purchased online but the sales are increasing at rate of 15% each year 5.
The charity is calling on the government to:
• Legally require online retailers to report people consistently selling fake electrical products, to trading standards and or the police.
• Assess the numbers and types of counterfeits being imported – including specific details of those being bought online – and the cost to the economy.
• Review current legislation around the sale of counterfeits, much of which is over 20 years old.
1 Ipsos Mori 2015
2 Research undertaken for Electrical Safety First by Dods, March 2016
3 Research undertaken by Ipsos Mori 17-28 April, 2016
4 Ibid
5 IP Crime Report 2014/15