Unsafe Chargers ‘flooding’ the UK

BBC News On-Line reports that thousands of unsafe Mobile Phone, Portable Device and Console charging power packs are being sold in the UK, tests showing these chargers can overheat or cause electrocution.

Now normally I take these sorts of reports with a pinch of salt – the high cost of original replacements parts, especially in the area of Inkjet Printers – often makes me think the Manufacturers issue warnings about using “unbranded” items is just a way of them protecting their profits.

However, always being one with an eye for a bargain, I’ve purchased a number of Mobile Phone Chargers and Spare Batteries from eBay over the past 18 months – all coming from Far Eastern sellers – and every time I’ve been disappointed with the performance or reliability of the purchases.

In each case, the Mobile Phone batteries I’ve bought have had ridiculously short life-spans or capacity for holding charge, and the chargers I’ve bought seem to charge at a much slower rate than the branded chargers, plus have got incredibly hot to the touch.

Therefore the report from BBC just confirms what I’ve come to realise – that you get what you pay for, and I sure as hell don’t want to save money only to give myself an electric shock or worse! As they say, “Being Dead is bad for business”.