Virtually none of the third-party chargers that were tested met safety standards
Sorry for the Daily Mail-like clickbait headline, but there’s no simple way to say it. Chartered Trading Standards Institute, a U.K. group that’s similar to the Consumer Product Safety Commission here in the U.S., issued a warning that 99 percent of the third-party Apple chargers do not meet proper shielding standards.
The group tested 400 of these counterfeit Apple chargers and found only three of them were properly shielded to prevent a fatal electric shock or spark a fire
Leon Livermore, CEO of Chartered Trading Standards Institute, told the BBC that shoppers should buy electrical goods only from trusted suppliers.
“It might cost a few pounds more, but counterfeit and second-hand goods are an unknown entity that could cost you your home or even your life, or the life of a loved-one,” he said.
And Apple is also taking some action. In October it said it was suing a third-party vendor that it said was putting customers at risk by selling power adapters allegedly from the company but were actually cheap knock-offs.
The U.K. study group offered pointers to follow to make sure you are buying something legit:
- Plug pins – Plug the charger into a socket, but don’t switch it on or connect to a device. If the charger does not fit easily, the pins may be the wrong size. There should be at least 9.5 mm (0.3 in) between the edge of the pins and the edge of the charger.
- Markings – Look for a manufacturers’ brand name or logo, model and batch number. Check for the “CE” safety mark, but be aware it can be easily forged.
- Warnings and instructions – User instructions should include conditions and limitations of use, how to operate the charger safely, basic electric safety guidance and details of safe disposal.
These things are everywhere. As the Apple lawsuit notes, Amazon is awash in them, and I just got stuck with a turkey. I recently upgraded to the iPhone 7, against my better judgement over the stupid headphone jack issue. Amazon had a $9 adapter that would allow for powering and using a headphone at the same time. Guess what? It doesn’t work.
Some time back I bought a plug that had two USB ports in it instead of one. Great, I thought, kill two birds with one plug. It proved useless and didn’t charge either device. It quickly went into the trash.
Not long ago, I bought a third-party power cord from a Postalannex while dropping off some shipping. They had a tray by the cash register—it was inexpensive and I needed a spare cable. So, why not? It wasn’t a power plug; it was a cable. But now I’m wondering about that, too.
