UK warning on dangerous travel agents – 3 things to watch out for

All six basic travel adapters also presented fire safety concerns in tests.

These include missing safety latches – which prevent people from connecting to live internal parts of a plug – missing fuses and oversized pin holes.

The Office of Product Safety and Standards has noted such concerns when issuing alerts to travel adapters.

For example, recently You have ordered a product to be returned., External Lack of safety shutters and He rejected the other’s import., ExternalStating that it does not meet UK plug requirements it poses a serious fire hazard.

Online reviews by the ESF have also raised concerns about the extent to which the devices they test may be purchased and used.

In one review on Amazon’s marketplace, one user said the device “fell out of their hands” and that if this happened while in use, they “could have been electrocuted.”

“We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and our own policies,” an Amazon spokesperson said.

“The identified products have been removed from sale.”

He added: “If we detect a product missing through our automated checks, we will immediately correct the issue and tighten our controls.”

Meanwhile, reviews of the universal travel adapter on AliExpress said it exploded while in use.

An AliExpress spokesperson told the BBC that it had removed the products flagged by the ESF and was contacting affected customers to make a recall.

“We’ve also begun a broader review of Universal Travel Adapter listings where all plug-in pins appear extended at once,” said AliExpress, adding that AliExpress will restrict listings with this “unsafe feature” until it is fixed by the seller.

“Combining technology, AI-powered monitoring and dedicated teams to maintain a safe and trusted marketplace,” said an eBay spokesperson, the effort “de-lists millions of unsafe items every year.”

TikTok says it enforces its policies “vigorously,” adding, “99.5% of the violations we remove are taken down before they’re listed.”

But the ESF believes the government should do more to hold online sellers to account.

“Marketing in the UK is very risky at the moment,” Capana said.

“These platforms claim to put customer safety first, but our investigation shows that in reality, they are not always able to prevent dangerous goods from being made available to the public for free.”

He called for online marketplaces to be held legally accountable for products sold on their sites, which he said would help protect consumers from dangerous electrical goods.

Which consumer group? He recently said he found phone chargers for sale online. It has created similar risks for users, External.

“Badly designed electronics can have life-changing – and even fatal – consequences,” said Sue Davies, head of consumer protection.

“Despite countless warnings, it is unfortunate that online marketplaces are unable to prevent dangerous products from reaching consumers.”