Tens of thousands of potentially dangerous phone charging plugs have been recalled by the State’s consumer authority over fears that users may suffer electric shocks when plugging them in or out.
Around 40,000 phone charging units sold under the Ultrapower brand and carrying the serial number JL-U561 have been caught up in the recall.
The fast charging plug with twin USB ports have been sold in multiple outlets across Ireland according to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
It said the affected products were manufactured from 2018 to 2022 and carried a “serious risk of electric shock arising from poor isolation between the mains input and USB output”.
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The recall comes after a complaint about the charging units was made to the CCPC after which a series of laboratory tests were carried out with the product failing “to meet essential health and safety requirements”.
“We encourage any consumer who has safety concerns about a product to contact the CCPC,’ said the authority’s director of communication Grainne Griffin.
“Unsafe chargers can be extremely dangerous and can cause electric shock or overheat and catch fire.”
Anyone with a charging unit which has been recalled has been advised to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
The CCPC has also advised consumers to carry out certain safety checks when purchasing or using an electrical charger.
People are being urged to only buy an electrical charger from a reputable retailer and ensure it is branded with a registered company name, trademark and address of the manufacturer
Chargers should have a genuine CE mark and people are being warned not to leave a device charging overnight and unplug once the device is fully charged.
