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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wonder how Amazon can trade with this policy?

39 replies

Greatorb · 10/07/2018 06:59

Two weeks ago, I was looking to buy a genuine Samsung fast charger for my phone. First port of call was Amazon, where I found several listings by Samsung.

On closer inspection, I found that the Samsung listings were actually by a unrelated company, and looking at the reviews, shows that the chargers are fake and can actually explode when used.

I thought I'd raise the issue with Amazon, who told me that to report the issue, I have to purchase the product, use it, and if it explodes, then make a complaint.

When questioned why I have to put my life and the lives of my family at risk just to complain of a fake company selling dangerous products, the response was simply that it's policy. I was even told to call this companies premium rate line, to get "assurance" that the products were genuine. Pointing out that a company that were prepared to lie on the listing, would probably have no qualms about losing on the phone, was met with silence.

How can a company like Amazon trade like this and not investigate complaints?

OP posts:

TaraCave · 10/07/2018 07:32

Just don't buy it then!
You're complaining about a product based on reviews of other people????

Dont think any company would act any different... there are 3rd party sellers on eBay & Amazon etc .... I generally avoid buying from them.

Buy one directly off Amazon or Samsung and don't waste your energy complaining about products that you haven't actually bought!!!!!!

theymademejoin · 10/07/2018 07:38

I agree with you OP. If there is a suggestion that one of the companies that they facilitate are selling counterfeit (which is illegal), they should investigate and remove them from the marketplace and report to the authorities if found to be selling counterfeit.

onalongsabbatical · 10/07/2018 07:40

You realise Amazon only really care about profits, don't you? And wangle their way round the laws and regulations of individual countries by being such a massive international corp? Which is one reason OF MANY us leaving the EU is such a mistake, because it's only in collective clout that the big multi-nationals are going to be reined in.
But heigh-ho, sovereignty, strong and stable...
Not meaning to hijack, just mighty pissed off by the shitstorm that is humanity at the moment.

Aus84 · 10/07/2018 07:53

Surely they have duty of care to investigate the seller and remove them if they were in fact lying on their listings!

Original poster

Greatorb · 10/07/2018 07:55

TaraCave

Just don't buy it then!
You're complaining about a product based on reviews of other people????
Dont think any company would act any different... there are 3rd party sellers on eBay & Amazon etc .... I generally avoid buying from them.

It's a 3rd party seller pretending to be Samsung, and yes, I am complaining about a potentially life threatening product that could easily be used by somebody that you know and could end in tragedy.

Why would that be an issue?

OP posts:

PramCush · 10/07/2018 07:56

You're too panicky to buy online. Just go into a nice shop, where someone can provide you with lots of help.

KanielOutis · 10/07/2018 07:56

It is why some companies had pulled out of amazon.

RoseAndRose · 10/07/2018 07:57

Amazon will act if you were sold a fake.

So those who left the reviews have given you useful information about a company to swerve, but they have done only half the job. They need to take their complaint to Amazon, for they are the ones concerned. Amazon won't act on hearsay (including poor reviews cited by people other than the reviewer) but will act on complaints from those directly affected.

Original poster

Greatorb · 10/07/2018 07:59

Not sure if it's allowed but here is a link to the item in question: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZIEKOA4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xIfrBb1CF4GR9?tag=mumsnetforum-21

OP posts:

UneMoonit · 10/07/2018 08:00

Trading standards may be interested in Amazon sellers selling dangerous counterfeit items, or know who you should contact. I'd be clear about the fact you haven't bought it but have specific sellers and want to know who you flag it with.

IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 10/07/2018 08:01

I agree with you OP. I am very careful about what I buy from amazon as a result of there being fakes on their website. I don't buy electronics from there at all anymore.

PolkerrisBeach · 10/07/2018 08:02

It depends how it's listed though, doesn't it? Most of these listings say "charger for samsung phone" which is true - that's not saying it's a Samsung branded charger, it's saying it's a phone charger which is compatible with a samsung phone.

When people are searching on sites of course they're going to type in "samsung charger" which is why those words are used on the listing. It's not illegal to sell generic chargers which are compatible with phones. It's illegal to produce generic charges with the samsung/apple branding all over them but the OP doesn't suggest that this is what's happening.

Just go to carphone warehouse OP.

FuckPants · 10/07/2018 08:03

I saw the same plugs on Amazon over the weekend and I thought that it was weird that they were still being sold despite a few of the reviews saying that the plug had exploded.

Firesuit · 10/07/2018 08:05

You're too panicky to buy online. Just go into a nice shop, where someone can provide you with lots of help.

Have you actually looked at the advert? It does make it look like this is a genuine product, and the fact that it's fake does mean that your house can burn down and that you die. Is fear of death not a good reason for being panicky?

Firesuit · 10/07/2018 08:07

that's not saying it's a Samsung branded charger, it's saying it's a phone charger which is compatible with a samsung phone.

No, it doesn't say it's a charger for a samsung phone, it says it's a Samsung charger. (In fact, looking again, it repeats several times that it a "samsung charger.")

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 10/07/2018 08:11

It does claim to be a Samsung product. But I would never buy tech from Amazon anyway - dodgy as hell!

BertieBotts · 10/07/2018 08:13

It's a loophole because they are not being sold by amazon, they are being sold by a third party via amazon. That said it doesn't seem right that they can list the brand as being Samsung. I thought it would just be that the word Samsung would be in the title of the item as in it's compatible with samsung products. But they are actually presenting this item as though it is a genuine Samsung product.

You do need to be REALLY careful with buying online especially via amazon or ebay when you're looking at third party sellers. A lot of them are based outside the EU which, because you're making a direct trade with the company, means they have absolutely no legal requirement to meet EU safety standards, or laws which involve misleading claims. And a lot of them even if challenged will simply disappear and start trading again under another name so they are very difficult to squash.

I don't think a lot of people are aware of this and it drives me mad actually. We have a lot of protection in the EU for things like electrical safety and the safety of materials, e.g. children's clothing not being made of flammable materials, products being made from non toxic plastics or foam so that when you (or children, especially) touch them and then put their hands in their mouths they don't come into contact with harmful materials. When you buy from outside the EU you bypass all of these safety standards which we take for granted.

Always always check the seller details, their address, their name, the shipping time, and any close up photos of packaging (dodgy English is often a giveaway) - something being suspiciously cheap is a warning sign, as is "word soup" in the listing title where they seem to be adding every possible keyword to get as many results as possible. This is an especially misleading listing because it has none of these warning signs except possibly the price.

Amazon's Choice is not necessarily a mark of trust, it seems to be added to items at random.

PolkerrisBeach · 10/07/2018 08:15

Hadn't seen the link before I posted - it does say it's a Samsung charger but fairly obvious from the "no retail packaging" that it's a fake. Yes Amazon should be taking fake listings down.

But it's a bit of buyer beware too.

Matilda1981 · 10/07/2018 08:18

I work for a company that sells pet feed supplements and we sell through Amazon....unfortunately so donsome unscrupulous people through ‘Amazon marketplace’ - counterfeiters have been selling fake products through what looks like an amazon site and amazon don’t do anything to vet these people in the first place and even when we report dodgy sellers to amazon they still take ages to close the sellers accounts! We don’t know what is in these counterfeit products but as they are feeds they could be very harmful to people’s dogs! I am very wary about buying from amazon!!

BertieBotts · 10/07/2018 08:21

If you look at the second and third pictures they are showing the Samsung logo and some (probably dubious) safety marks so the seller is attempting to pass this off as a genuine Samsung charger.

Bigclivedotcom on youtube takes apart some of these Chinese products to show how dangerous they are.

ICanOnlyLaugh · 10/07/2018 08:24

YANBU. I bought a branded iPad stand that turned out to be a fake (wouldn’t even stand up!), neither Amazon nor the genuine manufacturer were the least bit interested. I ended up returning it to the seller at my own expense (my only option apparently). They weren’t fussed, they got the item back and will simply go on to sell it to someone else

It put me off the genuine manufacturer though, they were so useless, you wouldn’t want to have to rely on them for customer service. Ended up buying from another website and a different brand.

Firesuit · 10/07/2018 08:24

I don't know what it is with phone chargers, you'd think that such a simple and cheap product would be a commodity you could buy without worrying about it, but many listings are for models so dangerous they don't deserve to exist. It's one product where you should say sod the cost (of the extra two pounds or whatever) and buy it from Tesco or Asda.

I think Amazon (and Ebay) should just ban the sale of chargers other than by white-listed (i.e. screened and approved) sellers. Obviously this goes against their general business model, but when you see an area with a particular problem, sometimes you have to make exceptions.

WeAreEternal · 10/07/2018 08:26

This is exactly why most people no longer buy from third party sellers on amazon,
if it’s not fulfilled by amazon I won’t buy it (but that’s predominantly because I will only buy things that are prime eligible anyway)

Xenia · 10/07/2018 08:27

I won a court case last for a client against an infringer of our trade mark selling on Amazon. Sometimes the rights owner (Samsung in this case) has to act themselves to litigate against the infringer but it's certainly not easy as there are so many people out there selling fakes. I have written legal letters to people who pretend to live at a UK address of someone who has never heard of them and a good few to China and Greece which are returned to sender and huge numbers in the UK who set up one company and then fold it as soon as the claims start.

TestingTestingWonTooFree · 10/07/2018 08:31

It might be worth raising this with Samsung? They presumably already know though.

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