Readers of a certain vintage will remember the Generation Game. Interestingly online shopping can be likened these days to an episode of my mother’s favourite show in the sense that literally anything you might wish for, crave or need is now fully accessible right in front of you either on a conveyor belt or by the click of a couple of buttons on your smart phone.
Whether your latest craving concerns an electric scooter, a hot tub, pack of magnets, Wi-Fi gang socket, dinner service, fondue set or yep you’ve guessed it a cuddly toy, these products are all available to us 24/7. Time and time again this year, OPSS has reported via its product safety alerts, reports and recall notification service, a never ending list of faulty electrical items as well as dangerous children’s toys all purchased online that have failed to meet even the most basic safety standards.
Whilst this was until recently the stuff of dreams, this is very much our reality these days and at times a somewhat dangerous occupation to which we are all vulnerable to harm.
Back in June of this year, the NAO published a report entitled ‘Protecting consumers from unsafe products’ set out a number of recommendations for OPSS to focus upon. One such recommendation circulated around establishing which consumers may be particularly vulnerable to unsafe products and in what circumstances.
I will explore this issue of vulnerability in further depth another time but for now I think it’s safe to say, especially with the run up to Christmas in full swing, that we are ALL vulnerable to being confronted with unsafe products whether purchased online, second hand or from our local high street store. You might have caught in an earlier post my sorry experience with an angle grinder purchase and the subsequent problems I experienced returning the said item or should I say NOT being able to return it or receive a refund!
Which? recently surveyed 2000 UK adults revealing that trust amongst consumers in tech giants’ ability to protect them from scams, unsafe products and fake reviews was shockingly low.
Electrical Safety First and the British Toy and Hobby Association have a live online petition that is calling for changes to be made to legislation that will prevent third parties selling unsafe products to UK consumers. Both continue to drive home the message that online marketplaces are not bound by the same laws as traditional retailers meaning that fake and dangerous products are being sold unknowingly to consumers every minute of the day.
The tide certainly seems to be turning in this space with OPSS having upped the ante in the last week issuing a safety message to UK consumers highlighting the product safety risks when shopping online as well as providing guidance on how to buy toys safely this Christmas.
