Local scams and safety alerts
Last updated | 16/09/2008
Recent Safety Alerts
Please follow links to Trading Standards Central website for detailed information and contact details:
IKEA BARNSLIG Baby Sleeping Bag: article numbers:30133409, 40133404, 70130079, 90130078. Two customers report the zip bottom stop has detached from the zipper which also makes it possible for the zip slider to detach - could produce a choking hazard to small children. No injuries have been reported. For more information visit www.IKEA.co.uk or call Customer Services on
0845 358 3364.
IKEA FEMTON Clamp Spot Light: article number 600.673.23 - risk of over-heating.
Tesco Toddler Swing & Slide Set: BarCode 5 051622 488108 on sale since March 2008 (£49.97). Return to Tesco store where purchased where a full refund will be given. If purchased via Tesco Direct contact 0845 600 4411.
Seago 150 and 175 Newton Lifejackets: including Junior Lifejackets, marked with a manufacture date in roman numerals, for instance the last quarter of 2005 is shown IV/05. The quarters concerned are:IV/05, I/06, II/06, III/06, IV/06, I/07. Sold in chandlery shops, marine retail outlets & marine web sites.
Non Branded Gaming Console Chargers: potential electric shock and overheating problems. Imported from China and typically sold through on-line sites. The chargers were supplied as accessories for charging Nintendo DS and DS Lite machines, although they could also be used to charge Gameboy machines. If you believe that you have bought one of these chargers contact your local Trading Standards.
Tesco My Baby's Soother Holder: Price £1.29. On sale since May 2006.Take this product away from your baby. Customers who have bought this product from store are requested to return it to the Tesco store in which it was purchased where a full refund will be given.
Jo-El Carbon Monoxide Detector: Article No: 822611, Model COA - 001 May not alarm in the presence of concentrations of Carbon Monoxide.
George at Asda Girls Heart Buckle Pixie Boots: Brown, all sizes. Retail price £9 - small, sharp metal wire in the buckle.
B&Q - Barcelona Wooden Garden Hammock - on sale from March 2005 to September 2007. Water damage may have caused deterioration of the timber frame. This may cause a weakness in the wood around the metal socket at the base of the hammock frame. This may lead to the hammock frame breaking whilst in use, resulting in injury to the user.
Bunky - Bedside Light : Model Numbers: 6910 and 6910R on sale since January 2006. If the head of the tamp is covered by a blanket or duvet. it can overheat, and could cause a minor burn. If the lamp is not unplugged before replacing the CFL tube, it could result in an electric shock.
Current Scams & Alerts
Bogus charity collections - it may look like a charity, but is it?
Trading standards are warning local residents to be wary about who they give their charity clothing to.
Trading Standards has been contacted by residents who have received leaflets from companies asking for bags of unwanted clothes and other goods. The leaflets say that representatives will be calling to collect the bags and claim that the collection companies provide people in third world countries with clothes for their families.
The leaflets also claim that the companies concerned provide jobs in these countries, business for UK export and employment in UK factories grading the clothes.
The wording on the leaflets may lead people to believe they are giving to charity when in fact their donated goods are being sold on for profit.
Companies House register confirms that the companies often do in fact exist, although they are not registered charities and
Trading Standards is taking the opportunity to remind consumers to think twice about who they donate clothing and to consider using established charity shops to make donations
Consumers should be on their guard when receiving any leaflets through the door. Always check that the person you think you are doing business with is exactly who they say they are, and can live up to the claims they make. Registered charities and similar organisations who do such good work and benefit immensely from local door to door collections of clothing and similar goods may lose out to companies making profits out of peoples’ generosity.
Anyone unsure about whether or not to donate clothing to companies offering door to door collections can contact Trading Standards for advice.
