Two-pin plugs – it’s just not British

Hi George – If your parents bought the lamp via Wayfair’s UK website it must comply with The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994, so supplying it with a two pin plug is not legal. The flexible cable should be gripped securely to prevent wires pulling out of connections.

I suggest you contact Citizens Advice so that this can be reported to Trading Standards.

This lamp looks spindly and seems to be manufactured by Bulb Attack in Spain. ” The Bulb Attack custom lighting concept has been developed by a group of creative people who believe in the power of simple and functional design. The Bulb Attack aim is to manufacture beautiful, hand-decorated and hand-assembled products capable of enhancing both modern and vintage interiors. Bulb Attack carefully select suppliers to make sure that fittings are safe and made from top-quality components of European origin.”. That probably explains the European plug that Wayfair should have not supplied.

Citizen’s Advice should pass it on to Trading Standards but they are unlikely to take action unless there are many complaints. You could send an email to the Office for Product Safety and Standards I would complain to Wayfair about the quality (it was not cheap) and point out they are breaking the law by failing to meet the Plug and socket regulations. I would also complain to Bulb Attack. Nothing lost by a couple of emails.

This illustrates the danger of buying unseen products online; had this been seen in a shop the quality would have been apparent. Just send this back would be my advice. It breaks the law and fails the requirements of the Consumer Rights Act by the sound of it.

I agree; I suggest your parents send it back while they can get a full refund.

It’s also not as described: “Overall height 13 cm”. Looking at the image I would suggest 130 cm is more likely.

This is an odd one, to be sure. From the Wayfair site::

“Overall Dimensions 13cm H x 31cm W x 31cm D
Shade 13cm H x 50cm W x 50cm D
Base 1cm H x 31cm W x 31cm D”

You certainly need to demand a full refund.

Errors on websites are quite common. For example the Which? website has for the past year shown the dimensions of my compact camera as:
Width 57 cm
Height 95 cm
Depth 24 cm

It’s important that potentially unsafe goods are reported and not just returned. I’ve seen online reviews that have identified dangerous electrical and given details of the problem but they have been given five star reviews and remained on sale. Many people do not spot the risks. I have only once seen mention of the Plugs & Sockets regulations in reviews of goods with the wrong plug.

Wow, that’s a big camera 🙂

Maybe it’s a Tardis camera.

Hi PatChatte,

It is illegal for Amazon to sell products with a 2-pin plug and they will try and sort it out for you if you contact them although it might not be the solution you want. When products are unavailable in the UK, they get them sent from elsewhere in Europe without checking the electrics which is what the did to me when the only monitors available were in Italy with 2-pin plugs and I ended up with 2 Italian monitors.

Is the lead part of the beauty product or a separate lead that is plugged in? If the lead is separate, you could try talking to the manufacturer and asking them for a UK plug which is what I did.

Again, if the lead is separate, Amazon might tell you to buy one from their website and they will reimburse you as they suggested to me. I declined as that could invalidate the warranty to use the wrong lead with the product.

It also depends upon whether it was sold by Amazon or came through one of their market place traders. In the latter case, at the moment, Amazon have no legal responsibility.

PatChatte, do you know whether this was from Amazon direct and do you recognise whether a product comes through their market place with no Amazon responsibility? It would be interesting if Which? ran a survey to see how many knew the difference, and the implications. I might be on my own…..

Hi PatChatte – If you bought from Amazon UK, please return the product and make it clear that you are doing this because it does not comply with the requirements of The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.

Whether using an adapter is a safe solution would depend on both the product and the adapter, so it’s not worth taking the risk.

I suspect Alfa is right about why products intended for the European market land up in the UK, but many companies seem to comply with the regulations.

On the web site the “Sold By” is the company and the “Fulfilled by” is Amazon so I’m guessing that means the latter case, thereby absolving Amazon? Like I said, I’m a novice at internet shopping and although I know it’s worded like that for a reason, I don’t know what the reason is. So, yes, that survey might be worth running

“Fulfilled by” is explained on the Amazon website: “Items “Fulfilled by Amazon” are sold by a third party Seller, but dispatched to you from an Amazon Fulfilment Centre.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910460

Which? has reported that online marketplaces including Amazon are selling dangerous and counterfeit products. Nevertheless, Amazon have an efficient returns service and I don’t think you will have difficulty in getting your money back.

You are right PatChatte. I wonder how many people realise that the shelter of UK regulations is then removed. It is a bad situation that must be changed.

As wavechange said you could try goodwill from Amazon but the other issue is whether you have bought a genuine product that you know to be safe, and from where it originated. If it is a genuine safe product from a reputable source then you could have a UK plug fitted.

Amazon provides advice on plugs for customers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202054860

With the exception of electric shavers and toothbrushes product, plugs must comply with BS 1363, which is the familiar UK three pin plug fitted with a fuse. There is an invitation to contact Amazon if you believe that a plug is unsafe or defective.

Until recently it was possible, when choosing products from the large number offered on the Amazon website, to select those that were “sold and dispatched by Amazon”. That filtering facility has now gone although the seller is still identified on the particular product page. It remains possible to narrow down the choice on the shop window pages by clicking on the box marked “Free UK delivery by Amazon” which eliminates all those where Amazon neither sells nor delivers the item, but that still leaves many where Amazon has no responsibility for the consumer’s rights in the event of a problem. To help select products for which Amazon is also the seller it can be useful to open any product page in the chosen category and scroll down to the “Compare with similar items” box which shows half a dozen similar products and gives the seller’s name in each case [together with the price and star rating]. Clicking on the seller’s name then shows the full business name and other details. This can help if you want to buy from a UK or EU supplier but don’t be fooled by trading names that incorporate “UK” or “EU” in the business name – look at the full details because they can still originate in the Far East.

Buying established UK or EU branded products can be a reliable means of getting good customer service as the manufacturer is in the background and might help if there is a denial of consumer rights, but this does not mean the items are made in Europe. Unfortunately, for many categories, it is difficult to find products that are not made in and sent from countries on the other side of the world, but if they carry a reputable brand name it is likely they will be well made and quality assured. Some brands from Asia do have a good reputation and can be bought with confidence if the product is a genuine, not counterfeit, article.

As Wavechange has said, while Amazon does not take responsibility for product quality – especially safety and compliance – it will help customers who have bought from one of their marketplace traders and wish to return a purchase.

It will be interesting to see how quickly trade returns to high street stores and other reputable on-line outlets when the present difficulties are behind us. Every time one major retailer collapses it does give some hope to the remainder still standing but the omens are not good.