Wembley company fined for selling fake phone and laptop charges online
Slamtech and Masters in Tech sold counterfeit phone chargers to unsuspecting buyers - Credit: Archant
Bridge the Water Ltd sold shoddy goods on Play.com market place, eBay and Amazon UK
Slamtech and Masters in Tech sold counterfeit phone chargers to unsuspecting buyers - Credit: Archant
A Wembley company which sold potentially lethal fake phone and laptop chargers online to unsuspecting buyers have been fined £10,000.
Bridge the Water Ltd which traded as ‘Slamtech’ and ‘Masters in Tech’ flogged the counterfeit goods on its own website and on Play.com market place, eBay and Amazon UK.
Willesden Magistrates’ Court heard the company, which is based in East Lane, came to the attention of Brent and Harrow Trading Standards Service (BHTSS) after a complaint from a Play.com customer about a mis-described Apple charger.
BHTSS officers bought a charger from the company’s website that was subsequently examined and confirmed as being counterfeit.
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An investigation was launched and a raid of the company’s headquarters uncovered around 3,800 counterfeit and unsafe items and a further 10,000 adaptors which were suspended from supply under consumer safety legislation.
All were seized.
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Tests carried out on the items revealed a catalogue of safety failures including a risk of an electric shock, fire risk and the use of inadequate sized pins and the wrong fuses.
Evidence obtained from forensic examination of the company’s computer showed their products were sourced from China, India and the UK.
Their E-bay and PayPal records also showed that they had received negative feedback from buyers complaining about fake and shoddy goods that had been sold to them.
On Tuesday, Bridge the Water Ltd pleaded guilty to supplying counterfeit and unsafe laptop and mobile phone accessories.
The company was fined and also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,490 to BHTSS.
The loss to industry in relation to the counterfeit and unsafe accessories has been estimated to be over £100,000.
Bill Bilon from BHTSS said: “I am very pleased that not only were a large number of counterfeit items seized by my officers, but thousands of potentially unsafe electrical items which could have seriously injured consumers have also been removed permanently from the market”.
