Dangerous Electronics What Are Our Rights?

aussieprepper on 10/01/2018 - 20:51

Hey folks i just bought a clone 858D hot-air station and its dodgy. I asked for a refund so i will see what happens i told Ebay and they do not care that it does not comply with Australian standards.

Okayyy let me state i am into electronics but i am not an expert at all. Upon receiving the item it took it apart to check that all was okay i have heard some stories of the 858D going boom.

First thing i noticed was that the mains cable has no earth pin whereas all the other models i have seen being reviewed do. Interested i traced a bunch of cables and the internals are setup to have an earth but no earth is attached. The nozzle is bare metal with a single layer of insulation (which is only there for heat insulation not for electrical isolation).
This insulation is the only thing between the nozzle and the heating element that runs on mains AC.

So Let's guess this item is not double insulated or earthed in any way!.

If i had to guess what happen i would say it was an EU plug at the start and they changed it to Australian mains plug and did not add the earth seeing as the EU has the earth built into the socket.

I should add this item shipped from Sydney so i would expect it to comply with Australian laws? I paid a whopping $20 for this item i was expecting much but i was also not expecting to potentially die if something goers wrong.
If you search for the 858D Hot-air station you will see many reviews all with earth pins. Plus it is set up to be earthed.

Plus the earth that is supposed to be attached in the handle is just laying in the plastic housing it has no physical connection to the metal frame! It should be crimped into place i think.

I told EBay and they do not seem to care and blew me of (no pun intended). It's really not about the money but if someone who doesn't electronics buys one and something goes wrong then what?

Let this be a warning be careful with these products including cheap soldering irons. Is it worth it to make a complaint to consumer affairs?

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • mskeggs on 10/01/2018 - 21:03
    +3

    Call fair trading, or your local equivalent, they will take it pretty seriously, at least in NSW.

    • thetrain on 10/01/2018 - 22:38

      ^This.

      Technically illegal if sold in Aus without C tick approval (not possible given what you stated about the wiring). Seeing as you bought in Australia ask for a refund and definitely report to consumer affairs.

      • fantombloo on 10/01/2018 - 22:57

        C-tick has nothing to do with safety or performance - only EMC compliance. You can c-tick a turd if you want to.

        • El Grande on 11/01/2018 - 01:03

          Is EMC testing and A-tick compulsory? I thought it was only for corporates.

        • Russ on 16/01/2018 - 01:41

          @El Grande:
          A-tick is more for telecommunications products like wired phones and modems. So not compulsory for a soldering station.

          But I believe it is illegal to sell something with conductive parts you can touch, and not have those parts earthed, unless the device is double-insulated. It is extremely unlikely a soldering station will be double insulated.

    • aussieprepper on 11/01/2018 - 16:30

      Thanks for the advice!

  • BensonP on 10/01/2018 - 21:20
    +2

    If the appliance has an exposed metal part, it must have an earth pin.

    I would not be using that item, not even once. Especially after Googling the model number and seeing the horror stories. As an electrician, I've seen heaps of dodgy crap like this. This is why I personally steer clear of any Chinese electrical items (obviously excluding 12v and 5v stuff. They are generally pretty good.)

    Taken a few items out of service as well, as they were ticking time bombs. AC volts are nothing to fob off.

    Stay safe!

  • Scab on 11/01/2018 - 10:13

    I told EBay

    How exactly, did you do a formal claim or just call them?

    • aussieprepper on 11/01/2018 - 16:32

      Yea i lodged a return but i also messaged them on live chat telling them i think the product is unsafe. They do not seem to care which fair i guess seeing as its not an Ebay problem.

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