The NSW Fair Trading has destroyed 10,000 dodgy items seized from Sydney phone retailer, Phone City.
The items, worth more than $118,000, have been crushed after the NSW Fair Trading finalised an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) against the retailer.
The EU ordered the business to pay a $30,000 fine, agree to the destruction of the seized goods, and ensure higher standards of trade in future.
A Phone City staff had told ARN the company has stopped selling such products.
The Australian Border Force warned Fair Trading about a shipment of USB chargers and other goods. NSW Fair Trading conducted simultaneous search warrants and inspections at Phone City’s Clyde warehouse and retail stores.
According to Minister for Better Regulation, Matt Kean, the products were not approved for use in NSW.
“Inquiries soon revealed that while the goods appeared similar to Apple chargers, they were not genuine products, and may have posed a serious safety risk to consumers,” Kean said.
The dangerous charger components were found to be in contravention of the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004, which governs the testing, approval, and marking of electrical products before they are sold.
Minister Kean said the destruction of the dodgy products from Phone City send a “strong message that this government will not tolerate potentially dangerous products on the market”.
“I’m putting consumers first and that’s why thousands of these dodgy products have been permanently removed from the marketplace.
“NSW retailers should consider themselves on notice; if you attempt to import or sell dangerous products that risk consumer safety you can expect a visit from Fair Trading,” Kean added.
It is understood that the issue was initially identified in early 2016.
