Potentially dangerous ‘energy-saving boxes’ on Amazon and eBay as energy price crisis bites

Amazon and eBay appear to have delisted dozens of so-called ‘energy-saving boxes’ from their websites, after a Which? investigation raised concerns about their safety.

The devices plug into the mains and claim to work by ‘smoothing’ household voltage, which they claim then ‘optimises’ the performance of appliances such as fridges, saving on energy costs. 

However, our specialist lab found no evidence that they work. It also found these boxes may be dangerous as a result of not complying with British electrical safety standards.

As this is the second time we've raised concerns about their safety within a year, it raises questions about how they have continued to be on sale on these major websites.

The regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, has also issued four separate recall notices for similar devices on AliExpress, eBay, Wish and a now defunct site called Motex, citing a 'serious risk of fire and electric shock'.

In our latest investigation we bought and tested a selection of six devices from Amazon and eBay, three from each site, after finding more than 90 for sale on Amazon and 20 for sale on eBay. 

The devices we purchased from eBay cost between £14.58 and £23.64. From Amazon, they cost between £10.99 and £12.29.

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Plugs failed electrical safety tests

We sent them to our specialist lab, which conducted a test to see whether the plugs saved energy. The lab found no evidence that they could save energy or money. 

More worryingly, the lab found all six plugs tested also failed basic UK electrical safety standards, meaning that they are so poorly constructed as to be a potential fire and electric shock risk.

The lab found they were all missing the necessary markings and documentation for compliant sale in the UK, and that none was sufficiently constructed to comply with necessary internal build quality standards. 

Two of the Amazon plugs our lab tested were found to have wires connected to an unidentifiable ‘clay like substance’ – while one of the plugs from eBay contained a resistor set within an unidentifiable white powder-like substance. 

The lab said that this means all of those tested could be a potential safety hazard – meaning they could lead to fire or electric shock. While we cannot test all energy-saving boxes that are for sale, we have concerns that others may be unsafe due to the fact each plug we've tested has a similar design.

We also have concerns that consumers who are battling the rising cost of living may be tempted to buy such devices, which we have found simply don't work. 

We shared links to each of these products with the platforms, along with dozens more for sale. 

eBay removed all the listings, and Amazon appeared to remove all but three – but did not answer additional questions about whether such devices were allowed to be listed on the platform in the first place. At least a dozen additional energy-saving boxes had appeared on Amazon at the time of writing. Another five new listings appeared on eBay at the time of writing – raising questions over the effectiveness of any measures in place to stop them being listed from the start.

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Amazon and eBay respond

In response to our latest investigation eBay said it had removed the listings we reported to the company. 

'We closely monitor UK, EU and US product safety databases and when unsafe products are added to these databases, we ban them from our site and update our block filters, which aim to prevent them from being relisted. These filters blocked 7.4m unsafe listings in 2021.'

The company added that eBay had strict policies that make clear sellers must not mislead buyers, and it takes action against those who do not comply. It said it has security teams proactively monitoring its site to remove items and works closely with stakeholders to ensure its site remains free of unsafe products. 

Amazon, meanwhile, said that it had already removed the three products we tested before we contacted the company.   

It said safety is a 'top priority' for the platform. 'We have proactive measures in place to prevent non-compliant products from being listed and we monitor the products sold in our stores for product safety concerns.' It added that third-party sellers are required to follow all applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies when listing items for sale, and that if necessary it would reach out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information.

Amazon said that customers with concerns about any item they have purchased should contact customer service so that it can investigate.

It would not be drawn on whether it had removed any of the other 90 devices, which no longer appear available for sale. It would also not say whether the products are allowed to be sold on the site in general.

Unsafe energy-saving devices flagged earlier this year

Although Amazon and eBay have removed the products we tested as part of our most recent investigation, we were concerned to see them for sale in the first place.

We first spotted so-called energy-saving devices for sale on Amazon and eBay in February, and published our first investigation into the devices in Which? magazine in June, contacting the companies about them in April. 

In our first investigation we tested two energy-saving devices from eBay and two from Amazon. All four failed basic safety checks – and our lab found they were constructed so poorly as to be a potential fire and electric shock hazard. Just like this time, none of them were found to save energy.

The first Amazon device we tested, which cost £13.41, failed Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations due to 'poor construction' resulting in a 'hazard of electrical shock,' our specialist lab said.

On Amazon, this device had 33% one-star reviews on Amazon, with more than one customer warning it was a 'con', a 'scam' and a 'dangerous product.'

The second Amazon device we tested, which cost £15.99, claimed that even when switched on '24 hours [a day] 365 days [a year]' the plug would not 'burden' electricity bills and within a month could reduce energy consumption by up to 35%.

Our lab test found no evidence that the device reduced energy consumption. It also found it failed basic safety tests due to poor construction – including plug pins that 'broke off' easily in the tester’s hands.

We tested two plugs from eBay, which cost £13.76 and £12.76 respectively. Again, both failed safety tests due to poor construction, including concerns over the pins not correctly fitting into a socket.

In response at the time, Amazon delisted the two products we tested – but others continued to be for sale. eBay delisted the plugs we tested at the time – as well as all the others for sale on the website.

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Which? calls for stronger regulation

Our investigations have repeatedly shown how items that shouldn’t be for sale easily slip through the checks in place on major online marketplaces – from unsafe diet pills, to inadequate fire alarms and tooth whiteners with dangerous levels of hydrogen peroxide.

Which? believes that the measures marketplaces have in place to control the sale of unsafe products are clearly insufficient, and that far more needs to be done to prevent ineffective and potentially dangerous products from being listed. While both Amazon and eBay say they have removed energy-saving boxes from their sites, we have already seen other near identical products reappearing.

This is particularly concerning in the case of products like these so-called energy-saving plugs, at a time when energy bills are at the forefront of many consumers’ minds.

Which? is calling on the regulator to urgently expedite the release of its long-promised consultation to ensure marketplaces are held to account for products that are sold through their sites.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

'These rip-off ‘energy-saving’ devices not only mislead consumers into thinking the products will save them money during the cost of living crisis, but are also a huge safety concern – putting consumers at risk from fires or electric shocks.

'After unsafe energy plugs were rightly taken down earlier this year, nearly identical products have quickly returned to the online marketplaces. The current safety measures and reactive approaches to dangerous products taken by the biggest online marketplaces, where many items are only removed having already been available for sale to shoppers, are not fit for purpose,' she added.

'The government urgently needs to give online platforms greater legal responsibility to prevent the sale of unsafe products. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) must recommend tougher laws and regulations as part of its long overdue product safety consultation.'

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