Amazon sells more than 70 defective and dangerous products on its website, a CNN investigation reveals. Sold under the Amazon Basics label, these failed items have generated more than 1,500 customer reports since 2016. According to testimonies, some products have even exploded or caught fire while in use.
A CNN investigation published this Thursday, September 10, identified more than 70 dangerous items on Amazon. The outlet has listed more than 1,500 dissatisfied buyer reviews since 2016 for Amazon Basics products. This section of the site sells "everyday items like HDMI cables, batteries, and audio cables to outfit your electronics, as well as essentials like bed sheets or towels."
Launched in 2009, Amazon Basics currently sells more than 5,000 products worldwide.
Amazon Basics USB cable causes fire
The testimonies gathered by CNN are disturbing. The injured Internet users describe there "products which smoke, explode, melt, catch fire or cause electrical malfunctions". In some cases, these faulty items have caused fires in buyers' homes. The media reports the testimony of a user whose USB cable charging his smartphone was consumed by flames, destroying his office chair in the process. According to the authorities dispatched to the scene, the USB cable was short-circuited.
Electronics experts unearthed by CNN examined some of the failed products, including a microwave oven. They discovered a serious design problem there that could cause a fire. “As soon as the researchers turned it on, the microwave started to spark and smoke,” CNN explains. After investigating 8 of the affected items, Amazon says the products meet all of its safety and quality standards. However, some of the products mentioned have been withdrawn from sale.
This is not the first that Amazon has been accused of selling dangerous products. Last year, a Wall Street Journal investigation claimed to have discovered more than 4,000 dangerous and illegal products on the ecommerce site. The identified products did not comply with the legislation and compliance standards in force. Sometimes you can even find fakes on Amazon.