topic Re: recalled item in Buying

recalled item

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:34:57 GMT

Hi all I recieved a message from eBay saying an item i purchaseda long time ago has been recalled. I have contacted the seller he told me to contact the help desk .?? Well the option is not there I just keep getting sent back to page one. this is the item..
Item details: 175150186923 - 300Mbps Wifi Extender Repeater Range Booster AP Router AU Wireless-N 802.11 HOT. Cheers Chris.

Re: recalled item

repentatleisure1952 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 11:20:39 GMT

'has been recalled"

Is that all the message said?

Re: recalled item

sugar249 — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 19:38:34 GMT

Maybe look up the manufacturers website,

Re: recalled item

sandypebbles — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 21:21:20 GMT

I am not sure what you expect the seller to do about it?

Were they the actual company for the item?

Or just a 'random seller' ?

Re: recalled item

springyzone — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:03:09 GMT

I'm actually shocked you got a message from ebay, given that I can't see the brand mentioned in the details you gave.

The seller is not going to help you. If you bought a long time ago, the 30 day ebay window is long past.

Most things on ebay from random sellers don't come with any guarantee either, no matter what an ad says.

Ebay is not going to help you. The only help they give is for recent purchases where things have gone wrong. They are not in the warranty business. So contacting them for help won't be a lot of use.

All you can do is as sugar said, contact the actual manufacturers if you know the brand. Look up the website. Google the item, see what information you can find.

Re: recalled item

sandypebbles — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:12:57 GMT

I have to wonder if it was a legit eBay message at all

I mean, look at how many products have been recalled over the years, including ones that would have surely been sold by eBay sellers

I can't recall of ever hearing anyone else getting such a message

And surely if eBay did contact buyers of such an item, they would have also contacted the seller to inform them they had sold an item that has now been recalled ?

Re: recalled item

springyzone — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 20:34:51 GMT

I wondered exactly the same thing.

There are a lot of scams about, I know. Especially ones where they say you have bought something off ebay.

If this is a scam message though, it is a double worry as they seem to know the actual item rover gunn bought.

Probably time for him to update his passwords etc on ebay, just to be on the safe side.

Re: recalled item

papermoon.lady — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:18:40 GMT

My very first thought was also that it is a scam.

If you want to be sure, check your messages in your eBay account (not your normal mailbox), as genuine eBay messages are also in your messages in your eBay account.

I have never heard of eBay contacting customers about recalled products - ever.

Maybe the scammer (if it is a scammer) saw your feedback in the seller's account (or the feedback the seller left for you), so they saw what you bought (it is not possible to see what you bought from your account, but it is usually possible from the seller's account, if the listings are not private or if you have not made your own feedback private).

Were there any links in the email you received? I hope you didn't click on them if there were links.

Re: recalled item

arctoph_49 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:56:09 GMT

Like other people, I seriously doubt the message is genuine, but if you want to be 100% sure, do what papermoon said.

And you bought the item a long time ago? Even more unlikely eBay would message you about an item you bought a long time ago.

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:05:18 GMT

Hi no it is not a scam it was in my eBay messages and I have spoken to the seller they told me to contact HELP DESK. As I stated all i get is sent back to the start there is know way of contacting eBay about the recalled item?/

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:07:54 GMT

Hi yes it is in my eBay messages.

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:10:44 GMT

Hi it was in my ebay messages. The seller told me to contact the help desk. As i have stated I cannot contact them i just keep going back to the start.??

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:16:19 GMT

Hi.Not sure why you just had a go at me all i have done is ask a questioneBay messaged me through my ebay messages not private not a scam.

Hello rover_gunn,

We take product safety very seriously. We’re reaching out to you because an item you purchased may have been recalled or pose a safety hazard. We recommend that you stop using this product. If you have questions about the item(s), please reach out to the seller or the manufacturer. Item details are listed below.

More specific details are provided below.

Item details: 175150186923 - 300Mbps Wifi Extender Repeater Range Booster AP Router AU Wireless-N 802.11 HOT

If you have questions, please go to "Help" at the top of most eBay pages.

Regards,

eBay

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:23:52 GMT

Hi all i seem to be getting is targeted by the members. by law if a product is recalled due to an electrical fault catches fire or can cause a person to be shocked. it comes back to the seller and the sellers supplier and it also falls back on eBay to make sure customers of eBay are contacted if an item has been sold through eBay. It is the same if you supplied an item to Coles and it was recalled for what ever reason you take it back to Coles and they in turn send the item back to the supplier.

All I am doing is asking a question so there is no need to be in an attacking mode.

sorry I asked.

Re: recalled item

gutterpunkz05 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:56:23 GMT

It looks like the product was sold as unbranded.

I don't know how a recall notice could ever be issued for an unbranded product.

Re: recalled item

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:00:50 GMT

Hi I have bought heaps of items unbranded on eBay they are either in a plastic bag or plain box. And lots of lights LED come with no brand name or makers some do have a bar code with numbers but no name.

Re: recalled item

padi*0409 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:24:54 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

.................by law if a product is recalled due to an electrical fault catches fire or can cause a person to be shocked. it comes back to the seller and the sellers supplier and it also falls back on eBay to make sure customers of eBay are contacted if an item has been sold through eBay.

Only if that seller is registered in Australia, the majority of feedback left for you is from Chinese registered seller - so Australian laws do not apply to them.

Re: recalled item

repentatleisure1952 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:27:02 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Hi yes it is in my eBay messages.

How about providing details of the message.

Otherwise all we can do is guess.

Re: recalled item

sugar249 — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:40:09 GMT

Contact the manufacturer, oh I already said that

Re: recalled item

countessalmirena — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 10:56:52 GMT

OP, it’s such a bizarre occurrence that I’d guess most eBay members reading here would have thought it must be a scam.

Now that you’ve explained it was also a message in your inbox, the authenticity of the message is established, but the bizarreness remains!

As said, why eBay would be contacting you about an item being “recalled” is in my experience unprecedented.

That they did so about an item that is unbranded - by definition without a stated brand or Australian manufacturer - is so weird that my brow is wrinkling and I’m discussing this with our cat Ichabod. He is meowing in astonishment (or else he just wants some further patting).

Your reference to items sold by Coles and your dismissal of “unbranded” as meaning things without a brand name stamped on them are not really relevant. Coles is, as said by others here, an Australian company and they are subject to ACL and of course for selling electrical / electronic items that are manufactured to Australian standards. If they sell something of that sort not to Australian standards, they’d be in a world of trouble.

Unbranded doesn’t mean no brand name showing on the item. It means it’s churned out in a (usually Chinese) factory, of the poorest cheapest quality raw materials, its components made to function minimally and without regard for safety, adequacy, capacity etc, items which have not been tested AS REQUIRED for the electrical regulatory standards. What you do when you order from a Chinese seller selling unbranded items is bypass that process, and you put yourself at risk.

From a previous post in another thread:

@countessalmirena wrote:

I won't buy on the basis of the item being the cheapest. I buy on the basis of best value for money, and part of that value (for me) is that the item be genuine and that I can have confidence that it was made to the brand's specifications, both in manufacturing details and in materials used. This is something I can't over-stress, but it's difficult to convey how important this is. The difference can literally be that between life and death when it comes to electrical goods/electronics, because lower quality components are not fit for purpose. The least that could happen is that the item fails; the worst is that someone dies. Almost as bad is the possibility of fire damage, destruction of connected devices, etc., and the certainty that one's insurance won't cover that.

❝All electrical professionals should be conscious of the law of ‘subrogation’, which enables insurance companies to recoup money they have paid out on insurance claims from other parties who can be identified as being partially or fully responsible for the cause of the claim. So if you knowingly or unknowingly supply, install or specify counterfeit electrical goods that are found to have contributed to an insurance claim (e.g. fire or electrocution) because of being sub-standard or unsafe, you could be held liable for personal damages and possibly face imprisonment.❞ – Does It Comply? an initiative of NECA

I posted a reply on another thread, touching on "just in time fulfillment" among other things. [...]

In another thread, I've explained why "made in China" under contract to a brand is completely different to "made in China" without any quality control, faking capability and quality and brand, with the components not even being fit for purpose.

Raw materials are actually the costliest aspect of manufacturing in China, which is why these factories that churn out unbranded/fake/fraudulent items will skimp on the raw materials for the components. The intention is to make something/sell something that looks - ON THE OUTSIDE - very much like the expensive name-brand quality items that are made under contract and must meet certain standards, but which are revealed as the cheap made-to-fail rubbish they are once you look "under the hood", or try to use the item to the capacity/function/etc which is stated. It may work for a while, but it will not work to the extent or for as long or to the acceptable safety standard that the genuine item which it's imitating will work... and it is a safety hazard. It's a risk. It's not worth it.

In yet another thread, I touch briefly on the Regulatory Compliance Mark. You must be aware of the RCM requirement. I'll quote a bit from that thread here as well:

“There are regulations that apply to the supply of electrical equipment and appliances. The requirements set out in the regulations must be followed. A failure to do so is a criminal offence.”

“Regulations and Standards apply to all electrical equipment sold or offered for supply in Australia. Certain types of equipment are classified as prescribed. These pieces of equipment must go through a certification process which ensures the equipment is compliant to the relevant safety standards before being offered for supply in Australia.”

“Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)

Prescribed electrical products must have an RCM on the appliance or an Australian approval number to show that the product has been certified.
This mark is currently recognised by all States and Territories of Australia.”

IN CONCLUSION

If eBay have contacted you directly about a router which you bought quite a while ago, what’s the chance that they are doing so because another buyer of the same item has had a catastrophic issue resulting from the use of that item? Fire, explosion, severe injury, death - and of course that buyer (or family) would have contacted eBay… and eBay, sort-of stuck in the middle with no legal responsibility but wanting to protect themselves as a result of the information, might well send out emails and messages warning buyers, using wording that really makes no sense but effectively washed their hands of the issue.

In other words, you’ve been warned. Continue using that router at own risk.