A con, but does it actually do anything?

[JohnW2]

That's a good question. I guess that the ASA might argue that the website was a proxy for the company but proving it might be beyond their scope of investigation.

Indeed. I would imagine that if it there were companies, even if 'related', selling the product in various countries, with dodgy on-line advertising commissioned by companies in countries where that was not illegal, if it were sold in the UK without the UK company itself having anything to do with the 'foreign' advertising, it would probably be very difficult for the ASA to prove/do anything, even if the foreign-based advertising would be illegal under UK law. I certainly imagine that there would be some 'fun' (and high fees!) for lawyers trying to contrive such situations!

Kind Regards, John

 

[FrodoOne]

Even worse than that worse case is it's a unfused box with a component connected directly across the mains, therefore a fire hazard waiting to burn your house down. Much like the cheap USB chargers out there.

Nozzle

In one way you are "correct", in that BS1363 requires that Plugs inserted into such socket-outlets include a (maximum) 13 A fuse to protect "what"?
Possibly the external flexible wiring to the device concerned.
However, in this case there is no external wiring.

If the BS1363 socket-outlet were to be on a "radial" limited to 20 A, any current exceeding 20 A would "trip the breaker".

If the BS1363 socket-outlet were to be on a "ring" limited to 32 A, any current exceeding 32 A would "trip the breaker".
In both cases, while the socket-outlet may suffer damage due to "overload", and (possibly) poor design, the "house wiring" is protected, by the MCB or whatever.

While I have no interest in "plugging in" that which may contain a voltage "underrated" capacitor (which may develop a "short-circuit), what would happen would be that the device concerned would be destroyed by the excess current concerned and the MCB (or RCBO) would "trip" very quickly, protecting the Household wiring - which is that which it is designed to do.

In Europe there are 16 A outlets without "fuses" in the plugs, so a device which fails with a short-circuit would just "blow the breaker".

Then there is this
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...cket_styles_for_different_current_ratings.jpg
which may horrify you!

You may note that a (basic) 10 A device could be plugged into socket-outlets of up to 32 A capacity - without any other "protection" at the plug.
(Not that over 95% of Australians are likely to have ever seen a socket-outlet of over 15 A capacity!)

If you look at the photos, you may discern that all of those socket-outlets are (virtually) the same - apart from the shape for the earth pin, preventing any 32 A plug being inserted into any lower rated socket-outlet - etc.
Of course, why some of those socket-outlets are rated "lower" is because they are required to be installed on circuits for which the wiring (and its protection) is rated lower.

From this you may realise that a properly designed socket-outlet for 10 A could easily carry 32 A, if it was allowed to do so.
The reason for which it is prevented from so doing is because of the current carrying capacity (or lack of it) of the conductors in the building, limited by the required MCB/RCBO.

 

[Nozzle]

Nevermind all that. If there's a component fitted across the mains, and it gets hot rather than fails-safe. Then the housing will smoulder and burn. I'm not talking about CCC of the outlet or cables in the wall.

 

[winston1]

Nevermind all that. If there's a component fitted across the mains, and it gets hot rather than fails-safe. Then the housing will smoulder and burn. I'm not talking about CCC of the outlet or cables in the wall.

That can happen even if fused at 1 amp if it goes leaky. 1 amp at 240v generates 240w, plenty enough to cause a fire.

 

[FrodoOne]

Nevermind all that. If there's a component fitted across the mains, and it gets hot rather than fails-safe. Then the housing will smoulder and burn. I'm not talking about CCC of the outlet or cables in the wall.

Writing "fitted across the mains" implies (almost) infinite current - which is not true, since the "component" would be connected on a circuit with deliberately limited capacity.
The "protection" provided by MCBs and RCBOs is for the wiring in the building and nothing else.
The additional "protection" provided by any fuse in a BS1363 Plug is "debatable" and "protects" only any "wiring" or connection external from the Plug.

If you were were to (say) "drop a metal object" into your 240 V toaster. it could instantly draw quite a large current and, in the UK, the Fuse in the plug should "blow".
In other countries, the MCB/RCBO should operate - protecting the "Household Wiring".

If these devices do not operate quickly enough to "protect" the flexible cord to the toaster, too bad, since the element in the toaster may have already become open-circuit, or short-circuit to Earth, at the point of contact with the object concerned.

(Such an open circuit in a toaster element is actually easily repairable [if one can "get at it"] bul, because the length of the resistance wire will have been shortened by the repair, the toaster will subsequently draw a little more current than its design specifications.
"Been there,done that" - but not because of dropping a metal object into the toaster. Just an unexplained break in a toaster element wire !)

Also, winston1 is quite correct

That can happen even if fused at 1 amp if it goes leaky. 1 amp at 240v generates 240w, plenty enough to cause a fire.