TK Maxx fined over selling faulty Lincoln phone charger

The parent company of TK Maxx ended up with a fine after a Lincoln village resident was sold a dangerous phone charger.

ITJX UK Ltd got the handed a large fine over a Venom Blackberry charger, which fell apart when a Cherry Willingham resident plugged it into the wall.

This left her exposed to dangerous electrical currents.

The item came from the store in Lincoln in 2012, but Lincolnshire Trading Standards investigated other TK Maxx chains in the county, and found the charger in other stores.

TJX UK Ltd, the retailer and importer Venom Ltd both pleaded guilty to two charges of supplying non-compliant electrical items at Grantham Magistrates Court this week and were fined £4,000 each.

Venom Ltd is also no longer importing the Blackberry charger, and TK Maxx pulled the item from sale earlier in the year.

Lincolnshire Trading Standards received full costs of the trial of £5,613.22 due to bringing the prosecution forward.

The faulty charger pack, which was sold by TK Maxx Lincoln in 2012. Photo: Lincolnshire Trading Standards

Lisa Foster, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Retailers have a duty to make sure the products they sell are safe, but in this case officers found that TJX UK Ltd, through its UK TK Maxx stores, had been selling a brand of dangerous chargers which could have given a nasty shock, or worse, to anyone using them.

“If there is a product safety issue with any kind of electrical item, it is important that we do all we can to ensure that no harm comes to consumers.

“When the lady from Cherry Willingham unplugged the charger from the mains, the black plastic backing from the plug broke off leaving the pins in the socket and the live pins exposed – this is totally unacceptable.

“We would remind people that when buying electrical items to just do some research first to see if there are any issues with the product, i.e. are there any recalls in place?

“Have others had bad experiences with the product? This way consumers can make an informed decision on whether to purchase a product or not.”

For residents who bought the charger from TK Maxx and have concerns, contact Lincolnshire Trading Standards on 01522 782341 or email [email protected].