With Covid cases on the rise, health conscious families are being warned they may be misled by dodgy thermometers that give false readings.
Consumer watchdog Which? has voiced concerns that devices sold online for under a tenner record temperatures higher than they really are, jeopardising travel, family gatherings and outings.
Slamming some infrared thermometers as “dangerously inaccurate”, Which? said its tests suggested “they have not been adequately checked or safety monitored”.
Handheld readers have soared in popularity as anxious Brits take their own temperatures to check for signs of Covid-19 before heading out or use them on young children who appear to have a fever.
But Which? said three out of eight it tested from marketplaces including Amazon and eBay were “wildly inaccurate and could lead users to believe they were hotter than they actually were.
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It slapped a “don’t buy” label on a KRK for £8.59 from eBay and also found a £6.89 JK-A007 Digital temperature thermometer from the same site had “wildly variable” temperature readings.
And while an Aicare A66 for £6.37 from Amazon was found to be the least reliable with readings on average 1.5C higher than they should have been, Which? conceded it may have been a fake as the instructions were incomplete and there was no CE safety mark.
It said: “This product was branded as the Aicare A66 on the Amazon listing. However upon further investigation - and after contacting the manufacturer of the Aicare A66 - Which? believes the product it tested could be a counterfeit.”
The infrared thermometers were tested 44 times each across 11 temperature points.
Which? found the KRK thermometer was out by 0.64C on average and the JK-A007 yo-yo’d from 1C to 0.37C higher than it should have been.
According to the British Standard thermometers are allowed to be out by 0.3C on average across all tests.
Seven out of the eight thermometers Which? tested either did not have the CE mark or those that did failed to carry a four digit code to show the device had been independently checked and have been axed from the online marketplaces.
Which? is calling on the Government to crackdown on the sale of unsafe items online and urging consumers to “consider paying a bit more and buying from a reputable brand”.
Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, said: “Consumers should not have to face a lottery when buying a thermometer online, particularly given these products have taken on a greater importance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Government and regulators have recognised the problem of unsafe products sold on online marketplaces but they must take robust action to crack down on this issue now.
“The Government must bring in tougher laws and regulations to make online platforms legally responsible for unsafe products offered through their sites.”
Both eBay and Amazon said they had removed the items highlighted by Which?.
An eBay spokesperson added: “We take the safety of our users very seriously and have manual processes and automatic block filters in place, which have prevented millions of unsafe listings.
“If something does make it onto site, we act quickly to remove it and provide product safety education to sellers to prevent relisting.”
Amazon said: “We invest significantly to ensure that customers receive safe and authentic products when shopping on Amazon.
“We have proactive measures in place to prevent suspicious or non-compliant products from being listed and we monitor the products sold in our stores for product safety concerns.
“When appropriate, we remove a product from the store, reach out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, or take other action.
“If customers have concerns about an item they’ve purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Services directly so we can investigate and take appropriate action.”
Aicare said that the product Which? tested bearing its logo was counterfeit and had been reported to Amazon in China.
It added that genuine versions of its A66 thermometer were only available from its website or through AliExpress.
