Which? has demanded that online marketplaces bear greater legal liability for products that are unlawful and dangerous and are sold to customers through their platforms.
Six of the eight heaters that the watchdog purchased and tested—for as little as £7.20—were found to be dangerous from TikTok Shop and Temu.
Testing revealed that the £7.20 XH-1201 1200W portable electric heater that was purchased on TikTok posed a risk of explosion and fire, both of which could result in electric shocks.
Which? discovered that 16 merchants, citing 223 sales, were listing the heater on TikTok.
Which? discovered that a similar portable space heater, which cost £16.98 and was bought from Temu after seeing a listing claiming that 2,100 had been sold, was also capable of electrifying users, starting a fire, or blowing up.
An further heater, the £14.99 Temu-only X7 Portable Space Heater, was ill-assembled and had easily accessible live parts that may have caused an electric shock.
353 of them had been sold by the seller Which? purchased from, but investigators discovered two additional dealers offering the same goods and 8,900 sales were reported between them.
Testers discovered that the NFJ004 Portable electric heater, which retails for £15.99 on TikTok, was constructed so poorly that it might also electrify its owners, catch fire, or burst.
All told, out of the five heaters purchased through TikTok for Which? tests, three were deemed “dangerously unsafe,” one had a fourth heater’s instructions missing important safety warnings, and all three heaters purchased through Temu posed a risk to users.
