Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., a China-based e-commerce company that had more than 300 million active buyers last year, has pledged to work with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to prevent U.S. buyers from purchasing illegal and recalled consumer products on Alibaba platforms, the CPSC announced Tuesday.
Read MoreAuthor: Amanda L. Cole
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Read MoreAP Specialties Recalls 172,000 Power Banks
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and AP Specialties, San Clemente, Calif., announced a recall of the latter’s Two-tone Power Bank Charger yesterday.
The entities recalled about 172,000 units of the charger, noting in the recall that when “being charged or being used to charge another device, it can overheat, causing a fire hazard.”
No injuries have been reported, but there overheating incidents were reported in addition to another incident that resulted in fire damage.
The China-made power banks—sold for about $8 to $11—were given away as promotional items at various meetings, trade shows and industry conventions between November 2013 and August 2014.
The 3.6x1x1″ charger has a white top and colored body available in black, dark blue, light blue, lime green, orange, pink, purple, red, white or yellow. Each also contains a name or logo on the side of the bank. On the top of the charger “OUT SC5V” and “IN DC5V” appears. Those that contain a period—”OUT DC5V.”—are not involved in the recall.
Consumers in possession of one of the recalled power banks should stop using the item and contact AP Specialties for a replacement. The supplier will send the consumer an envelop and lane with instructions on how to return the item and receive a replacement free of charge.
Contact AP Specialties at 888-877-7221 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or visit www.powerbankrecall.com.
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