Be wary of fake online products to avert fire outbreak, Nigerians urged

Nigerians have being urged to be wary of counterfeit products, especially online shopping, following a rise in cases involving fake goods.

According to Lokendra Sharma, Country Manager for West Africa, Multipower Global Solutions, some Nigerians face the risk of endangering their household and homes to fire incidents due to the prevalence of poor quality or counterfeit batteries and solar panels being imported into the country. He made this known at a dealer’s week recently held in Lagos and Abuja.

The firm is one of the majors in power back-up and solar solutions sector with the exclusive rights to distribute EXIDE Industries’ range of batteries.

Sharma noted that the potential health and safety risks, such as electric shocks and house fires, could be devastating in an environment where property insurance is not rife.

“Imposters are now selling various versions of EXIDE batteries, solar inverters, solar PCU, and other products, thus creating a negative impact on the dealers and consumers through these inferior products. These fake products are known to cause numerous safety hazards to work environments. Usually without authorization, they carry the trademark, service mark or copyright of another entity, with the intention to deceive unsuspecting customers.”

While harping on the need for consumers to be fully aware of the dangers of sourcing batteries and other storage devices from unverifiable sources, he noted that the protection of electrical and electronic equipment from unreliable power is important as it can lead to explosions, fires and even deaths.

“Multipower is committed to anti-counterfeiting technologies and programs. We strive to protect our customers from counterfeits that exist in Nigeria by the quality of the companies we represent in Nigeria.

“Consumers and communities can protect themselves against dangerous and defective counterfeit electrical products by using only established vendors and authorized retailers, exercising caution in online transactions, checking for certification marks, scrutinizing labels and packaging, avoiding products that lack any identifying branding label or affiliation, and avoiding ‘bargains’ that seem too good to be true.”