In the UK, the response rate to an electrical product recall or safety notice is worryingly low, largely due to people failing to register their appliances. This makes it very challenging for manufacturers should they need to trace affected products, leaving consumers unaware that they have a potentially dangerous appliance in their home.
Research carried out by the Charity found that around 80%[1] of UK adults who own a smart speaker would be keen to use it to check for product recalls. For people leading busy lives, we want to make it simple to access this important information. We've developed some free digital tools that will make this easier.
Voice App
Available on Alexa Skills and Google Nest, our app makes it easy for consumers to find out if the electrical products in their homes have been subject to a recall.
Simply ask your device to "Open Electrical Safety First" and ask if a product has been recalled.
You can ask about general products ("Has my fridge been recalled") or check by brand name.
You'll then be told whether there are any recalls you need to be aware of, and you'll also have the option to sign up to receive email alerts from the Charity when a new recall notice is issued.
Smartphone App
Our smartphone app, available on iOs and Android, takes popular content from the Charity's website and makes it easy for you to:
- Check electrical product recalls
- Register your electrical appliances
- Find a Registered Electrician local to you
- Ask the Charity’s expert team your electrical safety questions.
You can find out more about the tools and how to download them on our blog post.
Stakeholder Pack
If you would like to promote our digital tools on your own social media channels, download our stakeholder pack - it includes videos, images and social media messages.
[1] Survey carried out by Censuswide between 14th and 15th January, with a representative sample of 2002 UK adults who own a Google Home and/or Alexa smart audio device. Asked “If you were able to ask your smart home device such as your Google Home or Alexa if an electrical appliance such as your washing machine, tumble dryer or phone charger has been recalled by the brand, due to a fire risk, would you do so?” 46.25% said they definitely would and 35.21% said they probably would, with a net result of 81.46% responding positively.
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