Defective electrical parts swamp market

Poor-quality and counterfeit electrical wire, switches, sockets and other electrical equipment have flooded the domestic market, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of all such products sold, according to the Viet Nam Consumer Standards Association.

The association recently inspected 36 random samples of electrical wire purchased around HCM City and found that 64 per cent had fake labels, 25 per cent were made of improper materials, and 64 per cent didn’t meet electrical resistance standards.

Tran Thanh Cong, director of HCM City’s Department of Measurements, Standards and Quality, admitted that product safety and quality control efforts haven’t been effective.

Every year, the department has gathered and inspected random samples of wires, sockets and switches, but only issued warnings to distributors, without any other form of penalty, Cong said.

“Producers must be held responsible for their product quality,” he said.

“There are dozens of brands of electrical wire with prices varying by 30-50 per cent depending on brand and quality,” said Truong Huu Ngoc, an electrical equipment dealer in District 1′s Dan Sinh Market. “It’s common for producers to use aluminium wire covered by a copper layer to cheat customers.”

“Copper has high conductivity, so as a Viet Nam standard, electrical wire must be all-copper,” confirmed Ngo Hien, head of product quality for the Viet Nam Electrical Cable Co.

Despite prices that can be a fraction of name-brand products, low-quality equipment – much of it imported from China – not only becomes defective quickly but consume more powers and can easily cause electric shock, noted a staff member of the HCM City Power Co who asked to remain anonymous. — VNS

Tags: electrical parts, Vietnam electronics