Southall launches counterfeiting taskforce: help for shoppers

Ealing Council announced a Southall counterfeiting taskforce on 11 September. Local Trading Standards leads Operation Linchpin, funded by National Trading Standards. During inspections at Grand Union Enterprise Park on 3 September, officers seized 18.5 tonnes of goods, including toys, cosmetics and vapes. The council described the products as illegal, unsafe or non-compliant. Investigations are continuing.

Checking products at home

Residents can look up items they own in the government's Product Recalls and Alerts list. OPSS distinguishes a recall of a particular product from a report about other corrective measures and an alert covering a wider product category. It therefore helps to read the relevant notice rather than relying on a similar photograph or name. A recall may require contacting the retailer or manufacturer for a replacement, repair or refund. Email updates are available for new entries. This list does not cover food, vehicles or medicines.

Getting money back is a separate issue

Citizens Advice explains that buyers of counterfeit goods can seek a refund. A full refund is due within 30 days of payment; between 30 days and six months, the seller can first provide a genuine replacement. If they cannot do that, they should refund the buyer. Reporting a trader does not itself recover the purchase price: Trading Standards can take action against a business but does not get a customer's money back. A seller's argument that the price was suspiciously low does not remove the rights described.

Reporting concerns in Ealing

The council has an anonymous form for concerns about illegal vapes and tobacco products, including sales to under-18s. A name and contact details are optional. Prepare the seller's name and address, the incident date and a description of the product. Photographs can be attached, and information about where goods are stored is useful if known. The council warns that each form page times out after 20 minutes and the form cannot be saved. Gathering the information before starting will help avoid losing an unfinished report.

Help for shoppers

A Citizens Advice adviser can discuss the problem and pass information to Trading Standards. Have the purchase date, price, payment method and seller's details ready if possible. Missing some information does not prevent you seeking advice. The free consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133, opens Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm, excluding bank holidays. The service has announced that its online forms are unavailable on Sunday 13 September. Telephone and webchat support are due to resume at 9am on Monday 14 September.