- Amazon is still selling fake 'energy-saving' plugs despite having pledged to remove them
- Which? first spotted them in 2025, and Amazon said they had been removed
- The retailer promised to remove them for a second time in August, but they're still available to purchase
Fake ‘energy-saving’ plugs are one of the biggest tech scams, and they’re still being sold on Amazon even though the retailer promised MPs it would remove the product listings.
Liberal Democrat MP Joshua Reynolds highlighted the dangers of the plugs — which can pose a fire risk — during a hearing back in June, calling for the retailer to take accountability.
In August, Amazon’s UK Director of Public Policy, Monica Ariño, issued a letter to the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee saying the devices had been removed from sale, adding that there was "a technical issue in [our] automated classification system that was preventing some of these products from being proactively detected".
This isn’t the first time Amazon has promised to remove fake plugs. Back in 2025, Which? first spotted these ‘energy-saving’ plugs and approached retailers with their findings, resulting in their removal from stores. However, identical products were found on Amazon just weeks later.
Despite Amazon's most recent pledge to remove the plugs from sale, they're still available to purchase from the retailer. We’ve checked Amazon UK’s page and found that these products are still live — the Telegraph (£) has also spotted similar listings.
Now, Reynolds says he’ll be writing to Amazon asking for an explanation, adding that "Amazon has got some proper questions they have to answer. These are exactly the same products tested by Which?". He also claims that these plugs are appearing as sponsored ads at the top of Amazon’s listing pages.
As mentioned, these devices were first spotted during a test carried out by Which?, for where it tested eight devices from sites including eBay, AliExpress, Shein, and TikTok Shop. It found no evidence that the plugs actually worked, and noted that it would be illegal to sell them in the UK, as they didn't meet basic safety standards.
So how are these plugs claimed to cut your energy bills? Based on the product listings we’ve found, Amazon’s ‘energy-saving’ plugs are advertised as ‘voltage stabilizers’ and ‘surge protectors’, and are claimed to significantly cut your energy bills by optimizing the performance of your household appliances.
At a time when energy bills are increasing, it’s an easy sales pitch to make, and they’re also affordably priced (usually around the £10-£15 mark), making them seem to be a worthwhile puchase.
However, it's claimed that the devices are a fire hazard, and also pose an electrocution risk. According to the tests conducted by Which?, more than half of the plugs’ socket pins were either too small, not straight, or were so frail they just snapped off.
Other tests found that some of the plugs failed to meet basic safety measures due to poor manufacturing, including non-standard capacitors and soldering.
Amazon hasn't yet commented on the current status of these product listings, or responded to the latest claims. We've asked the company for a comment, and will update this story if we get a response.
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