Counterfeit electronics are causing fires every two days, according to a survey by the Civil Defense Department in Madinah.

The Civil Defense survey revealed that poor electrical connections and power overload caused 239 electricity short-circuits during the last 16 months.

Meanwhile, officials and experts said that poor-quality counterfeit goods are responsible for the loss of many lives. Only a week ago, local media reported that all the members of a single family at the Al-Eskan neighborhood lost their lives as a result of an electricity short-circuit.

Lack of supervision and importers are to be blamed for the widespread of counterfeit electronics, experts noted.

Describing manufacturing locations of such appliances as hideouts for thieves, Nasser Al-Toam, chief executive of Consumer Protection Association, said that such sites are operated by foreign labor, adding: “The only solution is to impose severe penalties and sanctions on whoever contributes to thespread of such poor quality and counterfeit appliances.”

Al-Toam demanded that awareness campaigns be launched to educate consumers of their hazards and dangers. “A partnership should be built between community members, starting from households and families and including government agencies with their preventive role and measures, such as the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization and also the commercial representatives abroad,” he argued.

The concept of social responsibility should be instilled at all levels of the community, he said, adding: “This includes traders, social organizations and media. The latter has the responsibility of refusing misleading ads.”

The rational consumer industry focuses on the awareness of consumers with regards their rights, the hazards resulting from certain appliances, goods or usage of any of them, and reporting any complaint or violation to authorities.

Al-Toam revealed that there are 300 reports on counterfeited appliances, out of more than 5,000 reports and complaints by consumers for various reasons.

“The Association is in the process of issuing a guide that will help consumers take the right choices”, he confirmed.

However, Saleh Al-Suwairi, electronic importer and member of the Jeddah Chamber, dismissed charges that Saudi importers are involved in unknowingly importing counterfeited electronics.

“There are standards and choices laid out to the importer to make a decision what to choose in accordance with the prices he has in mind,” said Al-Suwairi, referring at the same time to the fraudulent methods by merchants, such as not mentioning the country of origin in the manifesto.

On the other hand, electrical engineer Hasan Mahmoud Hammal said that the lack of technical studies needed to calculate the circuit breakers has a lot to do with causes of fires, as these wires become very hot and melt without separating the breakers, causing fires in the process.

One of the reasons that citizens tend to but these appliances is their cheap prices, regardless of their quality. “The weak purchasing power by citizens compels them to buy such counterfeited goods,” said Faris Al-Mouled, citizen of Madinah.

Meanwhile, Brig. Khaled bin Mubarak Al-Juhani warned citizens from using these poor-quality electric connections, and from power overload at homes, advising them to comply to safety measures in this regard.