RELX releases statement: “LV engraved” e-cigarettes are counterfeit products which have repeatedly caused injuries among users
BEIJING, April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, unscrupulous sellers have been advertising RELX “LV engraved” e-cigarettes on Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms. The combination of the famous brand logo and fashion goods brand RELX instantly drew a lot of attention from buyers in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
But last week, RELX released an official statement stressing that the “engraved” products are counterfeit. RELX has never launched products in collaboration with LV, Supreme or other similar brands. Although difficult to distinguish from the genuine article in appearance, the counterfeit goods represent a serious infringement, and are extremely unsafe. Batteries for these products may not pass standard quality certification and can easily lead to an explosion and other types of injuries among consumers.
Some users posted photos on social media detailing how they had hurt themselves as a result of an unexpected explosion of the counterfeit product during charging, with some reporting serious personal injuries.
Counterfeit brand e-cigarette suddenly explodes
Despite the ability to create a product that is nearly indistinguishable from the original, these counterfeit goods were produced in small workshops in Shenzhen at low cost as they could be easily reproduced by anyone with a set of grinding tools. With solely a profit motive in mind, vendors often choose low-quality lithium batteries, where safety is not guaranteed.
After entering the market, the e-cigarettes lure consumers with the association with a big brand name, fetching as much as 100 times the price of the same item without the famous logo. Once an explosion or other accident has occurred, consumers often encounter difficulties in lodging a complaint and safeguarding their rights as no matching after-sales channels have been established.
Chen Changlu, a battery specialist and EHS deputy general manager at Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) said in an interview that “lithium is a very active element that is quite combustible and can even lead to an explosion if not properly handled. Safety protection design is the core of lithium battery manufacturing, but some secondary manufacturers have been found to have removed lithium battery protection devices or to have used inferior materials in a move to reduce costs, ultimately hiding safety risks. Consumers are advised to not buy products produced and sold by unqualified manufacturers and to only select and purchase certified products from official channels.”
RELX said the company is working with the anti-counterfeiting team at LV to assist public security units in locating and removing these inferior products from the market as soon as possible, protecting consumers from security threats. RELX has already assisted the police in arresting a group of suspects.
An arrest taking place during a crackdown on counterfeit goods that took place with the assistance of RELX
Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200421/2782255-1-a?lang=0
Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200421/2782255-1-b?lang=0
