Counterfeit Sq D breakers

[ryan_618]

It appears that there is a HUGE amount of breakers that are a problem...like 64,000 of them

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207


NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2007
Release #08-054

Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 264-3702
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Connecticut Electric Recalls Counterfeit Square D Circuit Breakers Due To Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Counterfeit "Square D" Circuit Breakers

Units: About 64,000

Distributor: Connecticut Electric & Switch Mfg. Co. (Connecticut Electric), of Puyallup, Wash.

Hazard: The recalled circuit breakers labeled "Square D" are counterfeit and could fail to trip when they are required to, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Connecticut Electric has not received any report of incidents or injuries associated with these counterfeit circuit breakers.

Description: The counterfeit circuit breakers are black and are marked as Square D products. Connecticut Electric has identified the following breakers as possibly being counterfeit: QO115, QO120, QO140, QO2125, QO215, QO220, QO230, QO240, QO250, QO260, QO1515, QO2020, QO3100, QO320, QO330, QO340, QO360, QOB120, QOB130, QOB220, QOB230, QOB250, QOB330, and QOB360. Actual Square D circuit breakers have (a) the amp rating written on the handle in white paint on the front of the breaker; (b) the Square D insignia molded onto the breaker side, and; (c) a yellow chromate mounting clip with half of the top of the clip visible. If your Square D breaker does not match this description, it could be counterfeit.

Sold through: Electrical Distributors and hardware stores nationwide from February 2005 through August 2006 for between about $6.50 and $15.50.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should contact Connecticut Electric to determine if the breaker they have is counterfeit and if necessary, to arrange for a free inspection and replacement or refund.

Consumer Contact: For more information, Call Connecticut Electric at
(866) 264-3702 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the company's Web site at www.connecticut-electric.com. Consumers also can obtain additional information by emailing Connecticut Electric at bdunham@connecticut-electric.com.

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08054.html

********************************************************

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction.
Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

 

[480sparky]

Why not just hook 'em up to all those counterfeit ground rods?

 

[brian john]

Not saying this is the case. BUT one supplier explained to me that as manufactures moved manufacturing facilities overseas, the foreign shops were making CB's (and other products) during the day for their client. At night they manufacture parts for the black market. As we demand cheaper products or minimal price increases we are only messing ourselves up. Lead in the toys, CBs that may be defective and ground rods that are well ground rods.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Off topic a little, but following Brian's commment. I heard yesterday that the US depends on the foreign market big time for the ingrediants that are part of our prescription drugs. There are 1000's, that is right (my source is the news), 1000's of these plants that supply the ingrediants that have never had an inspection for quality control, such as we have here in the states...no wonder it is so much cheaper overseas.
In China alone, there are thousands of deaths per year from bogus drugs.

 

[480sparky]

Off topic a little, but following Brian's commment. I heard yesterday that the US depends on the foreign market big time for the ingrediants that are part of our prescription drugs. There are 1000's, that is right (my source is the news), 1000's of these plants that supply the ingrediants that have never had an inspection for quality control, such as we have here in the states...no wonder it is so much cheaper overseas.
In China alone, there are thousands of deaths per year from bogus drugs.

I saw the same thing. Somthing like only 13 or 17 Chinese plants are scheduled for FDA inspection next year. I also saw a program last year where they found one drug manufactured with a yellow powder. Turns out it was the dry powder used to dye the paint for the yellow lines down the middle of the road.

 

[weressl]

Not saying this is the case. BUT one supplier explained to me that as manufactures moved manufacturing facilities overseas, the foreign shops were making CB's (and other products) during the day for their client. At night they manufacture parts for the black market. As we demand cheaper products or minimal price increases we are only messing ourselves up. Lead in the toys, CBs that may be defective and ground rods that are well ground rods.

If that would be the case they would be manufacturing the same breakers. I think the story is more complex.

 

[stickboy1375]

This actually made it in my local newspaper...

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Laszlo,
They only make the outside look the same...make the inside cheaper, sometimes by leaving out the trip elements and only building a switch that is marked as a breaker.
Don.

 

[peter d]

I suppose if Square D get their day in court, Connecticut Electric won't be in existence anymore from all the fines and damages they will have to pay.

 

[mdshunk]

Scott Electric is still going strong, and they ended up with the last bad batch last year.

 

[peter d]

Scott Electric is still going strong, and they ended up with the last bad batch last year.

Interesting. I assume SqD went after them?

 

[mdshunk]

Interesting. I assume SqD went after them?

Why? What for? They bought a bum batch. Who's gonna fault them for that? It's not like they went to their vendors and told them they want counterfeit breakers.

 

[peter d]

Why? What for? They bought a bum batch. Who's gonna fault them for that?

I guess without knowing all the details my comment was pointless. According to SqD's website they are very aggressive about pursuing legal action against counterfeit breaker sellers and distributors.

Was this Scott Electric an authorized SqD reseller? And how did they end up with a bad batch?

 

[mdshunk]

Was this Scott Electric an authorized SqD reseller? And how did they end up with a bad batch?

No, they're not, and it beats me how they got them. I'm sure they thought they were real. If you want counterfeit ones, and that's your intent, they're easy to come by:

http://www.cnjingyu.com/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=214

 

[brian john]

If that would be the case they would be manufacturing the same breakers. I think the story is more complex.

While I do not know if the FAKE CBs are acceptable or not. I believe that any manufacture would want the CBs recalled, acceptable or not. One to recoup lost revenue, another to limit liability.

I would like to get my hands on a few of these CBs for testing.

 

[dwellselectric]

So say you got a bunch of bad breakers and you install them and a house burns down are you at fault?

 

[Rampage_Rick]

Tell that to my Panaphonics home theater...

Counterfeit CBs and perscription drugs scare me a hell of a lot more than counterfeit shoes or DVDs. The latter seem to be the focus of the police around here. (Vancouver is supposedly the counterfeit capital of Canada)

If you're willing to knowingly install counterfeit CBs, might I interest you in some discount toothpaste?

 

[brian john]

From MD's Link

THCHNICAL DATAS:

I'll take a 100.

 

[jim dungar]

Here is a NECA article on the Scott Electric lawsuit
http://www.neca-neis.org/newsletter/report.cfm?articleID=6976

Scott Electric is not an authorized Square D distributor and does not buy products directly from the manufacturer. The circuit breakers at issue were purchased from a so-called "gray market" distributor, which sells surplus items at discounted costs, according to Ken Vojnik, a sales manager for Scott Electric.

 

[wiry]

Jim, that article is from the January 2007 issue of the NECA Newsletter and references a lawsuit brought against Scott by Square D in April. That would be 2006. Presumably there was a period of investigation and preparation by Square D preceding the filing of this tort against Scott. The CPSC Recall Notice is dated October 30, 2007, and indicates that the defective breakers were sold by Connecticut Electric through "Electrical Distributors and hardware stores nationwide from February 2005 through August 2006".

So Connecticut was selling defective "counterfeit" breakers all during the time that Scott was under investigation and in litigation, and indeed for four months after the settlement. Pray, who was minding the store? Is it possible that Connecticut was unaware of what was going on over at Scott? At least after the settlement was made public wouldn't they want to send someone out to the warehouse to check their own stock especially given it's Chinese origin? And shouldn't Schneider Electric have sent out a general notice to all major wholesalers and retailers to watch out for these breakers? And what took the CPSC so bloody long to get around to putting out it's announcement?

I just became aware of this fiasco though the posting on Mike's Newsletter and I've got nothing but questions. Was Connecticut even an authorized distributer? What is the contractor's liability? And who's going to pay the contractors to go back and check all their installs?

The use of the word "counterfeit" implies a deliberate malfeasance and criminal fraud (which would be consistent with recent reports of corruption, deception, and general depravity in the Chinese manufacturing sector). So given all of the above I have to wonder if Connecticut has some complicity here. Perhaps more than a lawsuit is called for. Where is the Justice Department in this?

I can't believe how nonchalant everyone is. I mean the overcurrent device is a rather important part of any installation and 64,000 potential fire hazards is no small thing.

The Connecticut Electric web site, while listing circuit breaker inventory for most of the major manufactures, past and present, does not include Square D breakers. Nor does it mention anything about a recall despite the fact that the CPSC press release directs the consumer to the Connecticut Electric web site for further information.

Connecticut surely has records of the jobbers and retailers that it provided with the bogus breakers. I would think it incumbent upon them to provide the public with such a list as an assistance in determining whether further investigation is necessary.

And a check of the Schneider Electric / Square D web site mentions nothing about a recall. What is their position? Square D has a reputation for quality; how did this get by their controls? How was the fraud discovered and why was it not noticed sooner? And what's to prevent this from happening again?

What a mess.