It does not work as expected
If there is no apparent safety risk, contact the seller about a repair, replacement or refund and use the appropriate consumer-rights route.
Faulty and defective products
How to report a faulty or dangerous product online
A product fault is not always a safety risk. Start with what happened, then choose the right route for a refund or repair, a detailed safety report, or a quick marketplace listing signal.
Choose the right route
What kind of product problem have you found?
Use plain facts rather than trying to prove that the product is dangerous. A report starts an assessment; it does not automatically mean the product is unsafe.
It failed or may be dangerous
For overheating, smoke, shock, fire, breakage, injury, damage or a near miss, stop using it if safe to do so and create a detailed report.
You found it on a marketplace
Check for earlier FOLO-UP signals or flag the listing while the product, seller and listing evidence are still visible.
Faulty, defective or dangerous?
A fault and a safety risk are not the same thing
People use “faulty product”, “defective product”, “unsafe product” and “dangerous product” to describe different problems. A poor finish or a feature that simply stops working may be an ordinary fault. A failure involving heat, smoke, electricity, fire, sharp or loose parts, choking, chemicals, unexpected breakage, injury or a near miss may need a product-safety report.
You do not have to make the legal or technical judgment yourself. Describe what you observed, identify the product and seller, and keep your conclusions separate from the evidence.
How to report a faulty product online
- Identify the product. Record its name, brand, model, batch, serial number or barcode.
- Record where it came from. Keep the seller, marketplace, listing address, order number and purchase date.
- Describe the failure. Explain what happened, when it happened and whether there was injury, damage or a near miss.
- Preserve evidence safely. Save photographs, labels, instructions, receipts and screenshots without recreating the fault or putting anyone at risk.
- Submit the right report. Use the full FOLO-UP form for a detailed concern, or Whistle for a quick marketplace listing signal.
Start a full, trackable product report
Report through the official UK route too
FOLO-UP does not replace the official UK product-safety reporting routes. The government guidance explains where consumers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should report a product-safety concern.
Common questions
Reporting faulty and dangerous products
Can I report a faulty product online?
Yes. If the fault may create a safety risk, you can make a full FOLO-UP report online with details of the product, seller, incident and supporting evidence. For an ordinary quality fault with no safety concern, contact the seller and use your consumer-rights route.
Is every faulty or defective product dangerous?
No. A product can be faulty without being unsafe. A broken cosmetic feature, poor finish or item that simply does not work may be a consumer-rights issue. Overheating, smoke, electric shock, fire, sharp or loose parts, unexpected breakage, injury or a near miss may indicate a product-safety concern.
What should I include when I report a dangerous product?
Include the product name, brand, model, batch or serial number, seller, marketplace, listing address, order details, a factual account of what happened and any photographs or screenshots you can preserve safely.
Should I use the full report or FOLO-UP Whistle?
Use the full report for a failure, incident, injury, near miss, damage or concern that needs detailed evidence. Use FOLO-UP Whistle while viewing a marketplace listing to check for earlier listing signals or submit a quick signal for evidence capture and controlled human review.