The British branch of online retailer Amazon on Wednesday urged customers to throw away defective “hoverboards”, or two-wheeled self-balancing electric scooters that have become a craze ahead of the Christmas season.
Advertisement
“We’ve received information that your order purchased through the Amazon.co.uk website is unsafe for use as this product is supplied with a non-compliant United Kingdom plug”, the email said.
The “Big 3” U.S. airlines – Delta, United, and American Airlines – have banned hoverboards on planes over safety concerns, the Hill reports.
Amazon has advised customers who have bought the gadget to bring the product to a recycling centre.
Britain’s National Trading Standards agency said this month that 15,000 of the 17,000 scooters it had examined since October 15 had been seized, mainly for having electrical components that could explode or catch fire.
“We advise our customers not to use the Selfy Stick Air Runner, but to return it to our shops for a full refund. We have stringent processes in place to ensure that all products we sell conform to safety standards”, it said in a statement.
Numerous boards were found to have non-compliant plugs without fuses, which increase the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire, and cut-off switches which failed when tested.
Argos, which has removed its line of hoverboards called the Nevaboard, stated: “As a responsible retailer, Argos takes customer safety extremely seriously”.
John Lewis, Argos and Tesco have also suspended sales of the hoverboards.
Dean Dunham, the retail ombudsman, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think you’ve got to err on the side of caution – if you’ve bought one of these hoverboards as a Christmas present, take it back”. Before allowing manufacturers to list their products again, Amazon is now requiring safety documentation and proof that hoverboards have passed certain standards.
Amazon customers with models suspected to be faulty will be issued with automatic refunds for the full price, between £200-£500, within days.
Advertisement
Vehicles like hoverboards have batteries that are so large and powerful that the fires resulting from their explosion can be large enough to burn a house down.
