The online retailers will be offering automatic refunds, and the email explained, ‘We regret the inconvenience this may cause you but trust you will understand that your safety and satisfaction is our highest priority’.
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Stores around Britain have already stopped selling the boards, and many varieties are no longer listed on Amazon.
“Consumers who have already purchased a hoverboard, perhaps as a Christmas present, should contact the retailer and for their written assurance that it’s safe and in particular that it has a compliant plug with a fuse”, said Dean Dunham, Chief Ombudsman.
“Please dispose of this product in a [recycling center] as soon as possible”, read a company email sent to customers, which Amazon UK shared with CNET on Wednesday.
In November Trading Standards said it had seized 15,000 unsafe hoverboards that were being shipped into the UK.
It follows a spate of warnings from authorities that some of the so-called hoverboards could catch fire or explode if they aren’t compliant with safety regulations.
AMAZON has said people who have bought hoverboards as Christmas presents can dispose of them and accept refunds, according to a national newspaper. Amazon’s United States operations haven’t confirmed the move, but hoverboard maker Swagway shared with news outlets information it said came from Amazon that describes the change.
It asks anyone who would rather not keep the product to contact Amazon customer service.
“Trading standards officers have detained the boards due to numerous concerns including safety issues with the plugs, cabling, chargers, batteries or the cut-off switches within the boards, which are created to stop the battery from continuing to charge once fully charged”.
He said that where no assurances were given consumers should ask for a refund, to which they are entitled under the Consumer Rights Act, and report the matter to Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06.
Argos has removed its own line of hoverboards, the Nevaboard, from sale while it carried out extra testing.
It said in a statement: “As a responsible retailer, Argos takes customer safety extremely seriously”.
“While we undertake these checks, we have temporarily withdrawn the Nevaboard from sale”.
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The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has said of all the Hoverboards/Balance Boards we have examined so far, none met the required safety standards.
