The company’s United Kingdom branch went so far as to send emails to customers who bought them indicating the boards are too risky to keep.
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“Hoverboards may be the hot holiday gift, but they are literally catching on fire and igniting questions about their safety and the safety of lithium-ion batteries”, he said in a news release.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been able to seize 164 hoverboards with counterfeit marks and fake batteries this week alone, said the agency.
“We’re still pretty shook up”, Washington said Tuesday morning. Hoverboards will only be shipped via ground transportation, because of potential safety hazards involving the batteries. There have now been 11 hoverboard fires reported in 10 states.
U.S. CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye says, “Consumers want and deserve answers about the safety of hover boards”. He said staffers are “looking particularly closely at the configuration of the battery packs and compatibility with the chargers”. They could easily do that by dropping it off at a recycle location provided by the company upon which Amazon is also going to refund them the full price of the hoverboard.
Amazon has already stopped selling hoverboards from companies that it believes don’t comply with adequate safety standards, it’s checking their scooters to see if they are compliant with best practices, many companies selling hoverboards have already seen their products being removed from Amazon.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reports of 39 emergency-room visits related to the scooters, including at least 13 fractures.
Postal officials also said they will not ship hoverboards internationally or to military addresses.
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The commission urges consumers to not charge the boards overnight and to wear safety gear for protection from falls.
