A lot of you may be buying hoverboards this Christmas season for your children (or for that diehard “Back to the Future” fan!), but there is some concern circulating today about the safety of hoverboards. Before you buy one, take a look at this consumer notice -- we want everyone to be safe this holiday season!
Fire Hazard
A number of stores including Amazon have pulled Swagway’s Hoverboards from store shelves (virtual and otherwise). Seemingly, these boards can catch fire leading the company to issue warnings to those people that have already purchased a hoverboard. The fire warning is such a big problem right now that some airlines are also banning the boards from aircraft.
Major retailer Amazon has asked companies that manufacture the boards to provide proof that the hoverboards meet compliance standards. While Swagway has told the press that the company has provided this information, Amazon has kept the boards off of its site (as has retailer Overstock.com).
The Problem
How are hoverboards catching fire? The fires have been linked to the lithium-ion batteries that are inside of the boards. Once the hoverboards overheat (from excessive use), the boards can catch on fire. Yikes! If you have purchased a hoverboard for someone this holiday season, it is important to heed the warning that Swagway is sending out to customers. So far, there have been ten reports of hoverboards catching fire. Ten might not seem like such a huge number, but many people are about to get a new hoverboard for Christmas, and that number could climb.
Swagway is the company that is being targeted the most by Amazon and other retailers, and these particular hoverboards are not for sale on various sites any longer. However, there are other hoverboard manufacturers out there that are still selling these boards through sites like Amazon -- deductively, those other hoverboards do meet safety standards, though this remains to be seen.
Why We Are Telling You
At the Dellutri Law Group, we really do care about all of our clients. This means that we want you to be safe! If you have purchased a Swagway hoverboard, make sure to read about the potential dangers included in this article, and pay attention to any warnings issued by the company - you can even contact the company directly if you do have any concerns.
