Hoverboards might be one of the most coveted gadgets this Christmas, but they’re also the most controversial.
Amazon is now telling customers to throw away their hoverboards and request a refund.
The online retail giant is e-mailing select customers who purchased hoverboards from its own store.
The e-mails are only being sent to customers who bought a hoverboard with what Amazon describes as a “non-compliant” UK plug.
Amazon even describes the gadgets as “unsafe”, and suggests disposing of them in official Recycling Electrical or Electronic Equipment centres.
The retailer provided TrustedReviews with a copy of the e-mail in question:
Amazon also sent a second e-mail to customers detailing information and safety tips regarding lithium-ion batteries.
The company says it did this as a “precaution” after UK Trading Standards “raised concerns about the safety” of certain hoverboards.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Amazon was removing select hoverboards from its online store.
A number of hoverboards, including some market-leading devices, were forcibly jettisoned from the shopping site.
Hoverboards have been surrounded by controversy in recent times, leading back to a UK ban on riding such self-balancing scooters in public.
Related: Hoverboard buying guide
There have also been reports of exploding hoverboards, due to questionable build quality.
Earlier this month, UK customs seized around 15,000 of these ill-manufactured boards.
More recently, a British teenager was killed in a road-traffic accident while riding a hoverboard.
And only yesterday, we reported on the ‘Lucozade Bandit’, who may soon be the UK’s first person to be convicted of a hoverboard-related offence.
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Do you think hoverboards should be legal on UK roads? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
