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Amazon selling Swagway hoverboards as it urges customers to destroy knockoffs

Amazon selling Swagway hoverboards as it urges customers to destroy knockoffs

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Swagway-branded hoverboards are back at Amazon after the recent ban. However, it appears the retail giant is doubling its efforts to get dangerous hoverboards out of its customers' homes. In a letter sent to customers in the UK, the retail giant explains that one particular brand of self-balancing scooter made by RioRand is unsafe because of a faulty plug. Owners are urged to take the scooters to certified disposal locations, and will receive a full refund for the purchase.

The Telegraph obtained a copy of the letter sent to hoverboard owners, which goes into further detail about the refund:

Amazon Email

The letters represent the most recent blow to the wildly popular devices that took over social media throughout 2015. In the US, there have already been 10 reports of hoverboard-related fires and explosions in nine states. In most cases, the devices explode because of faulty batteries used by companies that don't monitor their products for quality.

Cheap hoverboards are especially prone to fires

Amazon this weekend pulled 97 percent of all listed hoverboards from its site over safety concerns, writing in a statement sent to The Verge that all manufacturers "provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards. Swagway scooters were compliant, but were removed in the name of safety. Swagways have also made their way back to Target's online storefront.

Still, the backlash to this cottage industry has been swift. Self-balancing scooters are still, for the most part, temporarily banned at Target, and airlines like Delta and United have banned the devices outright. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is already investigating the situation.


Verge Video: Riding the Lexus hoverboard in Spain