Consumer Affairs Warning About Hoverboards
The Office of Consumer Affairs is warning local residents about the potential safety risks of hoverboards, advising consumers to be aware that some hoverboards are currently under intense scrutiny in the United States and abroad as they pose a serious threat of overheating and catching fire.
“Fire safety concerns in the U.S. and UK have led Amazon and Overstock.com to ban the sale of many hoverboards, also known as’self-balancing scooters’ or ‘balance boards’,” a statement said.
“Following a rash of explosions and house fires connected to hoverboards, Amazon recently sent out a notice to all hoverboard sellers to, “provide documentation demonstrating that all hoverboards you list are compliant with applicable safety standards, including UN 38.3 [battery], UL 1642 [battery], and UL 60950-1 [charger].”
“The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC] has not yet issued a recall on the hoverboards but they are looking into the safety of the entire product line and they are investigating 10 hoverboard-related fire incidents in nine states — Washington, California, New York, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and Maryland.”
“We are aware that there have been numerous reports of safety issues overseas relating to hoverboards, and we have received one call from a concerned local resident,” said Karen Marshall, Executive Officer of Consumer Affairs.
“It appears that the main problem is the type of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries being used in some of them as well as plugs, cablings and chargers that may be of very poor quality.”
Consumer Affairs said, “Several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta, United and British Airways, have banned hoverboards from flights because the devices use lithium-ion batteries, making them potentially dangerous to transport.
“Consumer Affairs is providing the following safety tips to follow before buying a hoverboard:
- Make sure that the manufacturer’s name or trademark is visible on the packaging. Only buy from a reputable retailer because if something does go wrong, you are in a strong position to return the item and get a refund, repair or replacement.
- Retailers should only sell products from reputable manufacturers and importers. And, more importantly, they should ensure that all goods stocked on their shelves are certified as meeting US or EU safety standards.
- Do your research. Remember, not all hoverboards are the same, there are variances in quality and cost. It has been reported that many Chinese manufacturers have produced their own non-branded hoverboards a much lower prices; however there have been issues with the on-board battery and charging cable that can cause them to overheat and explode. Read the reviews of specific models of hoverboards before purchasing to verify quality.
- If you own a hoverboard do not charge it unattended, overnight or when you are not at home. The board should only be charged when someone is present and paying attention to it. A number of the fire incidents were reported to have started while being charged.”
“Fire and overheating are not the only problems associated with hoverboards,” said Ms. Marshall.“The CPSC received 39 reports of emergency room injuries involving hoverboard-related falls and collisions.
“Hoverboard users should be wearing appropriate safety equipment including a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads to avoid injury from falls. Additionally, we urge everyone to ensure that you are purchasing safe products this holiday season.”
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Fire & safety concerns smh hwt next how bout gay marriage in bermuda Health n Safety smh
Hey Consumers Affair” this is old news. Came out two weeks ago on CNN and other major networks. If your going to be proactive get your act together and inform the public in a timely fashion.
“Retailers should only sell products from reputable manufacturers and importers.”
Which means what?
“And, more importantly, they should ensure that all goods stocked on their shelves are certified as meeting US or EU safety standards.”
And if they don’t?
“we urge everyone to ensure that you are purchasing safe products this holiday season.”
Translated: We have no idea which ones are safe or not. But we’ve put out a vague press release putting the onus back on the consumer, so our job is done.
lot of places are selling fake crap as real stuff…..
dont drink fake tea
toodles!
…Wait! What tea is fake? This I need to know.
Like fake (same sex) relationships.
the only way that the hoveroard cought on fire because he ether charge it to long or hi rid it to fast and heated it up
Wrong. Chinese manufacturers are utilizing batteries that haven’t been rated or properly tested in order to cut costs and sell at a cheaper price than current market prices. Afaik only Samsung-based batteries were properly tested so if you have a hoverboard, just pop off the casing and run the serial number through google to ensure it’s legit.
I bought one… Are the stores obligated to give refunds now we know?.
Nonsense
What about it? Not catching your point.
Anyone in Bermuda have one? I haven’t seen anyone with one.
Yeah they sell like hotcakes funnily enough. Just not stable enough to ride through town without decking out or it shutting off randomly. I just run mine through my yard/house/job.
Plenty people have them. They mostly just scoot up and down their hallway or driveway at home. Probably too embarrased to use them out in public. Just another fad that will die out in a couple months.
I bought one… Are the stores obligated to give refunds now we know?.
I know all about the “Li-Po” batteries in these devices. The proper name is Lithium Polymer batteries and they have a different performance characteristic when compared to other rechargeable batteries (often found in toys). Li-Po batteries should never be depleated beyond about 40% of a charge. They must be stored at a minimum of30% charge to be safe.
Some people with these hover boards are riding past the visual and audible warnings the device gives (at approx. 45% charge) and they ride til it can’t move. Even at 40% charge the performance will be exactly the same as a fully charged battery. When you drain it past about 30% it literally overheats and the multiple layers that make up the name “polymer” in Li-Po will expand. This could lead to rupture or when the idiot finally tries to charge these expanded batteries it ruptures and explodes.
I have been using these batteries in my radio controlled helicopters for over 5yrs and once you’ve learned how to treat these batteries you are in the safe zone. The owner’s manual shows how to properly handle this machine – but I bet those people who had fires never read it.
It’s a real risk because the batteries in these boards are large and could be very bad for its surroundings if not handled properly.
The problem really seems to lie with the merchants selling these items, not educating the consumers.