Hoverboard refunds promised by Amazon

Monday, January 25, 2016 - 14:47 by Graham Miller

Anyone who purchased a hoverboard online from Amazon in the UK is entitled to get a full refund for their product, irrespective of the manufacturer or model, according to the Daily Mail.

This move from the US retailer follows the growing scandal surrounding reports of these wheeled gadgets spontaneously catching alight and posing a safety risk for anyone who uses them.

In the past week a house fire was allegedly started by a hoverboard in the American state of California, with the device igniting during the charging process. And experts have already identified cheap batteries as the main culprit in all of the cases assessed so far.

With the amount of damage caused by faulty devices creeping into the millions, retailers are beginning to take action in order to preserve their reputations, shift the blame onto the manufacturers and ensure that people are confident in carrying out safe shopping online for other gadgets, in the knowledge that a refund is always an option.

The fact that Amazon’s decision to offer reimbursement for customers who ordered hoverboards in recent weeks is significant because it seems to apply to all gadgets of this type. And while industry insiders have already said that it is only the budget hoverboards that are at risk, this approach could well tar their higher end counterparts with the same brush.

When placing any online order it is important to check up on the returns policy operated by a given retailer. And in the UK, there are a number of rights and protections afforded to consumers which ensure that they can get their money back if a product is found to be faulty or downright dangerous.

With more products being endowed with rechargeable batteries at the moment, fire risks like this could persist at the more affordable end of the spectrum.