Online retailer Amazon has been reported to pull-out 'hoverboards' from its list of items, and has required sellers and manufacturers to provide documentation that their product is safe.
Best Reviews, a trusted provider of comprehensive product reviews, reported that Amazon has taken 'hoverboards' off their shelves and is now requiring all manufacturers and sellers to provide documentation that their product has undergone proper UL inspection procedures. UL, a global independent testing laboratory that tests consumer products for safety, certifies components of the product such as chargers and batteries, but not the product as a whole.
In a report by the Verge, a representative of Swagway, a major seller of 'hoverboards,' said that, "Amazon just 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)."
"Swagway already meets all those certifications and is happy that Amazon has decided to take steps to weed out the low quality boards. As safety is always on the forefront for Swagway, we're glad that this is taking place, especially in light of recent concerns with the fires [and] with the poor quality batteries," said the spokesperson for Swagway. "On that note, we're also in the process of working on measures, to help consumers identify between an authentic Swagway and the many imitation boards that are adding our branded logo to their unauthorized boards. Meanwhile, we ask that consumers only purchase from authorized retailers as an added precaution."
According to the report of Pix11, 'hoverboards' that were made by Razor and Jetson and other cheap models were not pulled-out from Amazon. At present, it is still unclear why these brands are still in the market.
The move of Amazon to make sure that all 'hoverboards' listed in their site are safe, comes after a series of unfortunate accidents involving 'hoverboards' which caused homes being burned down.
Realty Today formerly reported the case of an exploding 'hoverboard' that burned down a Lafitte home, leaving a family homeless during the holiday season.
Amazon is not the only online retailer to pull-out 'hoverboards' from their site. Overstock has announced earlier this week that it will be removing 'hoverboards' from their site immediately as a safety precaution.
Some airlines and cities also prohibit the use of 'hoverboards' due to its high fire-risk.