Bad news to hoverboard lovers who are still planning to buy one!
Amazon has announced that it will be controlling the selling hoverboards due to security issues. The electronic commerce company has released a notice last Friday stating that sellers of the self-balancing scooters are now required to provide documents showing that their products are safe for public use before they are allowed to post their items.
Some hoverboard products have disappeared from the site which will give customers a hard time finding one on the site. The move taken by Amazon was a result of the flaw in the hoverboards' battery and charger. Recent reports have shown that the device's battery and charger may overheat which can cause fire.
Sellers are being required for proof that their items have passed the safety standards before they can sell on the site. Airlines have banned the carrying of hoverboard due to the risks associated with it. US airlines like Southwest, American, United and Delta have restricted passengers from carrying hoverboards on the plane as a precautionary measure.
On Amazon, the hoverboard brand Swagway is no longer on the site but other brands like Jetson, Razor, PhunkeeDuck and IO Hawk are still on the e-commerce site.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has revealed that they have been receiving at least 10 cases of fire associated with hoverboards which caught their attention. Hoverboard is one of the most popular and widely used toy today. With its popularity, authorities are concerned for the safety of the users.
The agency is now investigating on hoverboards to secure the safety of the users especially this holiday season when many are asking for the said self-balancing scooters.
The spokeswoman of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Patty Davis has stated the concerns of the agency regarding the issue.
"We consider this a priority investigation. This is a popular holiday item and it's going to be in a lot of consumers' homes, and we'd like to quickly get to the bottom of why some hoverboards catch fire," Davis stated.