Hoverboards Under Attack

Multiple UK retailers have asked customers to throw out their hoverboards, the self-balancing scooters that have clambered onto holiday wish lists this season, due to suspected safety issues with the devices. The retailers and the UK's Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) have said the UK hoverboards were deemed unsafe due to a noncompliant plug for electrical outlets and other parts. This comes at the same time that thousands of these items have been halted at the UK border due to the government's safety concerns.

Hoverboards seem to be one of the most popular "toys" of the 2015 holiday season, and customer interest is likely to last for a while longer. Hoverboards are wheeled devices that a user can balance on and move and control by leaning. The idea was widely shared in the 1989 film Back to the Future II, although the idea may have been around for longer, and at least one popular and similar product has been on the market since December 2001. For a futuristic-sounding device, hoverboards aren't that complex. Many are built with readily sourced components such as electric motors and lithium-ion batteries, as well as gyroscopes that are contained in most smartphones. The devices let riders accelerate or turn by leaning, and some models can move at speeds up to 10 miles an hour. While most cost between $300 and $600, some cost as much as $1,500.

This rise in popularity has caused an influx of less expensive variations of the device to enter the marketplace. Along with the quick rise in popularity of this device has come increased scrutiny over their safety, and in particular the safety hazards associated with the device's lithium-ion battery.

This has raised more safety concerns after reports that some have caught fire. The reported fires have been linked to overheating of the boards' lithium-ion batteries. In our experience, an overheating lithium-ion battery can be attributable to outside factors not associated with the manufacture or design of the battery, but rather improper handling by the user.

In an email to UK customers, an online consumer retailer stated that it has begun to process refunds for specific affected devices on behalf of customers. If a customer purchased a hoverboard as a gift for someone, the online consumer retailer asked the customer to notify the recipient.

This retailer also sent out a second email to its customers who purchased hoverboards that have not had a safety problem, looking to provide some...