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Following the U.S. government's declaration that hoverboards currently being sold are unsafe, Swagway, one of the most high profile hoverboard brands, is telling consumers to stop using its device.
"In complying with the CPSC's requirements, we ask customers who have purchased a Swagway to refrain from using their boards in the interim," a Swagway spokesperson told Mashable on Saturday.
Although the advisory from Swagway doesn't constitute an official recall of the product (something the CPSC is urging all hoverboard manufacturers to consider), the stunning move on Swagway's part is a major step toward acknowledging the U.S. government's safety concerns. Although, at this point, the company has not offered any details on possible refunds to customers who purchased the device.
"We will issue a recall if necessary, as soon as we fully understand the exact specifics that need to be addressed according to the CPSC requirements and will offer a remedy for our customers accordingly," says Swagway's spokesperson.
Friday's news that all hoverboards now on the market are deemed unsafe by the federal government took many by surprise, despite the rash of fire incidents linked to a number of hoverboards. In most of those incidents, the specific brand of the exploding hoverboard was unclear. However, at least one incident in New York was linked to a Swagway by Michael Brown in Chappaqua, who filed a class action lawsuit against the company after his device burst into flames soon after charging.
The status of that particular lawsuit is unclear, but with the CPSC's official safety notice now a matter of public record, it's possible that other hoverboard manufacturers and retailers could find themselves the target of legal actions by unhappy hoverboard customers.
At present, there are no official sales numbers for hoverboards in the U.S. (there are simply too many brands that aren't being tracked). But the product was one of the most popular electronic devices this past Christmas shopping season.
The hoverboard involved in the Chappaqua incident.
As for Swagway, when directly asked if it planned to order a recall of the device, the company's response referenced Swagways "in transit" rather than the devices that have already been sold.
"We believe our products in transit exceed the new safety standard and are confident that we've addressed any safety concerns as expressed by the CPSC," says Swagway's spokesperson. Nevertheless, until the company receives official safety certification from UL, as advised by the CPSC, it doesn't matter what claims Swagway makes with regard to safety. When and if that happens, the change would be notable. In January, UL singled out Swagway as one of the companies using counterfeit UL marks on its products.
Hours after the news about the CPSC's safety enforcement broke nationally on Friday, Swagway was still sending messages on social media touting its products. And, as of this writing, the company's Facebook and Twitter feeds include no advisory regarding the use of its products, which may be confusing to some customers.
Thanks for the love @bold_commerce !! We're happy to see our wheels at work in your office!!… https://t.co/yoCdfG0Lrg
— Swagway (@SwagWayUSA) February 19, 2016
Despite that, for now, Swagway's stance is pretty clear: If you own a Swagway, the company is asking you to stop using it.
"Once we receive feedback on our application to the new safety standards," says Swagway, "we will at that time be able to provide more direction at that time."
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