Are hoverboards a thing of the past?

I remember back in 1989 when I went to the local cinema with my school friends to watch the film “Back to the Future (Part II)”.  For those that remember the film they will recall that Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) was transported to the year 2015 and was using a “levitating Hoverboard” to escape the grasp of the “bad” guys in the film. 

It seems uncanny that now we have actually reached the year 2015 the most “must have” Christmas present is a Hoverboard, albeit not of the levitating kind.

Unfortunately, over the last few days it has been reported that some of the many thousands of Hoverboards sold are unsafe.  It has been suggested that certain models have the ability to catch fire whilst on charge causing significant damage and/or personal injury.  A number of retailers have decided to withdraw the products from sale and consumers are now left with a decision on what their options are. 

As a consumer lawyer with children with hoverboards on their Christmas lists, I’ve been thinking about the options when they turn out to be faulty.

First of all, don’t panic.  If you can prove that the product you purchased is not of satisfactory quality there should be a solution in you obtaining a refund if you bought the product from a retailer.   You may have unhappy children but their safety and that of your home must come first.

• If you have purchased a product over the internet then you will be able to return the items within 14 days of delivery of the goods and obtain a full refund.
• If you purchased the product after the 1st October 2015 then you will be able to obtain a full refund of the goods if you can prove they are not of satisfactory quality within 30 days of receiving them.
• If 30 days have expired then you may lose the right to reject but be entitled to a repair or replacement.  If, however, the product is not repairable or irreplaceable, for example, by reason of a product recall then you should be entitled to a full refund.
• If you have bought goods, (Over £100 but less than £30,000) using even a deposit on a credit card then you may also have a “like claim” against the credit card company.  If you are having difficulty with the retailer then you should contact your credit card provider to ask them for a refund under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1975.

These are just a few actions that you can take as a consumer in these situations.  If you feel that you have a faulty product and are having difficulty obtaining a satisfactory response from the retailer or supplier of the goods you should not hesitate to contact our dispute resolution team at Stephensons. 

These are just a few actions you can take. If you feel that you have a faulty product and are having difficulty obtaining a satisfactory response from the retailer or supplier of the goods you should not hesitate to contact our dispute resolution team at Stephensons on 01616 966 229.