BBB Wisconsin: Complaints Continue to Pour in Against Hoverboards.com

Milwaukee, Wis. – BBB Serving Wisconsin is issuing its second warning in twelve months about online company Hoverboards.com using an Appleton address. The first press release was sent out on August 2, 2019.

To date, nearly 300 complaints have been received from consumers in nearly every state across the country since our file opened in February, 2018. Of those, six dozen have been received since early August and are still pending. Most complaints allege poor product quality, non-delivery of products, products delivered damaged, false advertising, and no response from customer service.

In addition, complainants allege that the company’s products are defective, the products are expensive to ship back to the business, overall dissatisfaction with the product, and the business is unresponsive to customers’ communications. Most of the complainants paid between $150-$200 per hoverboard and, to date, the dollar amount lost or in dispute is nearly $50,000.

BBB Serving Wisconsin has also received more than three dozen negative customer reviews.

The company uses a UPS store located in Appleton, Wis. as an address. The BBB has not received a response from the company to most of the complaints, which has resulted in an F rating, the BBB’s lowest rating.

“The complaints that our office continues to receive point to a significant and ongoing pattern of problems with Hoverboards.com, and this being our second warning clearly indicates our growing concern”, says Jim Temmer, CEO/president of the BBB serving Wisconsin.

While pictures and prices may be tempting and shopping online is certainly convenient, BBB always encourages consumers to check on a company before doing business, to get an idea about the company, any complaints, and how likely it is to interact with its customers.

A Wisconsin complainant writes, “I ordered a hoverboard and never received it. They do not return messages or phone calls. This was ordered and paid for in early July. Their website claims it ships the same day, which apparently is a lie. I want the product I paid for and a refund for all the stress this has caused! This is a gift for my 7-year old grandson and I can’t afford another one. He had nothing to open for his special day. Someone has to care about that!”

A complainant in Nebraska says, “I placed an order two weeks ago. We were very careful in selecting a product that was ‘in stock.’ The promise of fast four-day delivery and a 90-day warranty put my mind at ease ordering online. Money was immediately withdrawn from my account, but still nothing. My son is devastated and I am out $159. This just isn’t right.”

Hoverboards.com has not responded to two previously challenged advertisement review requests by the BBB to substantiate superlative advertising claims found on its website. It also did not respond to BBB’s request in October 2018 to address a pattern of complaints from consumers, regarding it being unresponsive to their concerns and addressing high shipping fees. The self-balancing scooter company also did not respond to BBB requests for basic, general information nor telephone calls by BBB.

To file a BBB complaint against Hoverboards.com, go to www.bbb.org/complaints.

BBB offers these online shopping tips:

• Research before you buy. Check out a company’s profile first at bbb.org to see the company’s BBB rating, complaint history, customer reviews and more.
• Look for contact information. Search the company’s website for a physical address, phone number and email address so you’ll be able to reach the company later if there is a problem. If the website doesn’t have any contact information, you may want to choose a different company.
• Pay by credit card. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. If the product arrives defective, or doesn’t arrive at all, you can dispute the charge on your credit card and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor investigates them.
• Check out the terms of the deal, like refund policies and delivery dates. Can you return the item for a full refund if you’re not satisfied?  If you return it, who pays the shipping costs or restocking fees, and when you will get your order? A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule requires sellers to ship items as promised or within 30 days after the order date if no specific date is promised. Many sites offer tracking options, so you can see exactly where your purchase is and estimate when you’ll get it.
• Keep detailed records. Print or save records of your online transactions, including the product description and price, the online receipt, and the emails you send and receive from the seller. Read your credit card statements as you receive them; be on the lookout for charges that you don’t recognize.

For an online version of the story click here

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2019, people turned to BBB more than 183 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.8 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.