CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Better Business Bureau said an internet scam is hovering around and costing consumers hundreds of dollars.
The BBB serving Northern Indiana is warning Hoosier shoppers, as well as anyone else, to use caution when purchasing from a Wisconsin hoverboard company, as poor product quality and unresponsive customer service have led Wisconsin BBB to issue a warning to online shoppers about Hoverboards.com.
According to the BBB, many customers who order the boards never get them, and those that do, often get ones that don't work and are expensive to ship back to the business. Most of the complainants lost between $150-$200.
"And that's what this is, it's stealing people's money," said Nichole Thomas, Communications Director, Better Business Bureau serving Northern Indiana. "In the course of the coronavirus, we are all doing online shopping, so $250 may not seem like a lot, but when you have thousands of customers who have lost that $200 that means the scammers are the ones that are banking."
To be exact, the company, which uses a UPS Store located in Appleton, Wis. as an address, has received 29 complaints since February 2018, including 15 since the beginning of 2019. The BBB has not received a response from the company to most of those complaints, which has resulted in an F rating, the lowest on BBB’s scale. In addition, the BBB has received seven negative customer reviews.
Several complaints have come from Illinois and Indiana, and Thomas said 40 other states have also made complaints.
"Any company can have a website that looks, you know, legitimate, so do your research," Thomas said.
Additionally, the company has not responded to two requests by the BBB to substantiate the claims found on its website that it’s the “#1 Awarded Hoverboard for Safety and Reliability" and "largest UL2272 Certified Hoverboard retailer." Reputable companies should be able to substantiate advertised certifications and superlative claims, but Hoverboards.com did not.
The company also did not respond to BBB’s request in October 2018 to address a pattern of complaints from consumers, who said that Hoverboards.com has been unresponsive to their concerns and that shipping fees are very high. In addition, it has not responded to BBB requests for basic, general information.
To file a BBB complaint against Hoverboards.com, go to www.bbb.org/complaints.