Day: January 27, 2016

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Report: Fully 88% Of Hoverboards Sold This Christmas Are Dangerous and Defective

Ever since “Back to the Future Part II” hit theaters in 1989 with its campy depiction of 2015, Americans have been obsessed with hoverboards. So it’s fitting that during Christmas 2015 “hoverboards” were the number three top search on Google for toys, although these so-called hoverboards don’t quite live up to the name.

Although they most definitely have wheels — that most definitely do not hover off the ground — these futuristic devices became a trending item in 2015. They operate like a Segway scooter but resemble a large skateboard, and the boards became an overnight sensation.

Unfortunately, a number of Chinese manufacturers in Shenzhen capitalize on trends like this by quickly pumping out bargain versions of consumer products, only without the regulations, standards, and oversight that Western consumers take for granted. Already, Shenzhen manufacturers have shipped millions of hoverboards, including 400,000 in October ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Some of these hoverboards ignite when overheated, posing a serious risk to their owners. Airlines banned the products from their planes, Amazon and other retailers restricted sales, and regulatory bodies in the U.S. and U.K. are sounding the alarm.

In December, the U.K. National Trading Standards service reported that fully 88% of the 17,000 hoverboards assessed at U.K. border crossings were deemed unsafe and detained.

According to a statement from the regulatory agency, “Officers from National Trading Standards Safety at Ports and Borders Teams and trading standards services in Scotland have detained the boards — a ‘must-have’ on Christmas lists this year — due to a range of concerns, such as safety issues with the plug, cabling, charger, battery or the [thermal cutoff switch] within the board, which often fails. Many of the items detained and sent for testing have been found to have noncompliant plugs without fuses, which increases the risk of the device overheating, exploding or catching fire.”

Thermal cutoff fuses are a single-use device designed to automatically cut off electrical flow in the event of overheating, and they’re required by regulators in countries around the world.

And according to Quartz.com, “Hundreds of makeshift entrepreneurs, many of whom have no engineering or technology expertise, are doing deals with white-label Chinese manufacturers to make hoverboards. They then re-sell them using names like Phunkeeduck, Swagway, Fiturbo, Hover Booster, Galaxy Board, and Cyboard.”

That means many of the hoverboards sold in U.S. stores or bought online were designed with faulty or counterfeit thermal cutoff fuses.

“All the hoverboards in the US are sold by importers, who barely even know the factories they are buying it from,” Andrew “Bunnie” Huang, a hardware analyst in Singapore, told Quartz in December. “In a hyper-competitive market that’s driven by a fad, taking six months to do a comprehensive testing program for safety means you’re missing out on a lot of business.”

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Clothes donations Clothing donation pickup Red cross pickup

Helping Your Community With Your Used Clothing

Clothes donations

Every parent knows the frustration of how quickly their kids tend to grow out of their clothing. It seems as if every other week, your kids are growing out of their shirts, sweaters, shoes or pants. You have to run to the store, getting them more clothing; and spending more money, only to have them grow out of those items just as quickly. It is frustrating, but what about those parents who cannot afford to continuously purchase new clothing items for their ever growing kids? That?s where great places, various charities come in to donate clothes to these children. These charities rely solely on the donations of clothing from others, to provide these necessities to in-need families.

Americans consume nearly 20 billion garments a year. That?s 68 garments and 7 pairs of shoes per person or more than one piece of clothing purchases per week! An even greater statistic is the fact that according to the EPA; American?s throw away an average of 10 pounds of clothes per person per year. Those discarded clothing items could be recycled and provided to families and children in need. A small 3% of American income is given to charities each year. This small amount could be increased by simply donate clothing to the charities that are providing to the homeless or those in need.

The process to donate clothes has only become easier over the years. Many of the charities have set up the process to ensure it is quick and easy, hopefully encouraging clothes donations. Many charities have an actual clothing donation center. This is a physical location, where you can easily drop your clothing items off. This might also be a place that those in need can go to for help. They can often either purchase clothing for very cheap, or they can receive free clothing, if needed. Additionally, there are also clothing donation pickup centers available. These are services that some of the larger charities can offer for convenience. They will send a truck to pick up the clothing items or any additional items that you wish to donate to charity. The process is extremely easy, with the workers doing all of the hard work for you. Finally, many charities have drop off points or boxes located throughout the city, allowing you to drop your donated clothing items off while getting your gas or grocery shopping.

Donating your used and unwanted clothing items to charities has many advantages. When you donate clothes to Red Cross or other places, you are helping in more ways than one. You are providing those in need with clothing that they might not otherwise be able to afford. You are also providing a type of income to provide other needed items. When you donate clothes, you are helping out your community in many ways.