Why Hoverboard Self Balance Scooter Warranties Are Pointless

 Hoverboard Warranties Are Pointless

It seems one of the most common questions people have about their hoverboard purchase is about a warranty.

Hoverboards are tons of fun, but there's no denying the materials and craftsmanship are typically spotty at best. Typically consumers are used to getting a quality tested product when they shell out between $300 and $600 for an electronic item. Some shops are even charging upwards of $1500 for a Self Balancing Scooter. Though quality and materials do vary a bit, essentially these are a newer technology and not of high quality.

Many people may trust brand names, however the consensus seems to be that all of these boards are pretty much the same. Anyone who's willing to buy enough Hoverboards can have any name they want printed on a board. If you want to buy 500 scooters you can call yours the Vroom Vroom scooter but that doesn't mean it's a quality scooter.

Back to the warranties. First off I'm always hesitant of warranties from years of cell phone and computer companies trying to blame issues on water or user abuse and never covering anything anyhow. Often times when you purchase on Ali Express or Alibaba you will be given a 1 year warranty. I can't speak of how easy the warranty process is to deal with, however what we do know from listings is that you the buyer are responsible for shipping the board back to China. That will probably cost you $100 on the low end, more likely $150 as this item is both heavy and bulky. You are also responsible for the shipping of the fixed or new board back to you. You could essentially buy a new hoverboard for what the shipping alone will cost you even if the warranty is honored smoothly.

Many re-sellers of hoverboards in the USA offer warranties, hover typically the prices of those boards range from $450 to $600. Many shops also offer a warranty for an additional $150 or so. Should you buy a board from a shop like that you've essentially paid $600 - $750 or more for a board. You basically bought yourself a replacement board upfront.

If you check out the "MiniSegway" Subreddit, Youtube Videos, or other forums, you'll see that a variety of issues are found on everything from the cheap $200 Alibaba scooters to the $1500 expensive brand name scooters.

AliExpress.com Product - Samsung Battery 2 Wheel Balance Electric Scooter 10" inch,Standing Drift Board,Mini Smart Swegway electric Hoverboard Skateboard

For this reason my buying strategy would be quit worrying about warranties and just find the best price. If you're buying your scooter for $200, you can affford to buy 3 of them for the $600 you'll wind up paying just to get a brand name board with a warranty and who knows you may wind up lucking out and getting an awesome long lasting board anyhow. But at the very least, should you run into issues at least your not into the board for the price of a used car.

One other thing I should add. eBay or Amazon may be the safest places out there to buy. Prices are reasonable, shipping time may be a bit slower, but eBay and Amazon have very strong buyer protection programs which assure the seller will be forced to do right by you in the case of a damaged board. That's probably the strongest warranty you can get when purchasing a Hoverboard Self Balancing Scooter.