Bought too fast electric scooter - report shop to ARN

He describes it as an impulse purchase. Actually, he was just going to look around in Netonnet's store in Gothenburg when he saw that there was a good price on electric scooters and decided to take the plunge.

- It was not the cheapest, but not the most expensive. I, who have no further knowledge of battery strength or motors, chose the model that had dampers both rear and front. It looked a bit robust, he says.

After using the electric scooter all summer at home in Stenungsund, he read in the local press that too fast or powerful electric scooters can lead to expensive fines. He quickly checked his own scooter - and realized it was illegal.

For an electric scooter to be driven in public traffic, it must go at a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour or have a motor with a maximum power of 250 watts. The model that Thomas Carlander had bought goes for 25 kilometers and has a motor power of 400 watts.

This means that it may only be used in a fenced area.

- I have tried to think what it could be. An industrial zone maybe, but they also have speed limits. A track of some kind? A farm? But they don't work very well off-road. They are built for city traffic.

He tried to cancel the purchase at the electronics chain but was refused. Then he turned to the General Claims Board, ARN, which the ST newspaper was the first to report.

- I think I should have been informed about the restrictions in connection with the purchase. I understand that it is not illegal to sell them but they should be clear about where you can use it.

Don't you have your own responsibility to check the current regulations?

- To a certain extent, I think so. But the seller also has an obligation to provide information according to the Consumer Purchase Act. If an electric scooter is sold in a shop in Sweden, I think it should be legal to ride on the street. If it doesn't work, where else should I run it?

DN has found three more reports to ARN from owners of electric scooters that they cannot use in traffic. This is one purchase in a physical store and two purchases via websites. In one case, the complainant highlights that the company had marketed the vehicle as "a green commuting alternative for city traffic".

Niklas Strand, investigator at the Swedish Transport Agency, thinks it is problematic.

- Many dealers link to our rules, but at the same time emphasize the range and that the vehicles can be used for commuting. If a vehicle may not be used in public traffic, this must be stated. To then give the consumer the impression that the vehicle can be used for commuting I think is deeply unethical. The trade needs to take responsibility here, he says.

Jonathan Rabenius, lawyer at the Swedish Consumer Agency, says that a company must generally provide the information that the consumer needs to make a well-founded business decision. Otherwise, it can be seen as misleading marketing.

- We do not comment on individual cases, but when it comes to electric scooters, information about which rules apply to driving the vehicle in traffic, or whether the electric scooter can be used on public roads at all, may be information that the consumer needs.

Netonnet, which Thomas Carlander has reported to ARN, answers DN's questions via email. Caroline Folkesson, communications manager at the company, writes that she understands the customer's disappointment.

"We cannot retrospectively determine exactly what verbal information was provided at the time of purchase. The maximum speed was stated in the product information and packaging, but we are aware that this is not the same as explaining where the product may be used. We welcome the guidance that ARN's trial can provide," the email states.

The company has stopped taking in electric scooters that are not approved for traffic.

All four cases at ARN are still being processed.