Misleading advertising of 6 month free premium membership

[JohannWen]

I got my new Fitbit Charge 5 to-day and was charged for a 12-month Premium membership when I attempted to activate the heavily advertised 6-month free Premium membership, so I am not a happy returning fitbit customer.

I did contact fitbit support before I activated the "free" membership as I  was concerned when the registration process  asked me for card detail, but was assured that this is just a formality for future reference and that I can cancel the subscription at anytime in the 6-month free period.

However, the money was taken out of my bank account in quick time!

I contacted support again and was told in no uncertainterms:

1.  That a refund is not possible!

2. That I had a previous free 6- month subscription and therefore not entitled to a new free subscription.

That is even though I bought a new Charge 5 from CurthatUK that confirmed that all new Fitbit Charge 5 trackers come with a free 6-month Premium Membership.

No where was it mentioned that this dies not apply if one has had a previous membership.

[EstuardoFitbit]

Hi there, @JohannWen. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums.

I've seen you contacted our Support Team after posting here and they've already assisted you. If you still need help or have any questions/concerns regarding the outcome of your case, please feel free to contact our team back for further assistance.

[JohannWen]

Thanks for getting back to me.

Unfortunately, my issue was not resolved as I did not get the 6-month free Premium subscription as advertised by both Fitbit and the UK supplier Currys.

I love my Fitbit Charge 5 and has had a number of Fitbits, prior to my current one, and that seems to be the problem. Returning customers don't qualify for the free 6-month membership!

Poor show, but I have hit a brick wall.

[SaintSinnerman]

Can confirm this also affects (Android) users in the US. Despite the app clearly saying the 6-month subscription included in the cost of the device is valid for both new and returning subscribers. Google support is unable to fix it. We will see if a refund can be issued but this is blatantly false advertising and incredibly stupid as it will deteriorate faith in both Fitbit and the app store that the user uses.

(I cannot include a screenshot so here is the text that comes up when you activate premium membership with a charge 5, Note the first sentence and the last )
- Your Charge 5 comes with a 6-month Fitbit Premium membership
- Daily Readiness to optimize workouts
- Sleep Profile to track sleep habits.
- Stress management analytics
- 45+ mindfulness sessions
- ✔ See all Premium features
Select a plan to start your membership. After the membership period ends, you will be charged unless you cancel. Offer valid for new and returning Premium users only.

Note as you are in the UK, you might want to file a complaint with trading standards for dishonest trading practices as everything about the "offer" suggests it's not limited if you have gotten a prepaid subscription in the past (anytime a subscription is included with the purchase price, Ii is considered pre-paid. It is NOT called a trial subscription anywhere in the documentation notice which makes this very much unfair trading practices in the UK.) See https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/ for instructions on how to report this sort of behavior to trading standards in the UK

Moderator Edit: Merge replies 

[EstuardoFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi @JohannWen, and thanks for letting me know that the resolution wasn't good for you. Also thanks @SaintSinnerman, for all your recommendations, let me tell you that I merged your post in a single one, just to keep the community organized I hope you understand. 

So, @JohannWen, I decided to do a thorough review of your case and I think there is something else we can do for you. With this in mind, I am going to send a request to our team to contact you as soon as possible to provide you with a proper solution. Please keep an eye on your inbox for our reply. 

[JohannWen]

There is just no end to my frustration with Fitbit help desk.

Numerous emails and screenshots later and I had the below reply:

"Thank you very much for writing us back. It will be a pleasure to help you further.

Please, be informed that you can use the 6 month free Premium, if your Charge 5 is purchased directly from Fitbit."

Johann Wentzel

[EstuardoFitbit]

Hi @JohannWen, I'm sorry to hear that you're not satisfied with the resolutions. They should provide you with a suitable resolution, and the difficulties so far may be due to a misunderstanding or lack of information. I would like to ask for your patience and hope we can get you back on track as soon as possible. Please keep a conversation with them to figure out this problem.