Voluntary Safety Recall of Fitbit Ionic Smartwatches

[FitbitCommunity]

Fitbit, in conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), announced a voluntary recall of Fitbit Ionic smartwatches, which the company introduced in 2017 and stopped producing in 2020. The battery in the Ionic smartwatch can overheat, posing a burn hazard.

The health and safety of Fitbit users is our highest priority. We are taking this action out of an abundance of caution for our users. We will offer a refund to Fitbit Ionic customers.

This voluntary recall is specific to Fitbit Ionic devices. It does not impact any other Fitbit smartwatches or trackers.

If you have an impacted Fitbit Ionic device, please stop using it and visit our webpage where you’ll find:

• Answers to common questions
• Information on how to receive a refund 
• Access to a special discount on select Fitbit devices, bands, and services, if available in your region, for a limited time.

[SunriseRun453]

 I done the refund process but did not see a return address do they supply the packaging do they send you the packaging that we supply the packaging I reckon this is going to be a nightmare this process

[Janpy436]

Same here. Chat support said issue is known and to keep trying 🙄🥱

[Clownekid]

I have contacted you many times and still waiting for a reply, I have got a reference number but it won’t verify. Can you please reply please.

[Mansoor721]

I can not select the country, it is not in the list of countries in Saudi Arabia. Is there an e-mail or direct chat?

[Derris_Dust]

Call me old fashioned... But, would it not be easier for Fitbit to offer the choice of immediate credit to your account??? It may well sound like a bonkers idea. But, if they are going to shut down my device immediately. Then they should give you an immediate opinion of replacement.

For me, 6 weeks is totally unacceptable, when you are going to render my device null straight away. I am entered in runs over the next few weeks and now I have no tracking device!!! I know I would not be the only one in this position.

Seriously, Fitbit! How hard would it have been to say to me in the recall process? Pick what you want, to the value of "????" from the store or wait 6 weeks for the refund?

Please resolve this ASAP - I have been sat on the phone trying to call the contact number and getting nowhere. I have a run this Sunday, please do something about this.

[RodrigoMFitbit]

Hello everybody!

To learn more about the Ionic recall and how to get your refund, visit our webpage at help.fitbit.com/ionic, where you’ll find:

• Answers to common questions
• Information on how to receive a refund 
• Access to a special discount on select Fitbit devices, bands, and services, if available in your region, for a limited time. 

Your safety is always our top priority, and we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution. Thank you for your continued support and being a member of the Fitbit family.

Have a nice day!

[pizzacheeks]

In the US they mail you a return kit. It is coming via UPS and mine is supposed to be here on Tuesday.

[Balboaa]

nan, the recalling page don't work when we key in the reference number

[SunriseRun453]

You will get some **ahem**ing mutt who can't speak proper English... I spent 20
minutes on the phone she had not idea of her job... She'd just say...
"hmmmm ok"
I got no where, I just wanted to know if they send prepaid packaging or if
I buy my own... Couldn't even tell me that and that pissed me off

Nathan Ross

[Derris_Dust]

This is horse **ahem**! I have done the right thing and followed the recall process set in place. However, now I do not have a tracking device for my run that I entered tomorrow and another run next week.

 
Call me old fashioned... But, would it not have been easier to credit the users' account and then give them access to the discount store, so that they could make a purchase immediately. Because if you choose to shut off the customer's device immediately, you should provide an immediate opinion to replace it! 

SIX WEEKS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! Plus, I have, no idea how much the refund will be in the UK! So, giving me a one-hit only discount code doesn't sit well at all, when I don't know what I am getting back to start with!

I have been sitting on the phone for ages and got nowhere. I now have NO TRACKER and NO OPTION TO REPLACE!

Come on Fitbit - sort this out!

[Balboaa]

For the ionic call, after registration, reference number don't work

what can we do?

[Stefan8923]

@Derris_Dust it is horse **ahem**. Some people are waiting days just to be able to enter the first code. Iv been waiting over 12 hours now. Its a disgrace!! And that clown @RodrigoMFitbit keeps sending the same generic message that is on the website and helps nobody. And the infuriating part is that it says "have a nice day" at the end of it. Absolute cabbages of the highest order.. the height of incompetance!!🤮😣😡

[Nitch]

I have had problems all day with this. I went back to the verification page  and suddenly got the email with the 2 codes required. My friend is having same issues but unfortunately on this page it is saying code already used 😡 It’s been a complete nightmare. I am just glad I have got this far.

[SunriseRun453]

Can someone please tell me do we send the item back for a refund? if so do they send a prepaid package? What is the address? The dumb mutt on the phone couldn't even answer these questions. 

[dvpatel]

---

@SunriseRun453 wrote:

Can someone please tell me do we send the item back for a refund? if so do they send a prepaid package? What is the address? The dumb mutt on the phone couldn't even answer these questions. 

---

So far, from what I have gathered, if you are in the US, then and then only you need to resend. They will send you a package in which you put the device and send it back. If you are NOT in the US, people have been saying you do not need to send in the device and that once the device is successfully deactivated, you are all set.

My email (I am in the US) says the following:

---

You successfully registered through the Fitbit Ionic Recall website. Save the reference number above so that we can help you more quickly.

We’ll send your return kit with instructions within the next 5 business days. After we receive your device and process the return, we’ll send your refund through the method you selected.

---

Instead of trying to deal with the mutts and these moderators who aren't even reading anything and just posting the same crap repeatedly and making things worse actually, just go over your email(s) and see what they say your next steps are.

That is, IF you were the lucky ones to get a **ahem** email to begin with.

Amazing to see a company which is worldwide, be in such a mess, each country has different things and they are providing difference experiences to everyone and one poor guy from South Africa can't even register while some in Europe only get a PayPal option. Colossal mess I tell you.

Good luck to everyone in this crap chute of a mess.

[MiikeB]

Very aware of the recall thanks - the only way to register for the recall is to reconnect your Ionic to your profile, which is why people are trying and hitting problems.  Now 3 days waiting for the promised response from Fitbit after an hour on chat with one of their people.

[Stefan8923]

@YojanaFitbit this is shameful and a disgrace for a company the size of fitbit..i want a fullrefund and i will not be purchasing anything from fitbit. Why can i not enter the verificstion code after almost 12 hours. How do i get a full refund

[TomDuke]

@SunriseRun453- From my experience and reading the numerous comments here from all over the world the answer to your question depends on where you reside.  If you live in the US according to the email I received you will be sent a 'return kit' within 5 business days of registering your Ionic for a refund.  As a couple of others here have noted their's is on the way via UPS; mine is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, 8 May.

  If you are an overseas user then it looks like you do NOT have to return the Ionic but agree to stop using it and allow Fitbit to disable the device from synching with your app and dispose of it responsibly.  For those of us sending the Ionic back to Fitbit it is supposed to take 3-6 weeks for them to receive the watch back and process your refund via PayPal or a prepaid Mastercard debit card.

Given that Fitbit has sold well over a million Ionic's it is not surprising that the website is overwhelmed with traffic which is most likely the cause of many of the complaints listed in this thread.  I was fortunate enough to read about the recall early on Tuesday, 1 May and begin the process of registering the three Ionic's I own for refund and the discount.  I had the same problems folks are having now but later in the afternoon the surge of users on the website diminished enough that I was successful.  I ordered from the Fitbit discount site on the 3rd of May and my package with new Fitbit watch is supposed to arrive tomorrow 6n May, via FedEx.  In the meantime my active Ionic continues to work as it always has. 

I suspect that over time as more and more users are finally able to complete the process it will become easier as demand dies down.  Good luck everyone.

[Stefan8923]

@slhaunz i am in the same situation..can u let me know/if when u get sorted please?

[pizzacheeks]

Read this post

People are asking the same questions over and over again, TOP TIP! Read back through the threads, many of your questions are answered already. See below for my experience which I hope will answer a few questions. See the end for an addition from someone else as well. Good luck! 

@TammyLynn_17 wrote:

Hope this helps someone....
My experience so far, from the UK…The Update

The Fitbit website, system and people are all overloaded at the moment. I've had no success with the online chatbox at all. I did get some decent help calling their special phone line. Numbers found on the FAQ page about the Ionic Recal. I talked to a person named David in South America who actually knew what he was talking about and where to find the answers to my questions. Very helpful.

I think some of this information might depend on your location in the world. I'm in the UK, England. I'm supposed to have a refund on the way. I was also sent special links and codes for the 40% off replacement + extra band. 

Tips and info:

The Refund as far as I can tell is the same for everyone. $299 USD. For me in the UK that will be about £225-ish GBP. It can take 3 to 6 weeks to arrive. For me, in the UK the choice was via PayPal or a prepaid Mastercard. (They will not need or ask for your bank details, it’s a prepaid Mastercard which can be used anywhere they accept Mastercard)

The 40% off discount access code to the special discounts shop only works once. So be ready to buy when you go in. Everything in the main store is not in the discount store. The top three smartwatches that are similar to the Ionic are in the discount shop. Including the newish ‘Sense’. The more expensive watch bands are not included.

There is an extra step for getting the discount codes, it's in an email. The subject for mine was: [Fitbit Ionic Recall Account Verification- Reference xxxxxxxxxxx.] In the email, it says 'Click here for Fitbit Discount'. The discount codes came in an email with the subject:[: Fitbit Discount.] Remember codes only work once! Even if you don't buy anything. So be prepared to buy when you enter.

The Fitbit websites are overloaded with requests and it may take some time for your codes to come through. Check your spam box for missing emails.

Once you start the process of giving up your Ionic (which is advised you to do for safety reasons) and filling out the forms to get your refund and discount codes, Fitbit will disconnect your Ionic from the app and it will no longer collect or send information to your app. NOTE: Your Ionic needs to be connected to your app for any of this to take place. If you can’t do this you need to contact them directly.

At first glance, it looks like you lose all your collected data in your Fitbit app when your Ionic is disconnected. (If that’s your current Fitbit.) That’s what I thought. But when I looked at my account online on my computer I see that all my data is still there.

I ordered the Fitbit Sense at 40% off and an extra free band yesterday (Thursday), it's on the way today (Friday). Expect to receive it sometime next week. I did not take advantage of the free year trial of the advanced Fitbit App.

From my understanding, the affected Fitbit Ionic watches have the code [FB503] stamped/engraved on the back.

I used my computer for all of the above, not my phone. I've heard that others who were having problems trying to do all this on their phone switched to their desktop and all was well. Good Luck!

For more help with refunds see below:

@pizzacheeks wrote:

Reposting the direct links

https://www.fitbitionic.expertinquiry.com/  For the Refund use first

https://myhelp.fitbit.com/s/devicediscount To Activate the discount codes by reference # in first email "Fitbit Ionic Recall Registration – Reference<Number>"
Check Spam and be patient as they are overloaded.

P.S.  Fitbit is not a payment compnay so they nothing to credit to on your account.