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.

[NormT]

Finally was able to register my ionic and received the return kit. Put the watch in the provided bag and then in the provided box and took it to the UPS drop off. The package is MIA and I have initiated a claim with UPS. When filing the claim I checked the 3rd party since I am not the actual sender Sedgwick is. Now apparently UPS claims is contacting Sedgwick and I am awaiting an update. This whole thing has been a clusterF***!

[DeanP477]

Hi,

Yes mind also came from the Netherlands but only took a few days to arrive.

I bought the new watch using the discount code myself and assume we will
be contacted at a later date for the refund between 3-6 weeks post
following the recall process.

Dean

[DaveN.]

@NormT Read the posts 6-8 before yours from myself and @TomDuke. He sent 3 U.P.S.returns; 2 received, 1 lost. I sent 2, both lost. And yours; 1 sent, 1 "lost". Seems as if U.P.S. is 4 for 6 in losing the return kits (.666%). It's almost like an Incompetence Contest between Fitbit and U.P.S.. I totally agree with "This whole thing has been a clusterF***!". 

[TomDuke]

@DaveN. - Up until this point, for me at least this recall process has worked as advertised.  That being said I found out about the recall the day it was announced and jumped on it and have not suffered the myriad of problems chronicled on this thread by so many users, especially our friends overseas.  I'm sure that much of the difficulty is the sheer volume of Ionic owners trying to access the website to get their device registered and take advantage of the 40% discount on a different Fitbit.

This issue resides squarely in the UPS court and is there's to fix.  It sounds like you had to call them; @NormT below also has had his return go missing and has already filed his claim with UPS.  I order a lot of stuff online and regardless of the carrier (USPS, UPS, FedEx) I have found that their tracking is frequently phenomenally wrong or at least a day or two behind where your package actually is in the system.  I've had packages get delivered that never even showed up on USPS Informed Delivery, UPS My Choice, and whatever FedEx calls their system.  Some packages stall out like this one and show no movement for days and suddenly show up which is why I'm prepared to wait a while longer to see what happens.  Good luck.

@NormT - Did you make your claim by phone or online?  Just curious as I hate calling UPS and having to go through their excruciatingly bad phone screening system and would prefer to do it online if that's possible.  It's hard to believe some people have to rely on these delivery companies for life preserving medications...yikes.

Moderator Edit: Merged Posts

[T_L]

My refund process is complete. I've been given a refund value but have to
wait 3-6 weeks . I've not looked at the discount options yet

[DaveN.]

@TomD and @NormT :I got notified by Amazon (seller) on Weds, March 2nd. I finally got "registered" after 10-12 hours of trying on March 3rd, received the return boxes on Weds, March 9th and returned them the same day. They were hit-and-miss after that: "Out for delivery" on Friday, March 11th and Saturday, the 12th. Then on Monday the 14th (and 15th) it was "delayed". That's when I contacted U.P.S. and began the claim process. One package confirmed "lost", the other being "investigated". Like you, I'm so glad I got an early start and was able to get new watches on their 40% off site before that inventory was picked over. I guess I should be happy that I'm this far and "Lost in Space"? lol@TomDuke

@TomDuke  I started on the U.P.S. tracking site. It said if not received in 24 hours to call them and I did. Rep researched, said it was evidently lost and sent an instruction email on how to file the claim, which I did. According to my notes of the 15th:

"Received call from UPS Collection Box 888-742-5877 @ 5:24am. Spoke to Angel. Angel sending information to file for investigation. Will receive response in 8 days, max. (Provided tracking info for both packages.)"

The delivery date will be provided as soon as possible.

Submitted 2 claims w/ UPS:

Your claim has been submitted.

Use the Claims Dashboard to view the details of your claim and track the status.

If a claim is opened, we will also alert the sender of your claim.

Moderator Edit: Merged Posts

[Brennasurfs]

It's £120 on discount page.

[TomDuke]

@DaveN. Thanks for sharing the details, now I'll know how to proceed if things don't go my way next week.  I hope you get this resolved and let the community know how things work out.

[NeilB1]

Thank you, that is 40% off the rrp, did you claim whilst the reduced price sale had started?

[T_L]

I just typed the number in rather than copy & paste and it worked just fine

[slipd]

Hi guys,

Have the refunds starting being pushed out yet?

I need to pay for my new Sense soon 😀

Thanks.

[Brennasurfs]

Yes I was in same boat. Nothing I can do about one discarded literally a
month before recall. Was registered on account!! Never mind.

[LLFUNWalking]

I agree.. i feel the same! I don't like how the other watches feel on my
wrist

[T_L]

Still waiting. In a bit of limbo at the moment. I've been told the first
two stages are completed so waiting for what happens next

[Mentor6508]

I purchased mine in the UK through John Lewis, but they will only give you
a credit note to spend in store, not a cash refund.

[SunsetRunner]

Did the same thing, said the Access Code had expired which there is no way that is possible when the offer lasts 90 days. I’m well within the first 30 days of 90. I’m in Australia :australia: 

[TomDuke]

3-6 weeks, you have at minimum another week at best to go if you processed your claim on day one. Chill.

[SunsetRunner]

Hey, just wondering. Registered for refund and received confirmation email on 14/03. When should I expect email from fitbit support quoting my discount code so I can buy a new device. It seems most people received it almost straight away but I'm still waiting after 5 days.Is this a common issue? Cheers.

[davidcmc58]

After one sends the Ionic back to Fitbit (~1 week), it would take another 3~6 weeks to get the $299 credit for a replacement (Fitbit Sense). Let's say it takes another week to receive the actual watch. The total time then will be between 5 to 8 weeks to put a Fitbit sense on your wrist. For those of us that are serious about wearing a Fitbit Ionic (top of the line at the time), the 8 week gap is simply not acceptable. When I called in to voice my complaint, the customer service person suggested that I use the 40% discount to buy one for the potential 8 weeks gap! My question to the Fitbit team is: How long does the $299 credit stay valid? I don't mind buying a sense with 40% discount for now, but surely would not want to spend the $299 credit on another Fitbit Sense in 8 weeks time. The rumors I read online suggest Fitbit might come up with a totally new "Google Watch" with a completely different OS by August. I would only participate with this "voluntary safety recall" if the $299 credit remains valid long enough such as until Dec. 31, 2022.

[Sybille54]

I have this fitbit , i have registeted it for a refund but i can't  charge the watch its been at 0% for a whole day, i Can't reset or turn it on. I need to sync it to my account to get the refund. Is there another way to get the refund ?  I don't have the orginal receipt from JB Hi Fi .  Please help.