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.

[bl0ndie]

I got mine today £223.72, I thought I’d get a Giftcard but it’s a prepaid Mastercard which I can’t seem to use, I tried and a message popped up saying I need authorisation from the card issuer….anyone else gave this problem. Wish us opted for Paypal now.

[DaveN.]

I'm in the USA and received my virtual MasterCard yesterday. A $100 purchase on Amazon was accepted however, the card has been rejected by Walmart and eBay. The card #, expiration date and CVV have been double-triple- and quadruple-checked. I thought the cards were good "anywhere" on line?? Sigh!

[Clare76R]

Great idea

[Kellyld77]

@bl0ndie was it like a one time passcode type of thing? Have you tried clicking ok, as when I linked to PayPal or asked for authorisation and then asked for my mobile number and sent me a code. With my pre paid card I added it to my list of cards on PayPal and then paid my dad the £233.72 to his PayPal account using friends and family so I don’t get charged and then got him to send it me back and then I withdrew it into my bank account.

[bl0ndie]

This was very helpful so I tried to add the card to my PayPal as you suggested, then I get a message come up saying I need authorisation from the card issuer, a bit like when you’re doing transactions online but there was no option to click anywhere!

[Darrencab]

I only had the 1 email. Put the code in. Then, I had to accept. And the money was on an ecard for me linked to my fitbit account. 

[bl0ndie]

Tried again and it worked, thank you so much.

[Kellyld77]

@bl0ndie did you leave it a while just incase it’s slow loading the authorisation page? 

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@bl0ndie @Just read that bit as reading via email messages rather than on the message board. So glad it worked. 

[Jacerick]

Upon SEVERAL attempts with customer service, I still have not received my discount code to replace my ionic.  Is there something special I need to do?  I filled out the proper "paperwork" and received my refund... but no luck with a discount code 😞

[bl0ndie]

I didn’t realise you could do that so thanks again, it’s a better option than the giftcard.

[Frenchy72]

Personally, I like the pink wristband  but it's no good when the stainless steel fitbit sense isn't available! Wish I'd bought a "reduced price" sense during the mothers day reduction in the UK!

[Kellyld77]

I did it 3 years ago when they sent me a virtual Mastercard after issues with my old fitbit, tried first by sending £1 to my dad and worked so sent the whole lot over. Figured I’d do the virtual Mastercard again this time as my PayPal and fitbit accounts are different emails and reading through comments it seems people have had issues when different email address 

[hauserted]

I received the same email but when I click on the link it takes me to a page saying “Your gift card is on its way, please allow up to 24 hours.” It’s been more than 24 hours since receiving the email so not sure when it will be active. I would be interested to know if other have had similar issues. I am also in Australia 

[DidiG]

Update: Thanks @Kellyld77 , I went ahead and clicked on the link in the email and have been offered the Only 1 Visa Gift Card, which I have now registered and added to my PayPal account.  I, like others, don't recall being offered a range of refund options.  I would definitely have chosen PayPal directly if that had been an option.  I've also read of people having issues using the card online if the card balance doesn't fully cover a transaction.  Here's hoping it all works well now that I've dropped it into PayPal.  Maybe as another poster added, I'll see if I can just withdraw all of the money from the Only 1 card into my bank account.  Fingers crossed and I'm grateful to have received the refund!

[hauserted]

Hi @SB1865 i am also in Australia to and am in the same position (received the original email with a link that takes me to the 24 hour massage). Still no second email. Have you had any progress?

[Kellyld77]

@DidiG @I couldn’t withdraw it from the card into my bank through PayPal it has to be sent as a gift. I had to make sure it was set as my preferred method of payment then I sent my dad the exact amount on the card (make sure it’s sent as friends and family) and then he sent it back to me 

[RunningBoyA]

Thanks @AshLynn043 , i think way they distribute the codes varies per country. For me, the device code only works for versa 3 or sense, the accessories/free band code doesnt work for all types of bands, the premium band works. I hope someone from their customer support can still assist me. Thanks btw

[retiredatlast]

In AU....My wife and I both received the same email this past week. Allowed 24hrs and then received a Visa Virtual Account email from Only1 Visa Gift Card company with the details of the card and the balance on the card. ($400+ aud's ). It also explained how to use the card and where it can be used.

We thought beauty we both have received the reimbursement. I went to Fitbit ( using chrome ) and attempted to buy a new watch and the extras using the payment details of this account/card. Followed all of the prompts and when it came to payment I got an error message from Fitbit saying "Please try another payment method". So frustrating. Contacted Fitbit and there answer was to try another browser. Tried Edge and got the same result.

So, I go online to Only1, see the balance of the account after entering the VVAcct details and then attempted to register/activate to account/card. That is where we had problems. We cannot register the account/card and get an error message that says 

• We are unable to process your request at this time. If you continue to receive this error, please contact Cardholder services by calling the number on the back of your card.
• Tried calling the 1800 number listed for Customer Services and cannot speak to an actual person to resolve the issue. The 1800 number is all automated.
• Next step. I contacted Only1 via their contact us on Friday 1st April explaining I cannot register the account/card. I got a reply within a couple of hours that was encouraging. They wanted a photo of the front and back of the card, again, no card, so in my reply I stated it was a VVAcct and I do not have an actual card. I sent them a photo of all the VVAcct ( number, expiry, ccv2 number ) details as requested. That was late Friday so I would expect a reply sometime on Monday the 4th. We will wait and see. 

• FITBIT, it should not be this hard to access your reimbursement and it is not a good look for your company.

• I hope this will help anyone who is having the same sort or problems. No doubt there are many.

Moderator Edit: Formatting

[SB1865]

@retiredatlast 

Thanks for the update. I’ve received only the 1st email and it’s now 48 hours since then. Not hoping for much at this stage at getting anything else. 

[PaulineD]

For those in Australia who are trying to register that Only1Visa card,

in the email from SedgwickBP that had the link to activate the Visa,

in smaller writing below the main blurb, near the bottom of the email is "Please take this brief survey to share your experience."

I suggest, for what its worth, to give feedback to Fitbit about this debacle.