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.

[SunsetRunner]

Both my son & I registered on 3rd march for the ionic refund where the ‘3 step page’ said 3-6 weeks for the money. Our ionics have only just been deactivated by Fitbit. Yesterday he received an email (I haven’t received one yet) stating he will now receive his virtual card with the refund in 3-6 weeks! Absolute madness.

[Kcti]

For those people whose Fitbit took weeks to be disabled, did you have to constantly keep the device charged up?

Would the device have to be connected to my account once I've agreed for it to be disabled or can I connect to a new device immediately after?

[SunsetRunner]

Personally I kept mine charged (but not worn) and I kept it connected so I could see when it was disabled. You can connect a new Fitbit to your phone but if you mean can you connect your ionic to a new device then I would say no.

[mbrug]

cchow: I am also facing this exact issue. Three of the Lazada gift cards are working but the remainder say "Your gift card is on its way, please allow up to 24 hours." It has now been 4 weeks!

I have called the support line (managed by a company called Sedgwick with a number in the UK) and they told me to call Lazada here in Thailand. They gave me 3 phone numbers (one was not working, one went through to an insurance company and the 3rd is the general Lazada hotline i.e. a complete waste of time).

Have you had any response from support to fix the issue?

[ParasM]

I am not able to call their customer support . They have not provided any
email or alternate contact information

[JRul]

This is the email I have been getting all of my replies from:
https://contact.fitbit.com

[ArjyaD]

Use skype to call the number. There is English and Hindi support. You have
to recharge your skype with some money. 1 min costs Rs 1.5 or something.
Talk to them and tell them your problem. I hope you get the resolution.
They sent me the money when my account was not KYC verified so Paypal
returned the money. I had to put a request again to the customer care and
they have created another request. It will again take 5-6 weeks is what I
have been told. It is a shoddy process. All I can do is wait for 3-4 weeks
and call them again.
I already placed an order for a Coros PACE 2 as I can't wait for 2 more
months for the refund to come. Good Luck!

[ParasM]

Thanks for the info.

But why do we need kyc in PayPal as I have been using PayPal since long
without any issues and only for this transaction is kyc required?

[ArjyaD]

If you have been using PayPal in India and have a linked bank account for
long. You may not need a KYC. Mine was a new account. I don’t use the scam
called PayPal in India. It’s best suited for USA where there is good
customer service.
If you have correctly initiated the registration and disabling of your
ionic and got a confirmation email and given PayPal for refund, keep
checking the email associated with it. You should get an email in 3-4weeks
for refund and it will be be credited to your account. Minimum 4weeks wait
is what I did and Fitbit sent me the money but my PayPal was not KYC
verified so it went away and I was still waiting without doing anything.
--
Thanks & Regards,

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[ParasM]

Yes.. I have received the disable mail and the refund mail from fitbit but
there is no transaction in PayPal.. seems they are fooling us.

[Lizstang]

Yes, I have done every step they required, still nothing!  I am in USA

Moderator edit: all-caps

[Lizstang]

I don't even know what KYC is????

[ParasM]

Know your customer which every bank does. You need do provide a valid ID to
the bank or payment system

[Lizstang]

Ricomon, There is no way they sent you a replacement if it was 2 years old.  Their warranty is only for ONE year. My fitbit stopped working at 13 months old and the warranty was over. They sent me a code for 15% off. Next fitbit was under a year old, they sent me a refurbished fitbit, that one stopped working within the warranty of a year, they didn't honor that one either because they only warranty the 1st one, not the refurbished one. 

[TomDuke]

@Lizstang - Since you are in the US understand the recall process here is different than what the international users are having to do. Much of what you read on this thread overnight are comments from people outside of the US and they have payment systems that you probably aren't going to recognize.

Might I suggest that you call the Fitbit Ionic recall line at 1 (888) 240-2819? You can usually get through right away and if you have the reference number you received when you registered your device, they can give you a status update on your refund.

I sent in three ionics on the 10th of March, they were delivered by the 15th of March. So far I have received refunds on two of them. One of them has yet to be processed and I'm still waiting for my money but they have assured me that it is being worked on. You have to be patient. Good luck.

[ParasM]

Hi Tom,

We have given payment system as PayPal which most used in USA. Even though
we are living outside US, fitbit should not have issue in refunding in
paypal

[TomDuke]

@ParasM - hello, yes I don't dispute what you're saying about PayPal. All I was doing in my last comment was explaining to that user who seemed confused about KYC that there were other payment methods being used for other countries, nothing more.

I do not understand why it is taking so long to get refunds for those outside of the US, who did not have to physically send their Ionic in for the recall. Once they confirmed your Ionic on your account and deactivated it, you would think that the money transfer could occur almost immediately and not take 6 weeks or more.

[ArjyaD]

Oh, don't worry if you are in the US. KYC - 'Know Your Customer' is a step
to verify the Tax details of a person residing in India. Just like you give
the SSN and Checking account in the US to get a PayPal account. We have a
similar process in India for all Financial transactions online or via any
bank.

[Jfitman]

This is what I am talking about this Support here as above Fitbit Moderator says to go to their Support team, so I click on that link and it is pretty much an empty page?  Why does the service here suck?   You say you're given a refund and I don't care how many people are affected,  have a system ready to support all of us and get us all taken care of!   I am a computer network Support person for a huge place.  If something is broken we have to fix the situation in 7 days time frame!   This is just silly

[Ricomon]

Lizstang, when I called to tell them the situation, I spoke to them in a civil manner, was not demanding and asked if they could do anything besides the discount on another unit. The CSR said he would talk to his supervisor and came back telling me that they would send out another pebble. They may have sent out a refurbished one and it worked fine until the recall. Easy peasy.