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.

[CCYEUNG]

Yes, once they got your serial no., they knew everything about the Ionic device you owned. I think they are trying to save money with this excuse.

[maxdna]

It is unbelievable how difficult the recall goes. Exactly same issue from all different users. The problem clearly is not the device but the service. 

[flaga_m]

Hello.

I am from Poland, and I have this situation. The first time the form worked correctly for me, i.e. I went through step 1 (entered my data), managed to complete step 2 (i.e. logged into my account), completed step 3 (entered the obtained reference code). After a few minutesh I got an email back with a link that said to try to claim the discount code after 90 minutes, however, from that point on I can no longer load the page normally because it crashes right after I log into my account.

Oh, and one more thing. The watch was correctly excluded from the system quite quickly right after I sent the application.

How long should I wait for the discount code now? I started the whole procedure on 21.09.2023.

Please also refer to the photos.

EmailWebpage freezing

[Bobberhino]

I have the same problem. After trying to discuss with Fitbit support I can say that they probably made this to not get a discount code. After struggling with their horrible support regarding my issue they told me to buy their products first and then they will repay me 40% of what I paid.

Since first of all my refund has been pending for some months now and I cant get a decent answer when it will be done I have no faith in this company anymore. I will not purchase anything just to wait for yet another refund for months.

So in conclusion, they will make you clear cache, try different browsers - its all just a waste of time. If they wanted customers at all, they would be quick to fix this. Dont waste your time, wait for the refund and turn to another company that gives you less of a headache.

[Justin774]

Applied for refund early 2022 on ionic. Refund came through January 2023. I have Garmin Fenix now. Draw your conclusions with my previous product and experience.

[Justin774]

I applied for the refund early May 2022 for my Ionic... Received it Jan 2023. I now have a *ar__m_n *en_x. Very happy customer now.....Some experience

[Bobberhino]

3-6 weeks exactly then. LOL.

Like I said I imagine Fitbit is doing their best to avoid any customers. I guess I will have to wait a few weeks more, maybe months, or even years. Who knows.

I will check out the smartwatch you bought, thanks for the tip!

[Matthewseltzer]

Hi, I received my refund in 90 days because I complained to the Better Business B. I also contacted senior google and executives
Good luck ,

Sent from my iPhone

[flaga_m]

With me it was completely different in terms of service, as they took the request without any problem and escalated it to the department above. They told me that I will get a feedback response up to 2 weeks at the most, and along with it information on how they will solve the problem with the code. It is supposed to be done already outside this site, because they themselves confirmed that this site has too much overload. We'll see if they can actually meet the deadline of these 2 weeks with a response to this, but in addition to that, they are still supposedly going to do a refund to me within 3-6 weeks - I wonder if they will meet the deadline.

[Mikeionic]

Put it on social media and call them everyday.

[Matthewseltzer]

Agreed , they r terrible

Sent from my iPhone

[Dantownley]

I've contacted them today to find they've closed my case. 

Reason being: I've not been in touch with them.

WHAT?? I'm waiting for them to refund me, resolve the "issue" with the link to the discount code and advise me accordingly.

Case reopened, their advise: Call the Recall team. 

Sent from Outlook for Android

[Greggers123]

Called them again today to "escalate" for maybe the 3rd or 4th time. I've now been waiting for 18 months!

[thenys]

Good for you! Which executives did you contact? @Matthewseltzer?

I sent my receipts to them and they still rejected my refund: "We're unable to verify the eligibility for a refund for your Fitbit Ionic devices. We suggest contacting the retailer." It's been over a year since I got them so the retailers are not accepting them and told me to get in touch with Fitbit. Fitbit refuses to offer a refund and I can't use the watches even if I wanted to because they've been disabled.

I've emailed them for the last time to see what else I can do to "prove my eligibility". Failing which I will file a police report for theft and contact the BBB equivalent here.

[CCYEUNG]

This company is ridiculous. They disconnected our devices from our account but kept challenging our eligibility. I also faced the same issue as you. Is BBB helpful?

[Matthewseltzer]

I believe the bbb was very helpful

Sent from my iPhone

[Dantownley]

What does BBB mean?

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[Matthewseltzer]

Better Business Bureau

Sent from my iPad

[JRul]

Better Business Bureau

[flaga_m]

How can I contact the BBB? Is there a phone number for them? I used the contact tab and the number for the rest of the world, but the head office told me that the number does not exist. I am from Poland and I would also like to contact the BBB directly somehow, despite the fact that the Polish branch has already escalated this problem for analysis and I am waiting for some response from their side.