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.

[koliband]

Is it a must to buy New devices from the Discounted store ? Don't they
issue refund for the Credit card ?

[SunsetRunner]

The discount code only works for a short while, the chances of having the refund in that time are remote to none. From following the thread refund times have been reported as 4 to 5 weeks at the earliest to 14 to 15 months and ongoing wait. So you will most likely have to use your own money for a discount code and then wait until the refund comes in which maybe a very long time

[Ijy]

Hi Mr Surya,

 I am also setting up my Payoneer account for refund. What Purpose Code did you specify for receiving the refund in India. Regards 

Inderjeet

[rituraj.s]

Hi Inderjeet,

In my case purpose code was "P1099 - Other business services".
On more thing I want to tell you that you don't need to submit any details regarding "Import Export Code (IEC) number" to Payoneer.

Hope this will be helpful for you. 

Thanks,
Rituraj Sharma

[Ijy]

Hi Rituraj,

Really appreciate you sparing time and helping. Indeed grateful. Hope it would work. Regards.

Inderjeet

[FitbitUser203]

Spoke again to fitbit ionic recall helpdesk for Australia today who gave me email address to use but emails bounce back undeliverable.   Still waiting 16 months.

In Australia we have a number to call but it gets us no where, emails sent fail and are undeliverable as if they have blocked all customers contacting them about the issue. I would like the moderators supervisor to reply with a detailed list of what customers need to do to receive the refund as every step I have taken have not worked yet. One and a half years of waiting is not very good.

Moderator edit: updated post. 

[FitbitUser203]

Is there a secret to getting the refund? 

Increasingly frustrated when told again today 7 July 2023 that my refund has been issued in March 3rd, 2023.  They cannot yet prove and show exactly which email address they used. 

Moderator edit: updated post. 

[CCYEUNG]

The supporting team for this recall program is entirely crazy. My case was closed after a month of waiting without getting any replies from the team. Then, I had to recreate the request again. I was trapped in this loop for several months without having any actual progress. 

[FitbitUser203]

Had a few of my cases closed off because I didn’t call them back in time after they told me it was escalated. 

[cread3]

Support told me that if I didn't provide receipts for my purchase, they would close my claim. How in the world can that be fair?!? Changing and adding new criteria in the middle of a claim?? What a load of BS!

[cread3]

I didn't purchase directly from Fitbit, so they wouldn't have it.

[cread3]

I appreciate the input. I definitely know how to do all of that sort of stuff. The issue is that they are now requesting that I prove I purchased these when there is nothing in any of the recall form that says I am to provide a receipt. They have the Ionic's physically in their own hands. It's the principle of it. 

[Cn-hao]

I have also encountered the same situation and cannot understand receiving such a result after waiting for 16 months. I am providing Fitbit with my proof of purchase.

[Ghwxb1]

So fed up with this refund process. It’s taken so long for my refund to come through that my code to access the discount store has now expired. If you’re looking for an example of terrible customer service look at the way Fitbit are handling this recall.

[FitbitUser203]

I totally agree but I would argue that there is any process in place, for a process there need to be an end date not the current "how longs a piece of string" answer that we keep being told.  As an aside I have totally given up with wearing any Fitbit devices after my partners old Charge 2 band broke and I will not support this company with anymore purchases even if they hand deliver my virtual gift refund in a "gold lined" envelope.

[Ghwxb1]

**Update**
So, after bouncing back and forth between the recall line and Fitbit customer service, I get told that nothing can be done to provide me with a new code to access the discount store, even though my previous code expired before I received my refund. Fitbit fully expects the refund to take longer than you have to access the store, so you as a customer are expected to pay more money towards this company, only to have your refund paid (in my case) to a digital card, not in to your bank account. I am disgusted with this process and fitbits complete unwillingness to help. Fitbit could have ended up getting a fair chunk of my refund back, but not a chance now.

[JLDuran]

After bombarding them on Social Media and through Facebook messenger, and sending emails to the ones in the picture, I finally received this response. We’ll see if anything comes of this. 

 

[JV1972]

I'm now 1 year and 5 months in and have yet to receive the refund.

Have been on the line with the recall line a zillion times.  All nice and friendly but in the end nothing is resolved.

got a paypal link that did not work, got a second one that did not work.  Paypal confirmed nothing wrong on their side but still it does not work.

in the end, recall line suggested switching to a virtual credit card which is was fine with.  But still waiting for that. They say Fitbit needs to approve the switch.

FITBIT GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER !! This is ridiculous.

I do not know what else to try.

[FitbitUser203]

I have similar replies but nothing gets sorted out.  My last reply today mentioned that according to the refund centre I had received my refund in Dec 2022 and it was activated. Of course that is not true as was a previous reply saying I got my refund and activated it in March 2023 which was also not true.

This is so frustrating,I do not see why cannot they just send out a real gift card and have us sign for receipt of it with the delivery driver, after all I have provided my home address more than once.

[RobbieBert]

I still haven't recieved the compensation for the ionic. Filled out my information since november 2022. Called several times. I even had to call a third company that gives out the cards, but to this day haven't recieved a thing. Please look in to this.