Consumers UK Act: Fitbit watches

The_Occupier

Would like to know what everyone thinks of the fitbit watches, especially the ionic model, which seems to be prone to problems

When I buy a £300 watch, I expect it to last for a lifetime, but this is not the case with this model, and round the 16 - 18 month mark, problems with the watch appear

Im now on my third ionic watch, and have been told this is my last replacement, but if I encounter any more problems, they will give me 40% of a new watch

On the fitbit forum, talking about the consumer act is a big no no, seems they dont want to be informed of their legal rights in the UK. My understanding with the Uk Consumer act 2015, I would class the ionic as not being fit for the purpose it was made for, so might be entitled to a full refund

The faults with the ionic watch are well documented on the forum, something there an issue with the hardware, and might be linked to the battery which cant be replaced

Aylesbury_Duck

The_Occupier wrote: »

Would like to know what everyone thinks of the fitbit watches, especially the ionic model, which seems to be prone to problems

When I buy a £300 watch, I expect it to last for a lifetime, but this is not the case with this model, and round the 16 - 18 month mark, problems with the watch appear

Im now on my third ionic watch, and have been told this is my last replacement, but if I encounter any more problems, they will give me 40% of a new watch

On the fitbit forum, talking about the consumer act is a big no no, seems they dont want to be informed of their legal rights in the UK. My understanding with the Uk Consumer act 2015, I would class the ionic as not being fit for the purpose it was made for, so might be entitled to a full refund

The faults with the ionic watch are well documented on the forum, something there an issue with the hardware, and might be linked to the battery which cant be replaced

Your understanding is incorrect. You would be entitled to a replacement or a partial refund, taking into account the use you've had of the item. Which is what they've offered you (towards a new watch). If pushed, they should offer a partial refund in the form in which you paid, but that might be less than the value of 40% off another of their products.

Edited to account for verityboo's comment below. It does read as if you are dealing with fitbit directly, in which case it's their warranty terms that matter. As vb pointed out, the points I made refer to your consumer rights which are with the retailer (which may of course be fitbit themselves if you bought directly from them.)

verityboo

Your rights also depend on where you purchased it (as I can't see the OP saying and FitBits are widely available). Your consumer rights are with whoever you purchased it from.

bigisi

It also helps to get the name of the act correct when trying to show you know about consumer rights.

mattyprice4004

Your expectations are also skewed - if it was a £300 watch then sure, but it's not - it's a health tracker and smartwatch; essentially a wrist worn computer.

Would you expect your Packard Bell computer from 1996 to still be working now without any spending? Of course not.

Computers are much more complicated than a basic watch, and it's far from reasonable to expect to still be wearing it issue free in the year 2060.

born_again

Ah good old FitBit.

I had in total 5 replacements out of them for straps falling apart after a few months. Several years ago. Even wrote to the CEO about the issue, which again was well documented on their forum..
All they kept saying was "Reach out to us" and we will replace it.
Just wonder how much they actually cost to make?

Best advice. Get a Garmin.