Google’s Fitbit Recall Should Include All Devices, Says Lawsuit

This March, tech pioneer Google announced they were recalling the Fitbit Ionic smartwatches after 78 users reported getting burns. However, a new lawsuit says that Google should have recalled all of their Fitbit devices, as the defect affects them.

Court documents indicate that all Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers tend to overheat, making them hazardous to their users and putting people at risk for burns. The lawsuit adds that Google had blamed “consumer hygiene” despite reported incidents.

The recall also didn’t compensate the owners of Ionic watches adequately, the lawsuit claims. It is seeking class-action status, and it says, “Consumers buy the products to burn calories, not their skin.”

While Ionic owners are set to receive full refunds after the recall, the case mentions that the company has been slow to issue those refunds.

The two plaintiffs who started the complaint had bought Versa Lite and Versa 2, and not the ionic version. The complaint also includes photos of burns of people who have owned other devices, such as Blaze, Inspire, Inspire 2, Versa 3, and Sense.

It also contains multiple customers’ testimonies claiming to have been ghosted by Fitbit’s customer service. Essentially, the lawsuit says Google failed to recall all devices that could harm users, and some of these users may be unaware of the dangers that their devices could have.

One of the biggest fears mentioned is wearing a potentially hazardous watch on a plane. 

Numerous customers have complained about such and other problems with Fitbit devices. Furthermore, many users have attached screenshots of Fitbit customer service failing to reply in time or failing to reply at all.

Neither Google nor Fitbit has any comment at this time.