Fitness device maker Fitbit is offering up an honest deal to customers who are reporting that their Fitbit Force is causing them skin irritation: you can either get a full refund, or swap out your tracker for a different one from the Fitbit line, the assumption being that you’ll likely opt for one that won’t continually touch your epidermis.
The Fitbit Force is admittedly designed to be worn all the time (it’s shower proof and tracks sleep while worn in bed), so it isn’t surprising that people are doing just that. But it’s also not surprising that such behavior results in irritated skin and rashes. Think about it: what else do you wear on your body all the time without any breaks for at all for days on end?
For those who haven’t ever had the extreme pleasure of breaking a bone, wearing a cast produces similar results. It’s impossible to have one enrobing any of your limbs and escape without some kind of skin irritation, simply because skin isn’t designed to be encased by anything for any significant length of time.
I don’t doubt that people are getting rashes from the Fitbit Force, and multiple news reports now depict the effects, but I also honestly think this is much more of a “well what did you expect” situation than an “OMG FITBIT POISONS PEOPLE WTF!!!1!!” scenario. Kudos to Fitbit for stepping up and offering a full refund, or a replacement from its lineup complete with free shipping and a restoration of any difference in final purchase price.
We’ve reached out to Fitbit to see if they can provide any more info on what specifically is causing any irritation and how it might be avoided, and will update if we hear back.
