According to the report, acting ACCC chairwoman Catriona Lowe said that, “We took this action as a reminder to Fitbit and other businesses that they must honour their customers’ consumer guarantee rights without restrictions and not mislead consumers about these rights.” She also mentioned that customers were given false and misleading information which may have led to addition expenses and inconvenience.
What Fitbit has to say
The company falsely informed customers that they were only entitled to a repair or replacement for faulty products, denying them the right to choose between a refund, repair, or replacement.The report mentions that Fitbit acknowledged that 18 customers were wrongly informed that they could only obtain a refund if they returned a defective product within 45 days of purchase. Furthermore, a customer who wanted refund was denied as he hadn’t purchased the product from Fitbit’s official website.
Fitbit also denied refunds on the basis of expiration of the warranty period in 40 cases. The acknowledgment comes after Fitbit extended warranties for Australian consumers in 2018, addressing concerns about limited warranty periods for its products.
“We are pleased Fitbit admitted its misconduct, especially since this is the second time we have had to respond to a company in the Fitbit Group with concerns about representations involving consumer guarantee rights,” she said.
