Wearable tech maker Fitbit has issued a voluntary recall of their Force fitness wristbands after some reported health concerns.
Fitbit Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, California, produces wearable activity trackers. These wireless-enabled wearable devices measure personal activity data.
The Fitbit Force was the latest design of fitness wristbands made by the company. With it, users are able to track personal metrics – duration of sleep, number of steps walked, distance traveled, calories burned – in real time and can sync the data to a computer or smartphone.
CEO and co-founder James Park says on the company’s website they will no longer sell the Force wristband and plans to issue full refunds after receiving several consumer complaints of skin irritation. On January 13, 2014 it was reported a number of Fitbit customers who have purchased the Force complained about skin irritation after wearing the Force for extended periods of time.
Users are likely experiencing allergic contact dermatitis, reacting to the nickel present in the surgical grade stainless steel used in the device.
The company conducted an independent investigation after complaints with the Force band surfaced in January. “While only 1.7% of Force users have reported any type of skin irritation, we care about every one of our customers,” says Park. “On behalf of the entire Fitbit team, I want to apologize to anyone affected.”
Fitbit has set up a page for users who want to return their wristband.
[Photo Credit: Fitbit Force]
0 Comments