Fitbit won't honor warranty

[marcela]

Jurisdiction

California

Good morning-
Last year in June I bought a Fitbit fitness device on Amazon, while I was vacationing in California. In October my tracker broke, I contacted Fitbit by chat and they honored the warranty and shipped a replacement tracker to my residence address in Argentina. A couple of months ago the straps broke in 2 pieces. I contacted them again and they tried a few different excuses not to honor the warranty (eg. I bought it on Amazon and not at a Fitbit retail store, I bought it more than a year ago (I provided proof of purchase), etc. Now the excuse is that they don't ship overseas. Like I said, the replacement tracker was shipped in October so that excuse is not valid either.
Is there anything I can do to have them ship a replacement strap that is still under warranty? Or is the fact that I don't live in the US again automatically revoke my warranty rights?
There's no Fitbit retail store here so I can't go or contact them and I can't even but replacement straps here.
Any advice on what I can do?
Thanks!

 

[army judge]

Any advice on what I can do?

You've done the things available to you, ie... contacted the manufacturer. Initially you received what you desired.

If I were you, I'd forget about using Chinese made junk.

In case you had no clues, here are a few.

Where Are Fitbits Made?
Fitbit products are made by contract manufactures in Asian countries. Each product is made by a single contract manufacturer. The components used to make Fitbits are sourced from a variety of contract suppliers worldwide.

Are Fitbits Made In China?
Yes, all Fitbit products are made in Asian countries, including China.

That isn't to say that all Fitbit products are made in China, but some of the contract manufacturers Fitbit work with are based in China.

By relying on Chinese manufacturers, Fitbit tries to maximize their profit margins by keeping costs somewhat low.

Are Fitbits Made In The USA?
No. Fitbits are not made in the USA.

As stated earlier, all Fitbit products are manufactured in Asia. They're then imported to the USA, Europe and other countries.

Where is Fitbit Sense Made?
Currently, Fitbit don't provide information on which specific contract manufacturer (and so which country) is reliable for making each specific Fitbit watch.

But as with all Fitbit watches, they're made in an Asian country.

How Much Does It Cost To Make Fitbits?
In 2019, Fitbit spent a total of $1 billion on manufacturing with a reported gross profit of 30%. However, this includes tariff costs on imported goods.

With this in mind, let's see the costs and RRP of some popular Fitbits.

Fitbit Model Manufacturing Cost RRP
Fitbit Versa 3 $176.88 $229.95
Fitbit Sense $230.73 $299.95
Fitbit Charge 4 $115.34 $149.95
Fitbit Inspire 2 $76.88 $99.95
Fitbit Distribution Locations
As you'd expect from a company as well-known as Fitbit, they have an impressive variety of distribution sources.

For example, Fitbits are sold in over 39,000 retail stores in over 100 countries including large retailers, such as Target, Costco, Macy's Kohl's, and Walmart.

They're also distributed through online channels, including Amazon and their own online store.

(Interestingly, sales through their online sale accounts for around 10% of Fitbit's total revenue.)

Who Owns Fitbit?
Interestingly, Fitbit was acquired by Google (Alphabet, Inc.) in early 2021.

It was founded by James Park and Eric Friedman.

James is the current president, CEO and chairman and Eric is a director.

Where Is Fitbit Based?
Fitbit currently has 15 offices in the below locations:

San Francisco (HQ)
Boston (USA)
Issaquah (USA)
San Diego (USA)
Minsk (Belarus)
Kitchener (Canada)
Shanghai (China)
Shenzhen Shi (China)
Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
Gurugram (India)

Where Is Fitbit Headquarters Located?
Fitbit was founded in San Francisco, California, which is where its headquarters exist.

Where Are Fitbits Made? (Made In THIS Country In 2023!)
.........


The most common Fitbit problems and how to fix them
..........


The story of Fitbit: How a wooden box was bought by Google for $2.1bn - Wareable
.........

 

[adjusterjack]

Last year in June I bought a Fitbit fitness device

I bought it more than a year ago

Which is it? More than a year or less than a year ago?

Anyway, the strap breaking might not be covered by the warranty.

Fitbit Legal: Limited Warranty

"these Limited Product Warranties do not apply to damage or defects caused by (a) use with non-Fitbit products; (b) accident, abuse, misuse, mishandling, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (c) normal wear and tear or aging of the Product such as discoloration or stretching"

I can't even but replacement straps here.

You can buy them on Amazon.

Amazon.com : fitbit replacement straps

is the fact that I don't live in the US again automatically revoke my warranty rights?

As a practical matter, yes, it does, because the cost of your remedy (lawsuit) far exceeds the cost of the item.

 

[zddoodah]

they tried a few different excuses not to honor the warranty (eg. I bought it on Amazon and not at a Fitbit retail store, I bought it more than a year ago (I provided proof of purchase), etc. Now the excuse is that they don't ship overseas. Like I said, the replacement tracker was shipped in October so that excuse is not valid either.
Is there anything I can do to have them ship a replacement strap that is still under warranty? Or is the fact that I don't live in the US again automatically revoke my warranty rights?

Those are all potentially valid reasons to honor the warranty. One would have to read the warranty documentation to know for sure.

Unless the manufacturer has a legal presence in Argentina (and, as far as I can tell, it does not), your recourse will be to sue in the U.S. That will cost you far more than the value of the device in travel costs, and those costs won't be recoverable. Up to you if you want to go to the trouble and expense for an uncertain case.

In the future, if you buy a product from a foreign company, assume you have no warranty.