Nearly 10,000 users of the popular Fitbit Force have complained of skin irritation after wearing the wearable, and 250 even reported blisters from the bracelet. In the recall, the Fitbit company said it affected “a small percentage of users.”
Figures from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, where Fitbit had to file the recall, show that a total of 9,900 people filed complaints about irritated skin, while another 250 users developed blisters, Engadget writes.
In total, the recall affects one million Fitbit wearables sold in the US and another 28,000 in Canada. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is demanding that the maker explicitly communicate the action to customers, but Fitbit has barely done so since the recall began in February. Fitbit promises to email all users in the coming weeks about the possibility of returning the wearable. They will then be refunded the full purchase amount.
At the beginning of this year, it turned out that the Fitbit Force bracelet, which is used for fitness tracking, caused irritations. The company’s investigation revealed that it was not the battery or electronic components, but an allergic reaction to the nickel used in the stainless steel alloy. Fitbit is very successful with its wearables and the news comes at a bad time. The wearables market is on the cusp of massive growth, but this has come with increasing competition from giants like Sony, Samsung, and perhaps Google and Apple as well.