Client watchdog takes Fitbit to courtroom over claims round buyer rights

The Australian Competitors and Client Fee sued Fitbit in Federal Courtroom, alleging the smartwatch maker misled prospects about their rights to faulty merchandise.

The alleged deceptive conduct came about over a interval of greater than 18 months, from Might 2020 to February 2022.

“Fitbit has been dropped at the eye of the ACCC once more for allegedly deceptive shoppers about client warranties,” ACCC President Gina Cass-Gottlieb mentioned in an announcement.

“We shall be suing this Fitbit as a result of we take the alleged conduct significantly and producers ought to have processes in place to make sure compliance with Australian Client Regulation.

“In accordance with Australian Client Regulation, merchandise have to be of acceptable high quality and retailers should present cures for faulty items, together with restore, alternative or refund, topic to on a case by case foundation.”

The ACCC’s newest lawsuit comes 4 years after the watchdog introduced in Fitbit Australia, claiming that the native subsidiary misled prospects about warranties for faulty merchandise.

Because of its 2018 investigation, the ACCC mentioned Fitbit Australia had issued an enforceable court-addressed endeavor that its actions could have violated Australian Client regulation. It additionally agreed to increase the producer’s guarantee from one 12 months to 2 years.

Concerning the present case towards Fitbit, the ACCC mentioned it has collected 58 examples of shoppers who have been allegedly deceived by feedback from the corporate’s customer support representatives after they complained in regards to the merchandise. defective gadget.

In a single case, a client experiencing technical points along with her Fitbit gadget requested a refund after being instructed there was no actual date when the issue might be mounted. The buyer is knowledgeable that he’s not eligible for a refund.

9news.com.au has reached out to Google, the proprietor of Fitbit, for remark.