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Fitbit's Advice To Customers: 'Take It Off'

Fernando Hurtado |
February 11, 2015 | 11:15 p.m. PST

The rashes keep coming.

After owners of the popular activity- and fitness-tracking wireless wearable complained of rashes, Fitbit released a statement suggesting owners "take a break from the device," according to The Verge.

Fitbit released a statement after some users took to Twitter to express their discomfort with the Fitbit Surge.

SEE ALSO: Fitness Bands: Steps To Success Or Simply A Scam?

One user tweeted, "I thought the skin irritation issue was solved? I love the Surge, hate the rash. #skinirritation."

But this isn't the first time this happens. Last year, the company had to pull its Fitbit Charge from the market after nearly two percent of customers reported getting a rash on their wrist, according to Recode. The recall was followed by a lawsuit.

Laura Evans is one of the users experiencing rashes from Fitbit Charge, another health tracker. While she's grateful the wristlet has encouraged her to lead a more active lifestyle, "the itching really bothers me. I just want to scratch it. It's this constant [itch]."

Evans details her and her co-workers' experience with the band in a video to KGO, the ABC affiliate in San Francisco.

The Fitbit Force caused similar complaints and was recalled in 2014. So why hasn't this one been removed from shelves?

TechCrunch's Matt Burns speculates that the company really can't afford it. "At $250, the Surge is Fitbit's most expensive product...and key to the company's long-term growth," said Burns. "The company already suffered through one full recall caused by users reporting rashes. It likely cannot weather another."

READ MORE: Fitbit Flex, New And Improved

For now, the company is recommending that customers having issues "keep it clean" and "dry."

But not all is bad news for the company competing with big dogs like Nike, Jawbone and Garmin. Recode's Lauren Goode reported wearing the Fitbit Charge for an entire month without experiencing any irritation or a rash. 

In fact, some Jawbone UP user claims to have developed a rash only four weeks after purchasing the fitness band, according to a forum on Jawbone's website.

With neither company taking serious action to remedy the situation, a Jawbone customer who experienced issues with the band suggested covering the bottom surface of the UP with nail polish to prevent skin from interacting with the nickel found in both the Fitbit Charge and the Jawbone Up. 

Contact Web Producer Fernando Hurtado here. Follow him on Twitter here



 

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