Still Waiting For Your Fitbit Force Recall Check? Here’s What To Do

fitbit forceWe’ve provided wrist-to-wrist coverage of the problems surrounding the FitBit Force, a wearable movement tracker that counts steps, measures flights of stairs, and occasionally induces rashes. We shared with you the first rash reports we saw, as well as reporting on the recall and its aftermath. It makes sense that readers would contact us when they can’t get their refunds. Are you still waiting for your check? Here’s what you should do.

FitBit has hired Stericycle to handle recall returns and refunds, because that’s a big task and Stericycle is a well-known company in that field. It makes sense to outsource the job to a company that ostensibly knows what it’s doing.

You may recognize that name if you’ve been following the Fitbit saga: they’re the company that sent the strange e-mail that resembled a phishing attempt more than a recall notice. Stericycle is also the company handling the massive recall of Gree dehumidifiers that has led to a lot of people with smaller-than-expected checks and damp basements while they wait.

Anyway, $140 is a lot of money, and waiting for the cash to replace your wearable device with one from a different brand can be unbearable if you suffer from a self-quantification addiction. We recently heard from reader Barb, who is somehow coping without her FitBit or her cash. “I sent my Force Fitbit back using the return label sent by the company for a refund,” she wrote to Consumerist. “I still have not received the check and therefore no longer have my device or a refund check.”

Barb didn’t specify how long she’s been waiting, but you should take the company’s original estimate of their turnaround time, then add a week or two. To check on the status of your refund, first check with Fitbit by e-mailing force@fitbit.com. If you still don’t have your refund or a satisfying response from the company, try contacting the regulators of all things recall-related. Call the Consumer Products Safety Commission at 800-638-2772 to report your delayed payment.

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