Samsung Gear Fit Wristband Causes Rash, Must Be Returned With All Accessories

There are currently a lot of wearable fitness trackers on the market, locked in a battle for wrist domination. Reader Rob bought Samsung’s cool-looking Gear Fit a few months ago, and really likes it. Except for how some of the coating wore off the wristband clasp and he’s developed a mysterious rash on his wrist.

Wearable wristband? Mysterious rash? This should sound familiar, because in the early days of the itchy problems that the Fitbit Force caused for supposedly fewer than 2% of wearers, itchy consumers assumed that they were the only ones, too.

“Luckily I caught it in time, and took the Gear Fit off before it was full blown annoying itch fest,” he wrote to Consumerist. “I contacted Samsung, and in their own awful form of rude customer service they eventually said I have to send in my Gear Fit, the band, charging cradle, and charging cord if I want to have this looked at, and that takes at least 12 days.”

Here’s the thing: Rob assumes that the problem is with this particular Gear Fit, and wants Samsung to just replace the wristband. Meanwhile, Samsung wants the wristband, the device, and all of its accessories back. This makes sense if Samsung is working from the assumption that they probably won’t be sending the device and its many accessories back.

He escalated his issue to the great and powerful Office of the President, and the executive customer service staffers there told him… he had to send the device and all of its accessories back, and wait twelve days or so for Samsung to evaluate it and maybe send it back.

“They won’t send a replacement band or allow me to send just the band in. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do,” he wrote to Consumerist. “I like the product, but it upsets me that my almost new product has a band I can no longer wear.”

We hope that this isn’t a widespread problem, but we have to ask: if anyone else out there has a rash caused by the Gear Fit’s wristband, please drop us a line at tips@consumerist.com.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist