Ellen (25) sustains severe burns from Fitbit: “I woke up and felt my arm burn”

A young woman from Merksem in Antwerp claims to have suffered severe burns due to her Fitbit, a watch that keeps track of how many steps you take and what your heart rate is. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her attempt to get her money back didn’t work out.

Ellen (25) read an article yesterday about a man from the United States who had sustained third-degree burns due to his Fitbit. He had told his story on Facebook to warn other users. His story seemed to the Flemish all too familiar.

Gift

Ellen received her holiday pay in June and decided to treat herself to a gift. It became a Fitbit, and she immediately loved it. Until a week or two later. “Then I suddenly started getting pain in my wrist, and that pain was getting worse,” she tells her story to the HLN website.

“At first, I thought it might be an allergic reaction to the silicone strap of the watch because my skin underneath turned red. Until one morning, I woke up, and I felt my arm burn intensely. When I took off the Fitbit, my skin looked terrible where the green laser is. It hurt, and it stung.”

Then Ellen went to the doctor. “He said I had serious burns,” it sounds. “She gave me ointment and advised me not to wear the Fitbit. That was a bit sour because I had paid more than 200 euros for it.”

Money

The young woman then contacted the manufacturer of the device and asked if she could get her money back. “I was told that it was possible, but in the form of a virtual Mastercard that would be made available through the company’s online portal,” said Ellen. “But I don’t want that at all. I want my money back on my account so that I can choose what to do with it. I don’t want to spend anything online.”

Ellen (25) sustains severe burns from Fitbit: “I woke up and felt my arm burn”
©AP

Meanwhile, Ellen’s Fitbit is gathering dust in her closet. She still doesn’t have her money back, she says. Fortunately, her arm is healed. “I walked around with the burns for almost a month and was afraid that the scar would not go away. Luckily, you can’t see it anymore. That is already a consolation.”

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