Fitness wearable technology company Fitbit is facing a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. over allegations that their products' heart tracking features are dangerously inaccurate. The lawsuit hit the company just after the unveiling of its newest product, the Blaze, on Tuesday last week.
The lawsuit, as first reported by The Verge, was brought by Fitbit's consumers from California, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The plaintiffs say that the heart rate monitoring technology in Fitbit's Charge HR and Surge, two products that came to market last year, is significantly inaccurate and the monitors don't actually "count every beat", as promised on Fitbit's advertising.
One plaintiff, Teresa Black, said her Fitbit Charge HR measured her heart rate at 82 beats per minute, while her personal trainer manually measured her heart rate at the same time at 160 beats per minute. She had complained to Fitbit earlier, but the company refused to refund her.
Another claimant, David Urban, said he bought the device after his doctor recommended that his heart rate should not exceed 160 beats per minute, due to his family history of heart disease. Urban claimed that by under-reporting his heart rate, Fitbit could have put him in danger.
The suit says that a cardiologist, who used an electrocardiagram machine to compare heart rate results, found that Fitbit's heart rate sensors are inaccurate. The suit also states that Fitbit often failed to record a heart rate of 110 beats per minute or higher. Instead of showing an accurate result, the gadget would show a lower-than-actual reading.
Class-action lawyer Jonathan Selbin, who represents the plaintiffs, said that he is hoping to get refunds for the customers who purchased the more expensive Fitbit wearables with allegedly faulty heart monitors, Tech Times reported.
Fitbit strongly denied the claims made in the lawsuit. The company told Fortune in a statement that they do not believe the case has merit. The company said that it strongly disagrees with the statement made in the complaint and plans to vigorously defend the lawsuit. Fitbit said that the company has a team who has performed and continues to perform internal studies to validate their products' performace.
Fitbit stated that PurePulse provide better overall heart rate tracking that cardio machines at the gym, as it tracks the heart rate continously. The company said that Fitbit trackers are designed to provide meaningful data for the users to help them reach their health and fitness goals, and not are intended to be scientific or medical devices.
