Fitbit - forgot to mention delays

[dignan17]

Hi TZ people! I'm a bit slow to catch up on my Tekzilla lately, but I wanted to comment on the Fitbit review. While I think it was fine as a review, I really think you should have mentioned that the device is nearly impossible to get!

I ordered my Fitbit on December 31st. At the time, I was told there was an estimated ship date of "late January." Since then, the date has changed 4 times, and is now set for April 1st (ha, April Fools on me). So yeah, it'll have been four months since ordering.

While backorders for popular products are tough, I really don't understand how a company can underestimate demand so badly. The worst part, though, was a period of two weeks where the estimated ship date was February 28th, and there was no word from the company on their forums why we weren't getting our product until a few days ago. They were unresponsive to emails and I had to hunt down a phone number.

So yes, I'm very excited about the product, and I still want one, but I'm getting quite impatient.

[veronicazilla]

Hi TZ people! I'm a bit slow to catch up on my Tekzilla lately, but I wanted to comment on the Fitbit review. While I think it was fine as a review, I really think you should have mentioned that the device is nearly impossible to get!

I ordered my Fitbit on December 31st. At the time, I was told there was an estimated ship date of "late January." Since then, the date has changed 4 times, and is now set for April 1st (ha, April Fools on me). So yeah, it'll have been four months since ordering.

While backorders for popular products are tough, I really don't understand how a company can underestimate demand so badly. The worst part, though, was a period of two weeks where the estimated ship date was February 28th, and there was no word from the company on their forums why we weren't getting our product until a few days ago. They were unresponsive to emails and I had to hunt down a phone number.

So yes, I'm very excited about the product, and I still want one, but I'm getting quite impatient.

You're right, they're having TONS of issues keeping up with demand. I'm not sure what the problem is.

[dignan17]

Here's the response from someone at the company, posted to the forums almost two weeks after the Feb. 28th date had passed. It's the first thing we'd heard of a delay:

Due to some manufacturing delay that I don't have details of, the Fitbits that our warehouse was supposed to receive to ship the Feb 28th and March 15 batches have been delayed. Naturally, the March 31 units that we were expecting are also pushed back as a result. We hope to have new estimates based on order date on the site on Friday. If we get the estimates done (updates from vendors, etc.), your expected ship date should be updated on the order status page.
New estimates or not, we still have some orders from December to fill.
Manufacturing delays happen. That's understandable. The problem here, though, is two-fold. First, this was the THIRD shipping delay. What caused the first month-long delay that brought us to Feb. 28th?

Second, delays are one thing, poor customer service is another. I think I've been a very patient customer. I only started complaining on their forums just before the Feb. 28th date because it was clear they wouldn't be making it. I really started complaining when it was March 13th, my order page still said they expected to ship on the 28th, and two emails to the company went completely unanswered in addition to any posts on their official forums.

So yeah, this company needs to step it up. Either get a new supplier, get better customer service, or ideally, get both.