No After Sale Support on Distributed Products

I purchased a Fitbit Charge 5 watch from The Mall of Africa store in March 2023. The product worked well until the end of October and then suddenly failed. I returned to the store with the original packaging and receipt. The store directed me to the Fitbit customer care. I was concerned about dealing with an international call center, however the store representative assured me that the process would take a few days to remedy. After much time on the call with Fitbit support, they agreed that the product needs to be replaced. They sent me a replacement token which once activated would take 10-15 working days to be delivered. I approached the store to advise them that the waiting time is impractical for a product that is used daily. The store manager repeated the same excuse that there is nothing that he can do as the replacement is issued by Fitbit.

Sportsmans Warehouse makes a profit from distributing products, without carrying any liability for the warranty. It is disappointing that a retailer of this magnitude would pass the risk onto the consumer. I have advised the store that I have already dealt with THEIR supplier regarding the warranty claim, all the store needed to do was to issue me with a replacement unit and wait for THEIR supplier to replace the unit within 10-15 business days, this is the normal practice of any reputable reseller/distributor. The store manager clearly advised that it is against their policy.

I have a commercial relationship with Sportsmans Warehouse and not with Fitbit.