Consumer Federation of California

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Marketing for a number of Fitbit wearable fitness trackers claims that these devices can “monitor your sleep trends,” but now the company must face a class-action lawsuit alleging that Fitbits do nothing of the sort.

The complaint was originally filed in May 2015 by Fitbit Flex owners who claimed they were misled by Fitbit’s marketing and purchased the device because they believed it could track their behavior while they slept.

As you can see from the product’s packaging to the right — presented as an exhibit in the lawsuit — the Flex promises to not just track hours slept, but “Times woken up,” and “Sleep quality.”

Both plaintiffs say that after purchasing the Flex they soon realized that it was indeed only tracking their motions, which provided no real indicator of whether they had slept through the night, or provide any useful information about the quality of their time asleep.

“The Fitbit devices do not record anything other than movement,” reads the most recent version of the complaint [PDF], which has been amended several times by the plaintiffs, who contend that the only real way to monitor for potential sleep disorders is through polysomnography, which takes into account “brain waves, eye movements, muscle activity, heart rhythm, and more.”

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Tags: Class Action, Deceptive, False Advertising, Fitbit, Medical Issues