Jawbone pauses UP production to fix bugs, offers refund

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Jawbone’s UP wristband got off to a splashy start last month but it’s endured some glitches and bugs that have marred its launch and prompted some reviewers to withhold their full blessing. Now, the company is addressing those concerns by identifying the problems, pausing production while it fixes them and offering a money back guarantee to consumers.

Jawbone is offering consumers who have problems a full refund, no questions asked, even if they choose to keep their $99 device. Or they can ask for a new device. Consumers can request their refund starting Dec. 9 here. People who received an UP as a gift will also be able to participate in the refund. As an alternative to the refund, Jawbone is also offering users credit toward a purchase of another Jawbone product.

The company said it will resume taking orders once the issues have been fixed. And it will continue to push out software updates.

The move is aimed at shoring up concerns about the UP wristband, which is helping highlight the growing interest in mobile health monitors. Jawbone has identified two specific capacitors in the power system that affects the ability of the band to hold a charge. They’ve also found a problem with syncing related to the band hardware.

“We recognize that this product has not yet lived up to everyone’s expectations –including our own – so we’re taking action,” said CEO Hosain Rahman.

Jawbone UP’s launch, despite the bugs, has been solid, said Rahman. He said users have taken more than three billion steps, logged 300 years of sleep and recorded hundreds of thousands of meals.