Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says his 30-day warranty is all about trust

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky said in an interview that buyers of its new e-paper smartwatches should know what they’re signing up for and trust Pebble to make things right if they run into issues, despite the short warranty. “I think the most important thing is trust,” Migicovsky said. “Do people trust the product that we’re making and do they trust the company and the people behind it?”

Migicovsky revived Pebble early last year, after the original company shut down in 2016. The new generation of Pebbles has the same aesthetic, but with updated tech, including larger e-paper displays. Many potential buyers, including journalists, have expressed concerns about the 30-day warranty, which is about as long as the Pebble Time 2’s battery life.

Glass cracking and replacements

Some users have reported hardware issues early on, like the front glass cracking on the Pebble Time 2. Migicovsky addressed the issues in a blog post, saying Pebble has replaced 330 Time 2 watches for free so far, out of over 19,000 watches “in the field.” Pebble’s blog says it will “continue replacing reasonable reports of glass cracking for free as long as we can. At some point, we will shift to offering a replacement at a highly discounted amount.” Additionally, Pebble is “looking into” offering replacement parts for DIY repairs.

Migicovsky emphasized that “an immensely small percentage” of watches have had this issue, adding, “It’s, for all intents and purposes, no skin off our back whatsoever to just offer straight up free replacements for anyone who has a problem.” He noted, “There’s just certain things that we could sign up to do, and there’s certain things that we couldn’t.”

Transparent communication and limits

Pebble warned customers in its announcement that they shouldn’t buy one if they need a “perfectly polished smartwatch,” noting that “Things could not last as long as you’d like.” Migicovsky described the effort as “a grassroots, bottoms-up relaunch” and acknowledged that Pebble cannot guarantee the same level of support as larger companies with global supply chains. “It’s a Pebble, through and through,” he said. “If you enjoyed the first go around, you’re going to love the second go around. But that having been said, it’s not exactly the same as the first era.”