Gabb Watch 3e – GPS Tracker for Kids, Digital Smart Watch, No Social Media or Internet, Fees Required (Silver)

BUYER BEWARE – Battery Issue, poor warranty compliance.
I bought a Gabb Watch for my 8 year old son 10 months ago, last December. For 9 months it worked as it should. A few weeks ago I started to receive alerts on my phone that the watch battery was dead only 3 hours into his school day. The watch is set to ‘focus mode’ which disables most of the functionality so it just tells time and tracks location while he’s at school (no games) thus the battery failure is/was not from overuse. I jumped on their website and went through all of their suggested battery life troubleshooting protocols. None of that helped, so I reached out to Gabb directly via their online chat support. The representative had me send them a couple pictures of the watch and then perform a factory reset. Shortly thereafter it was concluded that the battery was performing well below the mark of what it should and I I assumed the warranty would kick in and a replacement would be issued.What happened instead is the representative suggested that I pay for an additional separate extended warranty protection plan + $40 deductible (directly through Gabb as opposed to ‘the manufacturer’ warranty, more on that in a minute). I declined the additional coverage. They explained that without the added protection plan ‘the manufacturer’ likely wouldn’t cover the battery life issue due to the fact that Gabb’s ‘Review Team” had detected a ‘smudge’ on the corner of the watch’s face (they detected this smudge from the requested photos I had sent). Needless to say, I was surprised by the by the assessment as well as the insistence that the only real way to resolve the issue was by purchasing an additional separate protection plan/deductable. As a related side-note, the watch is still in great condition and I applaud my 8 year old for keeping it as well maintained as he has (especially given the fact that it is after all a wearable device worn by children, see the condition for yourself in the uploaded pics attached to this review). The representative from Gabb then took it a step further and threatened that if I moved forward with the battery-life warranty claim and the manufacturer were to formally deny the claim, I would then be billed directly for the full cost of the watch replacement. At this point I was confused and perhaps you reading this are as well; Having bought the watch from Gabb I assumed they and ‘the manufacturer’ were one and the same. When questioned, the representative explained that Gabb is actually just the cell service provider, and for all relative purposes a separate entity from the manufacturer of the Gabb watch I had purchased. This (sort of) explained the concept of the two separate warranty’s (the included manufacturers warranty vs the additional extended one that was being pushed by Gabb). The Gabb representative re-recommended that I opt to pay for the additional extended protection as the only path forward towards a resolution. I reexplained that the watch was not damaged or ‘banged up’ in any way, and as we had both already decided it was merely experiencing a battery life issue that should be covered by the ‘manufacturers’ warranty. After 2 HOURS of back and forth, 2 representatives, 12 uploaded watch photos of various angles and lighting, and 1 supervisor, they (Gabb) eventually issued approval for a replacement.Long short of it, if you are one of the customers that gets a defective watch / bunk battery, Gabb will fight tooth and nail to not to cover their responsibility to you as the consumer. This experience genuinely felt like a shakedown / scam. There are plenty of other companies that offer similar products. If I could go back in time, I would opt to choose any other one than Gabb. The conversation between Gabb Support and myself is below. Decide for yourself:11:55 AM | Wallace from Gabb: Thank you. My review team is check over the updated photo now.12:04 PM | Wallace from Gabb: My review team states the Manufacturer would likely decline our request for a free replacement due to the condition of the watch due to the top of it looking a bit banged up.While the manufacturer may not be able to replace this for free, we do have an extended warranty that we could add to the account to get you a replacement for a $40 deductible. I’d also be willing to credit the account $25 for your next months bill to meet you in the middle on this.12:11 PM | Frank: That’s unacceptable. The watch only has normal use wear and tear. It is not ‘banged up’ nor has it been dropped. The issue is with the performance of the battery.12:12 PM | Frank: I’d like to be transferred to a supervisor.12:14 PM | Wallace from Gabb: Unfortunately, if we send this request to the manufacturer, they would deny the claim due to the condition and would then send you a bill directly for the full cost of the watch replacement. This is why I have recommended using our Extended Warranty that we provide separately from the manufacturer’s.12:20 PM | Frank: This feels like a scam. The watch is 10 months old and worked fine for 9 of those 10. The battery is advertised to work up to 18 hours. Mine now within the last month goes from 100% to 0% in 3 hours with little to no use. It’s clearly a defective battery issue. What is the warranty policy for an issue like this?12:23 PM | Frank: Also, who am I speaking with if not the manufacturer?12:23 PM | Wallace from Gabb: Typically, we would use the manufacturer’s warranty to cover something like this. But like I advised earlier, the damage to the top of the watch, unfortunately, would prevent it from qualifying.12:24 PM | Wallace from Gabb: We are the cell service provider. We do not manufacture our own devices simlar to other carriers.12:24 PM | Frank: The watch is not damaged.12:26 PM | Wallace from Gabb: This is a snip of the top of the watch from the photo you sent us. It indicates the device has either been banged up, dropped or picked at.12:28 PM | Frank: Normal wear and tear. Not banged up, dropped, or picked at. I’d like to speak with a supervisor.12:36 PM | Wallace from Gabb: One of our supervisors is reviewing our chat and the previous decision made by our review team. One moment please.12:39 PM | Wallace from Gabb: Our supervisor appreciates the extra photos you have sent and has approved the manufacturer’s warranty. Can you verify your shipping address for me?12:44 PM | Wallace from Gabb: The replacement order has been submitted. You will be recieving a few emails in regards to it. The 1st is just the order confirmation.A second email will be sent when the new watch ships. It will include a shipping label for you to print and put on the shipping box that the new watch comes in, then you can put the old watch in there and ship it back to us.12:46 PM | Wallace from Gabb: Are there any other questions or concerns that I can tackle with you today?12:46 PM | Frank: Yes. Please pass along to your supervisor that I’m very disappointed in this 2 hour shakedown tactic you’ve employed today. An insignificant zoomed- in -on small abrasion on a child’s wearable digital device should never ever be used as an excuse (to attempt) to void your warrant/responsibility to the consumer.12:50 PM | Wallace from Gabb: I have passed this information to our feedback team and I have also added a free month of service to your account for the time you’ve spent working on this today.12:51 PM | Wallace from Gabb: Is there anything else I can help you with?