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

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says buyers of his new e-paper smartwatches should know what they’re signing up for and trust Pebble to fix things if they run into problems, even if they have a short warranty. “I think the most important thing is trust,” Migicovsky told me in an interview this week. “Do people believe in the products we’re making and trust the company and the people behind it?”

Migicovsky he revived Stone at the beginning of last year, after the original company was closed in 2016. The new generation of Pebbles has the same aesthetics, but with modern technology, including large displays of e-paper. I was happy to return to Pebble after I ran out of originals, but hesitated when I saw their 30-day warranty. It’s as long as the Pebble Time 2’s battery life, so you won’t need to charge it before it’s covered again. When I finished ordering a Pebble Round 2 which I’m still waiting for, some say he raised concerns about the guarantee of security.

People have reported that they are running into hardware issues early on, such as the front glass being broken on the Pebble Time 2. Earlier this week, Migicovsky addressed the issue in blog poststating that Pebble has replaced 330 free Time 2s so far, for more than 19,000 watches “in the field.”

Pebble’s blog says that it will “continue to replace reported cases of broken glass for free as much as possible. Next time, we will replace it and offer a replacement at a much lower price.” In addition, Pebble is “looking” at offering repair kits so people can DIY their watches.

Although Migicovsky did not give a time frame for the change, he emphasized Seaside that “very few” watches have had this issue, adding, “It’s all business, there’s no skin behind us to just give free watches to anyone who has a problem.”

“In every way we communicate, we overcommunicate what we can expect (and) what it will be.” Pebble warned its customers to announce for the Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2 not to buy one if they want a “polished watch,” noting that “Things may not last as long as you’d like.”

“This is a relaunch of something that we love, and we really want it out there in the world,” Migicovsky told me. “In terms of how we support the industry, there are certain things that we can sign up to do, and there are certain things that we can’t.”

“You can expect something that will work well, something that will make you smile, but we can’t guarantee that maybe some companies or some consumer companies can have their own sales chains and networks of stores around the world to help in places.

“It’s Stone, by and large,” says Migicovsky. “If you enjoyed the first trip, you might like the second trip.” But that being said, it is not exactly the same as the first time.