The Jawbone Up Band was the talk of the tech community for several weeks leading up to its release in early November. After the product launched many customers complained that the band didn’t meet their expectations. This feedback led to the company offering a full refund to anyone who purchased the band, with the added bonus of keeping the product for free.
The California-based startup Lark Technologies is offering their product, the Lark Sleep System, for free in exchange for your Jawbone Up band.
Similar to the Up band, the Lark Sleep System tracks your sleep patterns and has a built in vibrating alarm. While the Up band focuses on improving your overall health, the Lark Sleep System is centered around improving your quality of rest and is only worn while you are asleep.
A few weeks ago I wrote a detailed post with my thoughts on the Jawbone Up band and offered insight into how I utilized it in my day-to-day life. Shortly after the writing of the post I stopped using my Jawbone Up. After giving the band a two week trial period, I decided that it caused more trouble than it was worth.
In the article I mentioned that the band made it difficult to type with on my MacBook Pro because it would often get in the way and place an uncomfortable pressure on my wrist. The band sat on my desk for about a week before I received the surprising email from Jawbone’s CEO, Hosain Rahman. Rahman notified users of the company’s “No Questions Asked Guarantee” which included a full refund of the purchasing price, the option to keep the band free of charge, and even the ability to select a $150 Jawbone gift card as payment.
Late Thursday night Venture Capitalist and blogger Michael Arrington announced Lark’s plan to take advantage of this opportunity. Arrington, who made full disclosure of CrunchFund’s investment in Lark Technologies, mentioned that he would continue to use his Up Band daily.Unfortunately that will not be the case for me.
Tonight I went through Lark’s simple trade-in process and will be mailing out my Jawbone Up tomorrow morning. I will be writing a full review of the Lark Sleep System after I spend some time testing it out. If you want to take part in this special promotion I’d suggest acting fast, your package must be postmarked by December 21st according to the Lark’s redemption rules.
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