Ace 2 fell out of strap - gone in a week

[Jennql]

We bought my child a Ace2 and less than 10 days later it fell out of the strap at school and is lost. He is devastated. So am I - it was expensive!

We contacted customer service and they suggested we retrace his steps using the paired device to see if we could locate it - we did but no success. They said it was not covered under warranty and there was nothing they could do to help because it was lost (along with with standard crap about how they can't account for wear and tear - seriously, it was 10 days old!). 

I had noticed the strap seemed loose but assumed that there was no way that FitBit would sell a product that was so flimsy this would happen. But in looking through this thread, it seems it has happened a lot so it is obviously a product defect not a user issue.

 I'm surprised Fitbit isn't doing a better job of addressing this issue. And helping out all of us who spent a lot of money on a Fitbit that literally fell apart after a few days. Is there anyone in Customer Service that can help?

[DramaQueenDiva]

Hi @Jennql,

If you want to talk to anyone in Customer Support directly, the Forums isn't the way to do it, as the Fitbit employees don't always monitor the boards.  The best way to contact them is through Customer Support, which you have already done.

In terms of finding the Ace itself, there's an app you can download on your phone that works kind of like a metal detector, but for Fitbits.  It's free and it's called "Bit Finder Geo".  Download the app, go to your child's school, open the app, and turn your BT on.  It will ping all the Fitbits in the area, and once it gets closer to your child's Ace, it will ping faster until the Fitbit is found.  I've used it when I've misplaced my trackers around the house and have found them all in less than 10 min.

[warnie_cbr600]

Hi @jennql - there are many other similar threads on this forum of kids losing their Ace2.  It's a very common issue.  Feel free to search through and find some of those threads and the examples of how those complaints have been handled, but for your easy reference, below I've copy/pasted my final reply on one of those other threads:-

Hi everyone, I posted earlier this year about how my son lost his Ace2, and I provided a follow up a short time later with the email response I got from Fitbit Customer service.  But I thought I'd just let everyone know what the final outcome was for me.

Essentially over the course of about 2 weeks, I continued to argue with customer support that the product was clearly faulty and not 'fit for purpose', as demonstrated by the many, many, people complaining on the forums about their kids losing their device while they were doing everyday kid activities (eg. running around the playground).  Customer support continued to respond with the almost identical response of 'all Fitbit products are tested rigorously before entering the market' and therefore 'the product is suitable for the purpose it was designed'.  I would make the point that given many more people over the last few months have added to this forum page indicating their kids also lost their Ace2 continues to demonstrate the product IS a bad design that is NOT fit for purpose.

I also asked Customer Support to identify exactly which part of the warranty excluded my 'faulty' product from being replaced under warranty.  Each reply continued to only refer me to the warranty - in its entirety - with the last email received telling me bluntly 'I would find the reason within the warranty documentation'.

Essentially I gave up.  And after explaining to my son that if we bought another Ace2 he would just lose it again, we looked at other devices/brands.  We ended up purchasing a Garmin Vivofit 4, which is essentially exactly the same as the kids Garmin Vivofit Jr.2 - my son just wanted a plain black one, and the kids ones only came with bands that had cartoons or movie prints on them.  The Vivofit 4 (and the Jr.2) is awesome.  It doesn't even need charging - you just replace the battery when it goes flat every 12-15 months.  This was a big plus for my son, who always seemed to have a flat device just as we were about to go for a run, or a play at the park.  Admittedly the screen on the Vivofit isn't as bright or large as the Ace2, but its a small downside for a device that won't get lost again due to a bad design.

Fitbit have handled this issue very poorly in my opinion.  The fact that this issue continues to be a repeat problem demonstrates that there is an issue with the design of this product.  Fitbit should have admitted this problem, and helped customers with at least a discount on a new device as some compensation.  But instead, they're steadfastly sticking to their claim that there's nothing wrong with the product design, and that they can't replace the device under warranty for reasons you will find somewhere in the 120 page warranty document - just go find it yourself.

I've had quite a few Fitbit products in the past, and had been very happy until this recent experience.  But after this I won't be getting another Fitbit ever.  Samsung and Garmin devices it is from now on.

Best of luck to all those still trying to get some sort of help from Fitbit on this issue.

Cheers.