Alta hot while charging

[lmendoza]

When I put my Alta to charge it started to get hot and suddenly stopped working. I have only had it a few months and follow the clean and care tips well. I have tried resetting it but anytime I put it on the charger it starts to heat up. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there any way to get this fixed or would I have to get it replaced?

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity

[LiliyaFitbit]

Hi @Kennaway and @g0akc, it's nice to see you again in our Community Forums!

@Kennaway I am glad to hear you've been in touch with Customer Support and received a replacement. 

@g0akc thank you for joining the conversation and sharing your experience with your wife's Fitbit Alta. I appreciate your feedback and suggestions and understand your concern, our team is always working on improving our devices and user experiences, and your comments are always welcome. I am sorry to hear you're unable to set up the replacement device. Thank you for letting me know that you're working with the Support team regarding this issue. I know they will be glad to help you in the best possible manner. 

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

[g0akc]

Thanks for the kind remarks, however I'm really not getting far with the support teams.

Some of the responses have been very patronising.

The latest suggestion is that our devices probably don't meet the requirements - that is plain ridiculous - I have checked and they sure do!

I have over 30 years experience in the electronics, IT and product testing industry, holding a masters degree in the topics and yet your support teams treat me like I'm straight out of the kindergarten....

[txberg]

I gave up trying. After this happening to two devices and constantly having to spend my time mailing them back, I decided I’m done with Fitbit.

Sent from my iPhone

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[g0akc]

Thanks Laura

We're pretty much at that point.

A further email this morning asking me to remove the Alta in Bluetooth settings and try again - as I've told them numerous times we did that already....  On two seperate iPhones.....  I've sent them screenshots.  

Yes, we tried turning it off and back on again, yes the power is on in our house, yes we have an Internet connection!

We're looking at giving the Alta away to a charity (thrift) store or something but don't want to do that with a faulty one.  I wouldn't want to do that to someone (not even my 'worst enemy' should have to go through this hassle).  

Meanwhile, I've received a replacement invitation from Fitbit - but that doesn't work either!  It says I'm not authorised the view the link.

[g0akc]

Latest is Fitbit have emailed to say they think our replacement Alta is probably faulty.  Several days to get to this point, having endured days of hassle and weeks of waiting previously.

They are preparing a return shipping label and will send another - this will be the replacement of a replacement of a replacement of a replacement.....   The others did sync and get worn for a while.  This one didn't make it that far.

We'll see how we get on with the next one.  I will likely test it and,mif it works, pass it on.

I sincerely hope others get a solution.

Update:

So, having said this morning that they will replace the tracker that was DoA (won't setup/sync) Fitbit now contact me this afternoon to say they have changed their mind and won't do that due to something around warranty limitations.....

This is after the one getting hot could probably have burned our house down if we left it on charge!

The customer service is dreadful.  Their promises are meaningless as they simply break them!  Just when you think they matter is resolved they kick you and let you down! 

They then have the cheek to suggest I buy another one!  I don't think so.....

Moderator edit: merged replies

[LiliyaFitbit]

Hello @g0akc and @txberg, thank you for your replies. 

@txberg I appreciate your participation in the Forums and sharing your experience. I understand your frustration and I'm sorry to hear about your decision. I appreciate your feedback since this helps us to keep improving.

@g0akc I am sorry to hear about your experience with the Support team. I am sure they tried to help you in the best possible manner, each case is reviewed individually and the solution that's being provided is based on the Fitbit Warranty. Once again I apologize for any disappointment. We provide feedback to our team based on the Community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and user experiences based on what you share here.

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know.

[g0akc]

#LiliyaFitbit



Thanks for the comments but that doesn't really cover it. There were some
particular circumstances that I had already gone over with the your support
teams and a replacement had been agreed. Then someone else comes along,
and, without knowing the facts, jumps to conclusions and decides on a
different course of action. Now there has been a further change and a
replacement has been agreed again. I'm about to ship the 'faulty' DoA Alta
back to Fitbit. I only hope the probles are not some sort of epidemic and
the replacement will work/set up OK this time.



Point is, customers should not have to go through all this hassle!

[LiliyaFitbit]

Hi @g0akc, thank you for the update. 

Thank you for sharing the additional details and your feedback about your experience with Customer Support. I'm sorry to hear that, I totally agree with you that the process should be more convenient and hassle free. Thank you very much for sharing your feedback since this helps us to keep improving. I hope the replacement device will work without any issues. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance.

[SunsetRunner]

I have just experienced the same problem, my replacement of a replacement Alta got red hot whilst charging and is now dead.

i have contacted support because there no longer seems to be a live chat option on the site. Has this been discontinued?

im fed up with Fitbit, either the battery doesn’t last and most of the functions have to be turned off or the device gets dangerously hot. 

[g0akc]

So, cutting a long story short, my wife's Fitbit has now been replaced.  It took ages due to issues with the Fitbit dispatch systems (some upgrade was apparently going on for about a week at one point) and so on.  They could no longer supply a Alta, so have supplied a Alta HR instead.

We managed to get this to sync - but not without problems.....    So much trouble but get a replacement in the end - we will see how long this one lasts...

[LiliyaFitbit]

Hi @g0akc, thank you for your reply. 

I am glad to hear your wife's tracker has been replaced. I apologize for all the waiting and hustle you have gone through. I appreciate your time and efforts and hope your wife will enjoy her replacement device without any issues. 

I'd like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics.

Best of luck with your health and wellness goals! Keep on visiting the forums. 

[Nenamcg]

Morning,
How can I track how my replacement/repair is progressing? It has been a few weeks now?

Regards,
Davina

[LiliyaFitbit]

Hi @Nenamcg, it's nice to see you again in our Community Forums! I am sorry for the delayed response. 

I am glad to assist you with your concern regarding the replacement process. I've updated your case and our Support team will be contacting you soon. Please keep an eye on your inbox. 

I'll be around if you need further assistance. 

[ErinOmaha]

Well, my Fitbit did the dreaded–became hot to the touch after charging for only a few minutes! I was gifted this a couple years ago... I don’t suppose there is any recourse for a Fitbit out of warranty? 

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @ErinOmaha.

Thank you for joining the thread and sharing the details of the issue with your tracker. I appreciate the information hat you received the tracker as a gift. I've sent your information to the Customer Support team so they can get in touch with you and provide further assistance. You should be getting a reply soon. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Kadisha]

As of today my fitbit Alta has become red hot when charging and turned itself off. Really sad as I don't seem to be able to reset it either. 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Kadisha , in that case I would definitely stop using it, because if it is red hot while charging that does not sound safe, and the battery may be failing.

As I am sure you will be aware, all rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan, and as the Alta is an older device, probably yours has come to the end of its life!

If you liked the Fitbit Alta I think you would love the Inspire or Inspire HR (I have more expensive ones, but for day to day I love the Inspire series).

It might be worth getting in touch with Fitbit if you are thinking of upgrading.  I know they used to offer a discount for loyal customers who have an out of warranty tracker failure.  I am not sure if they are still offering that.  Also you should be aware that due to the worldwide pandemic situation, support requests are taking longer than usual.

[LiliyaFitbit]

Welcome back to the Fitbit Community, @Kadisha. It's nice to see you around, @Julia_G. I am sorry for the delayed response.

@Julia_G I appreciate your helpful suggestions and support! 

@Kadisha thank you for joining the thread and sharing the details of the issue with your Fitbit Alta. I am sorry that you are going through this situation, I understand how you are feeling. I've sent your information to the Customer Support team so they can get in touch with you and provide further assistance. You should be getting a reply soon. 

Let me know if you have any questions.