FitBit Alta band breaking

[TaylorBurroughs]

I'm not sure if anyone else is having this problem, but this is the second Alta band I've gone through in only about 6 months now. They both start to come up on the side of the Alta itself, and after a couple weeks of that they just tear off completely. The first one I thought might have happened just because I was wearing the device on a snug setting, but this one I have worn slightly looser than I like and it's still breaking. Any advice?

[MiaTur]

Hi
No replacements kept breaking g. Upgraded to Charge 3 and so much better no problems so would definitely recommend.
Maria

Sent from my iPhone

[Graham-London]

Hi Aya,
I bought a replacement rubber wrist band from Fitbit and after six months or so it broke too. I’ve now bought very cheaply - about £12 for two - metallic mesh bands with magnetic fastening, on Amazon, from a Chinese manufacturer and so far so good although it’s only been a few weeks but because they were cheap I won’t be so annoyed if they break. And I bought two just in case and different colours for different occasions.
There are many non-Fitbit branded bands online and they’re much cheaper than the useless Fitbit ones.
Good luck,
Graham

Sent from my iPhone

[jmacpher]

I've found the cheap copies great. It's ok if they don't last very long if I only paid a few dollars. I find the holes for the clasp are just not as good as the original, but work fine.

[GraceGFitbit]

Hey there @Aya_, @Fuzzyfur, @MiaTur, @Graham-London and @jmacpher. It's great to see you participating in our Community!

@Aya_ , I'm sorry to hear that your replacement band has broken again, this is not expected to happen.  I just confirmed with our Support Team that you have been in touch with them after posting here. They have sent an email after your call, please make sure to reply back to it with the information requested so they can continue with the follow-up with this. 

It's very important for us to read what are you experiencing. Fitbit is always reviewing your responses to provide feedback to our product development team so thanks for sharing. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions, comments, or concerns.

[vancitynat]

Just found this and not sure if you still have or use your fitbit... but you can but the bands for super cheap on Amazon. 10 colour pack for only $24!

[Aya_]

Yeah I gave up with the cheap bands Fitbit gives out and got a metal mesh one from Amazon! It looks nicer and it's lasted longer so far

[MiaTur]

Thanks so much I ended upgrading to Charge 3 no problems with bands at all

Sent from my iPhone

[MiaTur]

I agree

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[Collins_B]

Exact same thing has happened to me. I’ve had my Alta HR for 18 months and three of the bands have now failed (the latter two were free replacements from FitBit as they broke while the device was under warranty).

The first two broke after less than six months of use; the third broke today after just seven months. It is the same clasp element on the band (buckle side), which connects to the device, that has failed on all three occasions.

Clearly a common and known design flaw – the cynic in me suspects it is deliberate, engineered to keep profits churning via continuous accessory purchase. If anything, this encourages me to steer away from Fitbit products. 

I could seek out YET ANOTHER replacement, thought I suspect they won’t offer me one now that the tracker is out of warranty. 

[Fuzzyfur]

They wont replace it. That's exactly what happened to me. Buy some from Amazon. I've bought leather & metal ones for a fraction of the cost of the Fitbit ones and they've lasted much longer.



Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

[Aya_]

My new band from Amazon is not only nicer, it hasn't broken AND firs better on my wrists. The original ones were uncomfortable especially at night. And they didn't breathe. I was afraid of getting a rash. I got a metal mesh one and it breaths amazingly and works better and for some reason it's more comfortable

[KristinJ1]

Yes. Thanks for post. Finally gave up on fitbit and bought a Garmin and have been quite happy with the tracking and watch fit.

[Graham-London]

I bought from amazon a great blue metal mesh strap - smarter than the Fitbit straps, cheaper, a perfect fit with the Fitbit, and it’s longer lasting. In fact they were so cheap I bought a second in a different colour for when the first broke but it hasn’t! Avoid Fitbit straps they’re expensive and don’t last. And amazon (I never thought I’d be recommending amazon!) has more choice

Sent from my iPhone

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @vancitynat and @Collins_B, welcome to the Community Forums. @Aya_, @MiaTur, @Fuzzyfur, @KristinJ1 and @Graham-London. It's nice to see you around. 

@vancitynat, @Aya_, @Fuzzyfur and @Graham-London, thanks for letting me know about your Alta bands and I'm sorry for the experience that you've had. I see where are you coming from and I'm glad to hear that you were able to find other bands that worked on your devices. Just note that non-official bands may damage the binding of your Fitbit and could void the warranty.

@Collins_B, I appreciate you for taking the time to share your feedback about the bands. This situation isn't something that should have happened and I'm sorry that you've had this experience. Fitbit is constantly developing improvements on our products and their performance based on the Community posts, this hasn't gone unnoticed and thanks again for the input.

@MiaTur, I'm glad to hear that you upgraded to the Charge 3, and thanks for letting me know that you've had a good experience with it!

@KristinJ1, thanks for sharing your thoughts about our Fitbit products. I see your point of view and we'll make sure to continue working on our devices so they can be improved based on your comments. You're always welcome back to the Fitbit family.

See you around.

[spikey_richie]

My wife has gone through 4 Alta bands in 2.5 years, they design is very poor.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @spikey_richie, I'm glad to see you around.

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about the bands. I see where are you coming from as this device was design to motivate you toward your goals, I'm sorry for the experience that you and your wife have had. Our team will keep working on our products and improve your experience with them, based on the Community posts.

I'll be around if your need anything else.

[ehang]

I'm having the same problem and it's so frustrating to deal with. What I find funny about this thread is that it says 'solved' but there is actually no solution. My band broke down in 6 months but it was still covered by the warranty so they replaced the band. It broke again 6 months later, just outside of the warranty window and fitbit will not replace. It just seems like there's always something faulty with their products-I've gone through a couple different fitbit products and the band seems to be a problem. I have always been a loyal fitbit user but I'm considering another company. It just seems wasteful (from a carbon footprint perspective) that these bands have to be thrown out every few months. 

[Aya_]

The solution, seriously, is to buy one from Amazon. Nicer and much better quality

[ehang]

Do you have a link you can provide? Thanks! 

[Fuzzyfur]

And Amazon bands are way cheaper. I'm ready to ditch my Alta over this text notification issue though. It's been more than 2 months and no solution to not getting texts on my Fitbit. In addition to that it seems to die (not low battery) and randomly changes time zones on me.

It's getting really annoying.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.