Broken sensor on Aria

[hapleonard]

My scale was giving consitently showing  the 'step off' sensing message. I read how to open it up and look inside and sure enough, the plastic mounting bracket that holds one of the sensors was broken. Support told me that I was out of warranty, replacement parts are not available and there is no repair option.

Since this is not only, the most expensive scale I have ever purchased, but also the most short lived scale I can not recommend that anyone purchase it. If someone in support can contact me and give me a repair option I'll change my tune.

Moderator edit: format

[SunsetRunner]

Opening the Aria (when under warranty) can void the warranty.

As far am aware Fitbit doesn't do repairs.

[JuanJoFitbit · Accepted solution]

@hapleonard It's great to see you in the Community! As my friend @SunsetRunner mentioned, opening the Aria might get the warranty invalid. I contacted Support and they will be reviewing your case. Keep an eye on your email account for further notices.

Let me know if more questions arise my friend and I'll be around! 

[cdcl85]

Hi, the same thing happened to mine. Just over one year of use, and I was continually getting the sensing message, then very low light, and now I don't get a measurement at all. The background turns on, but nothing shows in the white digits. I've changed the batteries and re-configured it multiple times and nothing. Please advise. 

[1drummer]

Glad to see you have this solved.

I have the same problem with Fitbit stating there is no fix. I said throw it away and support said yes.

I don't want to throw it away and if I have to I will not buy another one 😞

What was the solution to get it working please.

Thank you 🙂

[JuanJoFitbit]

@cdcl85 @1drummer A warm welcome to our Fitbit Community! So sorry to hear that your Aria scales are not turning their display. I recommend taking out the batteries, clean the contacts of the scales with a cotton swab and a little bit of alcohol. Once this has been done, put the batteries back in and check out if the display of your scales work properly.

Keep me posted on the outcome my friends!

[bcc243]

I had the same problem. I bought Bondic, which is a plastic welder. I took the broken plastic piece that holds the sensors off the scale and used the bondic to weld them back together and it works perfectly. The plastic weld is just as solid as the original molded plastic. The bondic was $19.99 at my local hardware store.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@bcc243 Thanks for joining us and welcome to the forums! I appreciate your help and contribution. I hope this can be taken into consideration by our friends above since it seems that is a good idea, Thanks for sharing my friend.

Don't hesitate to get back if any question arises my friend! 

[LennieG]

I just chatted with support (Steph). She told me I should Google how to open my Aria and see if the sensor wire is the problem. I was doing that when I saw this thread. 

If opening my Aria myself invalidates my warranty --

(1) how am I supposed to fix this persistent issue of "Thinking... Err"?

(2) why is Fitbit Support suggesting I do this myself?

N.B. I bought my Aria 2 years ago (Jun 2015). It has been a dream to use, and with our respective Alta, has truly helped my daughter and me maintain active healthy lifestyles. Until this "Err" issue came up a few weeks ago. Is the Fitbit line not a good investment as I thought it was???? 

[bcc243]

Mine has been great for over 3 years. My young son started lifting it an
dropping and cracked the plastic sensor. It seems cheap but without the
drops by my son it would have been fine. Easy fix though.

[Disheartened]

You are very fortunate, judging by my experience and the multiple comments on this forum. 

My scale is 16 days out of the 1 year warranty and suddenly stopped working, I get the dreaded ERR message!  Tried all the reset tricks then called customer support. They went through the same tricks without success. They said since it is out of warranty there is nothing they can offer. I have had multiple fit bits over the past 6+ years but am really irritated with this response. When this scale problem has been an issue for many years I would expect a fix from Fitbit. These scales are way to expensive to only last a year for most people. They’ve lost a loyal customer. I will be switching to another product!!

[bcc243]

I agree with about the quality for the price. But if your handy, you can fix it. It has to be opened up and the plastic sendor has to be glued back together. I found a video on you tube of someone who showed how to open up. The i bought this liquid plastic that gets cured with the provided uv light. There are four sensors on each corner. Gind the one that is cracked and it can be fixed. Mine is still working great after the repair. It took me 30 minutes.

[JuanJoFitbit]

I see new faces in the community, welcome aboard @Disheartened! I'm sorry to hear that your Aria scale showed an "ERR" message. I'm also sorry to hear that it's no longer under warranty. I really appreciate your feedback and comments. The warranty period is good for 365 days and I understand your frustration.

For more information about the warranty policy, please visit this page.

@bcc243 I truly appreciate your input the workaround you shared. Thanks for the help and contribution and I'm glad to hear that this helped you to get the issue resolved.

See you later my friends! 

[mdjson]

I opened my aria and found the plastic on two of the feet were broken. I assume that the excess bend angle of the sensor caused the err message.  Now I need to know where to get replacement feet

[bcc243]

I couldn’t find the replacement part. I used a product called Bondic to repair the cracked pieces. It’s a liquid that hardens into plastic when activated with the supplied UV light. I fixed mine a few years ago and it still works great.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[mdjson]

Good to know. I may give it a try. Mine appears to have two failed feet
and the other two show significant stress fractures.

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Moderator edit: personal info removed

[JuanJoFitbit]

@mdjson I noticed that you joined our Fitbit Community recently, welcome aboard! Since you mentioned that your scale had a broken piece, I'll forward your case to our Support team so they can investigate further and provide a solution. You should receive an email from them soon.

@bcc243 Thanks a lot for sharing your solution my friend!

See you both later! 

[Fortuncuke]

Did you ever get it fixed. I am going to assume you’re have the same problem. My Aria is doing the same thing. I purchased it in October 2015 and called today and was told I could buy a new one and they would cover overnight cost but the scale would be full price. WHAT?? No way. I’ll go buy a $20 one that will last 15 years. Geez. I loved the idea of this scale, but no repair support or even a trade program make me so angry at the FitBit company. 😡

[mdjson]

I found a post that explained how to fix the sensor feet. After taking the
unit apart and inspecting the feet I found two feet with cracked supports.
After weighing my options I tossed the unit. I agree with you about no
repair support or trade option. I did hear of one person getting a price
break after their unit broke. But that did not happen with me. I will
stay with my old spring scale and write down my weight if I want to track.
good luck with your scale

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Moderator edit: personal info removed

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Fortuncuke @mdjson I truly appreciate your feedback about the Aria scale and I understand how you guys feel since your scales are no longer under warranty. Your feedback will be forwarded to our team since this helps us to keep improving.

Please visit this page for more information about the warranty policies.

I'll be around if you have any doubts!