Blaze not working as normal

[HB2]

Hi all,

My Blaze is dead. I noticed that my battery was requiring more frequent charges for about 2 weeks. The screen froze several times. I attempted to update the firmware this week then my blaze died. I placed it in the charger hoping that would reset it. It has not responded.

Somone please help. I have loved my Blaze.

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[SunsetRunner]

So sorry to hear this @HB2!! Try restarting it 2 or three times. If that does not work, contact Support.

[HB2]

How is that done if it is dead?
It does not power on.

[SunsetRunner]

You can still,go thru the steps in the instructions with a dead Blaze. Be sure to do it 2 to 3 times. 

[Gonzob]

And as I've posted elsewhere, pushing the buttons on a dead device is an exercise in futility. If it's unresponsive, you're only pushing the buttons to feel better. It's not going to do anything.

Unless of course, it's only a zombie. In which case it just LOOKS like it's dead...

[Dj115]

Hi there my fitbit has done the same does not charge from 3 different docks and noticed while in the 4 charger ports I devastated just doesn't turn on it charge....

[Rich_Laue]

With the blaze some have been successful getting there unit working by pressimg the buttons while the tracker is in its charger charging with the lid open 

[Gonzob]

Appreciate the input Rich, but that also failed. 

I've tried:

- cleaning the contacts

- changing the charging adapter (the one that plugs into the wall)

- checking the voltages on the pins (2.7v and .7v, IIRC)

- pushing the buttons to restart WHILE it's in the charger

So the charger is working and it won't even restart with power applied. Guess it's time to call support back with my case number. Hopefully they can handle this. 

The thing is, I used it for a year with no issues. Yeah, it needed a restart occasionally. But no issues. My wife then bought me a new (mechanical) watch that I've worn for several months. I decided to go back to the Blaze and it's now dead. It was fine when I stopped wearing it. 

[Gonzob]

So here's the deal (or not, depending on your point of view, I guess). 

I talked to a tech 2 days ago. They suggested I clean the contacts and try resetting it again. That failed. 

I then called back yesterday and talked to another tech. He did all kinds of troubleshooting and found the following (proven in one fashion or another, I can explain, if needed):

1. The charger works. 

2. They were getting info from it on their end yesterday (seems it sends them the firmware version, data, etc.)

3. This issue (and this is key) STARTED BEFORE the warranty expired.

3. it will not restart on my end.

So the watch is apparently working (taking what he said yesterday). Yet it will not reset or come on. He also agreed that it started before the warranty expired. He went on to say that it "appears" to be caught in a firmware update loop. That is, the firmware is old (relatively speaking) and that it is trying to do an update. But it is caught in a loop trying to do this so it won't start. So while this started BEFORE the warranty expired AND it is apparently an issue with the firmware, all he would offer is a 25% discount on a new one. I told him that was ridiculous as it's obviously a problem they caused. He said all I could do was talk to a supervisor/manager. 

Today I called (previous conversations were via chat) and talked to a "supervisor". He held by the line citing that it is out of warranty so he can't do anything except offer the 25% discount if I wanted to buy a new one. He also agreed that it started before the warranty ran out and that it was an issue with their firmware. But, that's all he can do. 

So for those of you that have gotten replacements out of warranty, good for you. I asked how that could happen and he claimed he had "no knowledge" of how that could happen. Once the warranty is expired, 25% is all they "can" do, despite the documented cases where it's NOT true.

I asked him then why would I buy another $200 watch that may very well do the same thing in a year? He had no comment. I pointed out that, even to their own admission, this is a firmware issue and that it started before the warranty ran out. Again, no comment except to offer 25% on a new one.

Take this as a word of caution along with all the other issues written in these forums about the Blaze. If you have an issue with yours, there is no guarantee FITBIT WON'T REFUSE THE WARRANTY. A warranty is only as good as the company honoring it and in my case, they won't. Despite them even agreeing it is their issue.

You will ask, why would I expect them to honor a warranty 6 months after it expired? My answer is simple. By their own admission, it is a firmware issue (no control over that on by me) and it started BEFORE the warranty expired. So why shouldn't I expect them to honor it? OK, the firmware became out of date. Does that mean the watch should quit working altogether with no recourse to bring it up to date? I've worked in IT for over 30 years and have dealt with a lot of firware upgrades. I have NEVER seen a case where outdated firmware would cause the device to completely fail.

I told him that if this is all he can do, despite having several fitbits in the past and it being their issue, I will NEVER buy another and that he just lost a customer and that it will be written up in this forum as a very unhappy customer. Sorry to say...

And for what it's worth, their 25% discount brings the price down to what you can get it for on Amazon.