Charge 5 battery draining too fast

[SharleneH]

I have had the new Charge 5 for 2 days. The battery discharges within a day. GPS is off, the phone is not set to always on. In looking over the troubleshooting instructions from Fitbit, it seems that you essentially have to disable all of the features that were selling points of this device in order to get decent battery life. Even my ancient Charge 3 got 6 days on one charge! Has anyone with this battery problem found a solution other than disabling everything?

[june.h]

Guys, last post of mine.

So I told them I will return this thing(well, I don’t want to call it a device since I turn off all the features and never use it, it only lasts 24 hours), so they told me I have to tell them once I ship this thing back, otherwise they can’t refund me the money. (Well, I am still under 45 days money back guarantee)

In my whole life, 26 years. I have never do such thing. I never need to return a product and knock there door and say “hey, I returned it, remember give me back my money”.

thanks Fitbit for letting me gaining some new experience.

———————

update of my issue:

Some of my posts were deleted by their team. 

The device lasts only 24 hours after the trouble shooting. No replacement provided.

end of the story.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, I'm sorry to see that many of you are still having this issue with the battery life of Charge 5. 

As mentioned earlier, all your feedback is greatly appreciated and the team continues to evaluate every case individually. 

If you're new to this thread, keep in mind that some users have been affected by an issue with the GPS chip, in which the built-in GPS chip may remain active after ending a GPS-enabled exercise and they've working on an update to fix the issue. The team is aware of this and they've working on an update to fix the issue. Please follow all the recommendations mentioned here earlier if you're having this problem  

However, since not all battery draining problems are related to the issue with the GPS chip, if you already tried all the troubleshooting steps suggested and you're still having this problem, please make sure to get in touch with the Customer Support team (even if you already received a replacement), so they can provide you with the next steps. 

See you around. 

[spongerd82]

This would be wonderful... but...

I have 'chatted' with support 4 times. I tried every 'fix' that was recommended. The chat, I was told: 'we are working on firmware update'. Whn I asked for a ETA, I wasn't given one. I then called support, gave them both of my case numbers. Explained that I have done every step asked. They admit my charge 5 drains too fast, but blamed it on AOD, which I explictly keep off. They said I was lying. I asked for a replacement and was told they have to look into it.

So, whats the point of telling us to contact support considering they are just going to blame us and say our settings are causing less than 2 days of battery? Needless to say, FItbit has really fail to approach this issue with class and respect for the customer. Perhaps it will take a large enough group of people to begin posting negative reviews on social media?

[GJT]

The Firmware update is a long time coming, as the product is not fit for purpose or as described an offer of replacement or refund should be offered after tests are done. This is obviously a major issue i am on my third one now and yes they have been replaced but only after going on the Fitbit customer service Merry-Go-Round. 

If you follow the thread of the posts the device not doing as its supposed to is bad enough but injury is added to insult when contacting customer services to be told its your fault you have enable always on display or GPS which clearly the customer hasn't. 

your aftersales service is at the heart of the problem so to ask customers to call seems inconsistent with getting a remedy instead it off we go down the deceit tunnel, I don't use that term lightly but its clear customer services are suggesting its a user issue when its not.

Fitbit do what a responsible manufacture does when they get it wrong, admit & sort the problem

[stdinh15]

Finally got an offer to replace my charge 5. 

My 2 cents of the supports thus far. Grade : F💩

- Though the reps aren't explicitly saying it, it is very apparent that the representative (via chat) are beginning from the stance that the customer is probably at fault or is flat lying. 

- The representative failed to reference the information provided before the chat connected. (Happened 4 times. Only the final rep which processed the replacement bothered to read it. )

- The representative failed to explain what the troubleshooting steps were aiming to solve. This resulted in a lot of wasted time redoing steps I've done before and feeling very frustrated. 

- The representative is quick to try and get rid of me in the name of "monitor your device for the next 24 hours". This resulted in 4 different "monitoring" rounds with small tweaks, when everything could have been combined into one. This comes down to respecting the customers time.

- Offering false narratives. AOD and GPS set to dynamic should not result in 24 hours of battery life regardless. STOP trying to push this as normal. Sometimes the customer needs to know that the device could be defective, since many will still have a return window with the point of purchase. I don't care if your team is working to fix it when I can could have just returned it. 

I don't know if this an incentive issue or poor training, but I expected more from a premium brand such as Fitbit.☹️

[shimsim]

Joined this thread back on page 13, that was back in December 2021 but the thread dates back to September so in principle it's been almost been 6 months. There is really no excuse for this kind of customer service over a known and well-documented issue ..... this is coming from someone who actually managed to get a replacement. Even my experience was not great in terms of how the issue was initially approached with the presumption by support staff that it's me doing something wrong and having to go through weeks of 'trying and testing' not to mention all the wasted 'chat time' to finally get a replacement unit.

If there is anyone at Fitbit reading this (not just davidefitbit, who to his credit, tries his best but ultimately just adds fuel to the fire because he's missing the point), you have a serious customer service problem when it comes to handling these kinds of issues. Not sure if this has been fueled by the Ionic recall and wanting to reduce losses, but nobody reporting a fast battery drain issue on the charge 5 should be having to jump through hoops to get a replacement. Its fairly simple to diagnose, if you are not using GPS and screen always on, then it should be lasting at least 5 days. If its draining 20-30% overnight, something is wrong and if the battery drains in a non-linear way, i.e. 5% on the first few days then 40% on the last day (when you are using it in the same way) then guess what ..... its got a problem and its not the customer 'using it wrong'. Fair enough, try the reset, try some appropriate steps, but beyond that, I cant understand why the burden on proof should be on the customer at this stage.

To be honest, even this replacement that I got is not great, compared with the first unit I have, the screen constantly wakes, even at the slightest touch, totally different sensitivity to the first device (and yes, screen wake is set to manual), so even though I'm getting better battery life now, 7+ days, its still draining faster than it should be because of the screen on time. All of this is just destroying the credibility of Fitbit and it's a real shame because I am invested in the brand, I like the products (when they work) and don't really want to jump ship. Get it together!

[spongerd82]

Well, at this point, it's obvious that the support teams are being feed the same BS line of text from their managers, who are getting it from the higher ups. I think they are rolling the dice at this point. They are hoping to send a firmware update that will fix whatever issue they know IS causing this (for the ones that do not have deffective hardware). My guess is that they are willing to piss off the few people who happened to get the deffective ones. They then just use rude service techs and force us into backing down. I think thi will be a 'luck of the draw' situation. Some of us will get lucky and talk to the right person, some will not. The only way I really see this being fixed if for there to be a MASSIVE number of deffective devices in the wild.

[shimsim]

Probably right, I'm sure there is a formula being used that factors in the projected number of defective units, customers that will complain, customers that will be lost, cost of processing a return, etc etc (like the car recall formula bit from Fight Club) and that is what will define the policy and directives given to support staff rather than what is the right thing to do. This is just the sad reality of most large companies, at some point the objectives of shareholders outweigh the rights of the customers that helped them grow in the first place. Not saying that is the case here but would not surprise me in the least.

[JLB7289]

Sigh. Signing on for the first time in a long while. Back when I got the Charge 5 right at launch, they wouldn't let me get a replacement, I had to send it back and get a refund and then I bought another one...which was working fine in terms of battery life...for a time, but now it needs re-charging after four days. Now, that's better than the first one but horrible compared to the Charge 3 and 4 I owned. And no, I have never used GPS and never keep the screen continuously on, this **ahem** thing is not my first Fitbit!

But way worse than that is the horrible customer service. Very disappointing. When they announce the Charge 6 I won't be quickly jumping on that bandwagon the way I did with the 4 and 5, the company has earned my skepticism.

[Bike-man]

Got mine in December of 21.  Had initial battery problems but after reset things have worked well.  What surprises me (maybe it shouldn’t ) that this issue in one form or another has been going on long enough to have nearly 25 pages of discussion.  Long enough Fitbit, your customers are trying to tell you something.  Stop frustrating us with with troubleshooting madness.  Either fix the issue ( firmware update), replace the defective devices or issue a refund.  
Fitbit owes much thanks to customers who have been persistent in trying to resolve this issue, don’t punish them. 

[june.h]

They also deleted my posts, trying stop me telling the truth.

[shimsim]

@june.h I've had posts deleted too for sharing information that was deemed 'inappropriate' even though its readily available on Reddit and a few posts that were poking fun at the inability of Fitbit to even respond to a feature request (Allow multiple devices on the same account) that has been around for more than 8 years, is 79 pages long and have almost 2000 votes.

I do think some of the moderators are a bit quick to act and dont appreciate that if we are posting here its because we have been let down by customer service and we are here because we want community support. Its not ideal to be censoring the community, would be better to openly address all issues and concerns raised. 

[Wildcatguy]

"Non-linear' battery drain is a great way to describe the problem I'm having.  GPS is off.  So is Always On Display.  I have also shut off all push notifications from my phone to the Charge 5.

One day, I might use 5% battery life.  The next day, I may use 60%.  All of this when I never changed anything or did anything differently.

It is maddening.  Otherwise, I find the Charge 5 to be a fine tracker. (The 6th different Fitbit I have owned.)

Still, what's the point of having a good tracker, if I have to shut off the best features to keep the battery alive?

[shimsim]

@Wildcatguy sounds like the same battery issue, my first unit was doing that, the last day would drain anything up to 50%, even overnight, compared with the first few days after charge that would drop 5-10%. The replacement unit I got had a predictable and steady drop of 10-15% every day, assuming typical usage of course. Using the GPS or having the screen on all the time is obviously going to have a massive impact on battery usage.

Its definitely a good device when it works, but does feel it was rushed out or perhaps another victim of the global supply chain issues.

[grimacelee]

Does not work for me. I tried all the troubleshooting listed. I just bought this last March 8, 2022 and I cannot return it to the seller for replacement (Shipped from Hongkong to Philippines). How do I get this faulty device replaced?

[Bike-man]

Try either chat or call.  https://myhelp.fitbit.com/s/support?language=en_US&co=US
Sorry you had to join the club.  Good luck.   

[Unhappy_mother]

I am having similar problems.  I bought my Charge 5 Sunday, March 6. I got 6 days out of it. Changed it to 100% last night and wore it to bed. When I woke up this morning, the battery life was at zero. I had changed nothing that I already had set on day one.  I was finally able to upgrade from my Charge 2, which still works minus sleep monitoring. Not bad for 5 years. If the Charge 5 does not want to hold a charge,  I will be returning it. 

[spongerd82]

Just another update on my situation. After a 4th chat, I was able to get them to offer a warranty claim. It seems that it's a 'luck of the draw' for who get's the right person willing to work with us. I did have to be rather insistant to get the claim aproved. They said again that there's a firmware in the works, but could not give me a timeline or ETA. They also said there is a chance that the replacement device will have the same issue. I am well aware of the risks, but told them it's worth the risk because I currently have a 3 month old device that randomly works but I never know when the battery will suddenly die. Without an ETA for the fix, I would rather roll the dice and get a replacement. If that one has issues, I will just have to keep on them. They aggreed to send me another device. Now, let's hope the one they send is NOT made in China, which seems to be the common attribute with faulty batteries. 

For what it's worth, I did try to have them send me a Lux or even Inspire, but they can only do same device service. This has been a massive issue for many of us. I really wish Fitbit, as a company, would admit they have an issue and send a notification with updates to their Charge 5 owners. Instead, they are trying their best to minimize their losses and accepted that it's okay to lose some unhappy customers rather than face the issue head on. This is a pretty telling concept for such a large company. They bought Pebble, which I was a longtime user of, only to drop the tech. Now that Google owns Fitbit, I had high hopes. I was wrong... They are just another profit hungry business willing to take small losses with the hopes of big gains overall.

[Bike-man]

Thank you for the update and comments.   I think it is important to keep this thread going as long as it takes.   Keep on poking Fitbit to become more transparent and give customers the recognition they deserve with quick replacement of defective devices.   
Best of luck with your replacement.  

[Bug25]

Feeling exactly the same. It’s glitchy and definitely wasn’t ready to be rolled out in Australia. My charge 2 did a better job.