Charge 5 blank screen

[dkgs]

So my charge 5 has a black screen, is fully charged and counting steps which I can see with the app both on my computer and phone. The charge 5 is not connected to my phone via bluetooth and the display is black, but flashes a fitbit logo every 90 seconds or so and it is still recording information. It was fine this morning and then went beserk and showed 57,280 steps on the app then changed to the correct number. but no display or bluetooth. It won't reset that I can tell and can't be paired with anything since it can't be 'found' by bluetooth. Oh, and another fun fact.... apparently it was purchased from a non-authorized Amazon seller so Fitbit won't replace it even though it is under a year old. Fun times!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Talahthas]

Welcome back to the Fitbit community, @dkgs!

Sad to hear that your Charge 5 isn't working as expected. To hopefully get things fixed, I'd suggest restarting it. Before doing so you should make sure you've synced your device to not lose any data tracked so far. Also you should verify that the charging contacts on your device are clean and the charging pins on it's charging adapter are clean as well and can move flawlessly. In doubt, please have a look here:

How do I clean my Fitbit device?

Next please closely follow these instructions as timing is crucial for this procedure:

1.) Connect your Charge 5 to the charging cable which has to be connected to a reliable power source.
2.) Press the button located on the flat end of the charging cable 3 times within 8 seconds(!), holding each press for about 1 second(!).
3.) Wait around 10 seconds until the Fitbit logo appears on your device's display.

I'd like to point out that it sometimes requires more than one attempt to restart Charge 5. So, before throwing the towel, please give it another try.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @dkgs. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for trying to troubleshoot the issue with your Charge 5 before reaching out. We‘re taking into consideration your comments and sentiments with regards to our products and services.

If you haven't done so yet, please try the steps provided by @Talahthas. 

Regarding your inquiry about Amazon, please keep in mind that many things are sold by Amazon, but more than half of the stuff is sold by third party sellers. We provide support for your Fitbit device, but when it comes to reviewing your warranty, we provide a warranty if the Fitbit device was sold by Amazon or by Heartrate Monitors as  the warranty covers Fitbit products purchased directly from fitbit.com or an authorized retailer. We advise contacting the seller from whom you purchased the product for further assistance. 

For more information about our warranty, see fitbit.com/legal/returns-and-warranty or please feel free to contact our Support Team back so they can clarify any doubt. 

[SunsetRunner]

They know the firmware update is bricking watches, but they continue to push the update.  Then, they try to get you to buy another watch to increase their profits.  They purposely destroy your watch to make you buy it again.  Can you imagine if Windows, Apple, or Tesla tried this scam?

[dkgs · Accepted solution]

Okay, so there is nothing that can be done and I should not post anything here... because if the 'support team couldn't fix it no one can?

Thanks for helping me decide to pass on Fitbit in the future. Oh and I won't bother you guys with any more posts.

[ARWoods]

My sequence of events is very similar with some variation.
Yesterday I charged my device, when I took it off the charger the screen was blank. I put it on and went to sleep.
This morning it was still not responding so I started looking for help online.
I shut down and restarted my phone and I forced the app to close and restart.
The only suggested solution that had any result was the forced restart using the button on the charging cord.
Restarting many times had different results. At first it stayed black. Another time it showed the clock but was still unresponsive and the screen went black again. Then it displayed an X with a red circle. Eventually it started displaying the Fitbit logo (in blue) and it returns to that when restarted.
Throughout this process it has failed to sync (although it claims it synced around noon) and eventually I got indications that it was no longer connected via Bluetooth and it wont connect.
Since it is now displaying the logo constantly I will be able to tell when it runs out of power so my plan is to let it go completely dead then put it on the charger and see if it recovers.

Was all this caused by a firmware update?