Charge 5 is unresponsive

[SunsetRunner]

My Charge 5 was working fine, then after a walk today, it just died--totally unresponsive. I've used the button on the cable to try to reset it--press 3 times in 8 seconds, holding for 1 sec each time, and pressing and holding the button for 10 seconds--and nothing. It did eventually go to the fitbit logo, but no further. Now it's just unresponsive. What kind of scam is this? Did a firmware update get pushed out that bricked all Charge 5's? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Dbeachsmiley]

I took mine off to take a swim , after swim I noticed my screen is blank and the app can’t locate the watch. Mine is less than a year old and was working fine. It’s really strange that it’s all of the sudden like that. I can’t even restart it ☹️

[Talahthas]

Welcome back to the Fitbit community, @SunsetRunner and @Dbeachsmiley!

Sad to hear that you're having issues with your Charge 5. Please clean the contacts on the back of your devices and those on their charging cables. Then check if you're able to charge your devices making sure to have it connected to known functional power sources.

If they still don't react, I'd suggest contacting Fitbit support to get further assistance:

Fitbit Support Contact 

[SunsetRunner]

I have cleaned the contacts on the back of my charge 5, as well as the charger. When I reconnect the charge 5 to the charger, it goes to the logo screen for a bit, then goes black. I've also held the button on the charger for anywhere from 10 seconds to 1 minute, as well as pressed the button 3 times, for 1 second a press, within 8 seconds. Still a black screen. I understand, @Talahthas, that you're just doing what the script you've been given says, but this is NOT an isolated issue. There are a LOT of users, here an on the fitbit subreddit, all saying the same thing--their charge 5 just stopped working all of a sudden. You need to go up the chain and ask whether anyone is looking into whatever software update was recently pushed out, and what could have caused it to brick so many devices. 

I've trashed my charge 5. I WON'T be buying a new device from fitbit. 

[Talahthas]

Before throwing the towel, you might also have a look here to see if something mentioned in this article might be of any help:

Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging? 

[Talahthas]

Thanks for your feedback, @SunsetRunner!

As much as I understand your disappointment about your experiences, please keep in mind that support and community forums like this one have most often to be considered hospitals. No one of those thousands users without any issues will stop by just to tell us how well their devices are running. But those dozens who are having issues, will do. So it's not rational to judge the general reliability of a certain product on the sheer numbers of users complaining in the forums alone as long as you don't have any clue on it's sales numbers. There can always be production runs that are faulty, but that's were the manufacturers' warranty kicks in. Or even the complete production of a product is called back and the customers are compensated. This happens everywhere. Having worked for 30 years in IT service and support, almost two decades of them as a member of our AASP team, I can approve that quite a lot.

And, just for the records, we members of the Fitbit Community Council don't have to follow any scripts.

[SequinFreud]

 @Dbeachsmiley @SunsetRunner @Talahthas Add one more Fitbit Charge 5 to the morgue. Mine died at 13 months, although I will say customer support was very helpful in attempting to solve the issue.