Charge 5 no longer turns on

[Peles_Fire]

I've been having issues with my Charge 5 for the past two months.  Even when the battery was at more than 50% life, it would just randomly shut off, and only come back on when it was attached to its charger.  Last night, it shut off and so I tried the same fix, and now it will not turn on at all.  It does not respond to being put on the charger; no vibration, nothing.

I have followed all the steps in the forums and advice pages: I've cleaned the charger and the back of the device, I've tried the force reset button on the charger, I've tried plugging the charger into different power sources.  Nothing works.  It's just dead and unresponsive.

I did speak to an agent via the live chat function last night, and I've been told that I should expect an email as they were escalating the issue.  But I wasn't given a case number, or a timeline for that response, or any way to check back on the issue.  I'm putting this into the forum both as a way to document that this conversation took place, and in case others are having the same issue.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Peles_Fire, welcome to the community. If you are concerned about the lack of feedback talk to "Customer Support" again. Depending on where & when you bought your device you may have the benefit of Fitbit's warranty, it's a good idea to note when & where you bought it as the agent will need this information if it's a warranty claim.

I hope this helps.

Cheers

[goochyshoes]

My c5 shut off for the first time suddenly o. Saturday when the battery was near full. It only began functioning again when i attached to the charger but this did not last…i think the battery must be malfunctioning.

Have just tried to contact customer support but been told it is currently unavailable.

Lets stay in touch on this.

Best

[JenElsie]

Mine won’t turn on either, 

I charged it and on my phone it says the Fitbit is at 100%, it still tracks my steps and everything but the screen remains black.

[RiekoC]

Hello & welcome @goochyshoes and @JenElsie ,

Sorry to see that you are both having issues with your Charge 5.

If you have already tried the recommended troubleshooting steps of restarting your Charge 5 with the charging cable and changing the clock face without any success, please contact Fitbit support. When you connect with them, they will probably walk you through the same troubleshooting steps that you've already done. Once they confirm that none of the troubleshooting steps returns your device back to normal operation and if it's still under warranty, they should send you an offer to replace the tracker/pebble or a discount on a different device. If your device is out of warranty, they should send you an offer to replace it. Note: the discount is on the full price even if the device is on sale in the Fitbit store. 

Click here to get to: Fitbit support

[Sarahbw4780]

Oddly enough I have been having the same issue. Acting weirdly and shutting off and now the screen won't come on and has no response as of Saturday June 17th it stopped working. I have been escalated as well and awaiting a reply via email. How frustrating....

[lisa_sk8]

Same here. 🤬 I've had it shut off on occasion throughout the time I've had it (8months ish) but in the last week, it only turns on when attached to the charger. It was still tracking and syncing but that stopped yesterday too.

When I tried to get support via Live Chat, I couldn't see any of the support person's messages until they all came in succession only after she ended the chat. I figured I'd try phoning but unfortunately the gentleman I was speaking to has such a thick accent, I couldn't understand much of what he was saying. I politely asked to be transferred to someone else but he got upset and just continued to repeat whatever question he was asking me. Umm... what?? So I hung up and called again but this support person couldn't find my account through my email address. It's the email I get my weekly reports sent to, the one I just used to sign in to do the support Chat and the one that appears on my account settings but she couldn't find it. 

She walked me through the troubleshooting tips and changing the clock face seems to have fixed it (for now) but I'm concerned there is no record of this interaction should I have further issues... 

Sadly, not only has the product gone downhill (the Charge 2 that I replaced was better than the 5) but so has the support. 😞 I'm in the last quarter of my warranty and not confident it will last whatsoever. 

[JenElsie]

Hey, did you try the chat function on a computer or phone your phone?   I tried on my phone and the same thing happened, but I tried again on a computer and it worked. I went through the troubleshooting and it didn't work, so they are replacing it under warranty! 

[olivious]

I am having the same issue. After my work-outs, the sweat I presume caused the Fitbit charge 5 device to turn off, to never turn back on again. The battery was at 100% prior to my workout. This is getting a very frustrating because this keeps happening (this is my 5th device). And every time I am led to believe that this issue has been sorted out. 

I am beyond tired of having to cough up 150+ dollars for a device that is supposed to be designed for exercises and rigorous activities when CLEARLY it is not.  This is absolutely nonsensical and mind boggling. Your entire premise is to create devices meant to sustain physical activities.  How is this legal? I suspect some litigations should be made against this company. 

[klhjag]

Sounds like a lot of us are having the same problem.  It worked fine today through 2 classes at the gym.  Got an email that the battery was low, so I put it on the charger for a while.  When I took it off the charger, it was dead...tried putting it back on the charger, pressing the button 3 times, got the logo, then nothing.  Unpaired from Bluetooth, removed from the app, tried reconnecting and got to the point where I was asked to enter the 4-digit code, but since the screen is still black, I couldn't get the code.  However, it was under warranty, and they're sending me a new one.  This one is just under a year old.  Frustrating that I need to replace these every year.

[Peles_Fire]

That seems to be a common problem, but it's not the one I'm having.  My Charge 5 is completely shut off.  It won't charge, it won't respond; it's not just that the screen is black, the device is fully shut off and nothing I do can make it come back on again.  Still nothing from Customer Service, either.

[Peles_Fire]

Thanks for the engagement.  I've already given that information to Customer Support, because I still have all my records from when it was purchased.  I still haven't heard from them and frankly, the lack of any kind of ticket number or way to track their response to the issue isn't inspiring much in the way of confidence. 

[Peles_Fire]

Yeah, it seems to be a very common issue with this device.  I am probably not going to buy another Fitbit.

Good luck!  I hope they get you taken care of!

[Sarahbw4780]

Mine no longer turns on either now. 

[Linvil63]

Mine turned off this morning while I was in the midst of my zumba session. It turned off totally and have been trying to restart it thru the cable, pressing it 3 times. Most of the times, no logo appears. Sometimes,  the initial logo comes out then it goes blank again. I purchased this April 2022 and never encountered any problem until today.

[JenElsie]

wow - I am sorry that is your experience!  I went on the chat feature and within 3 mins they had emailed me the form for a replacement. They were very quick and friendly for me, I guess it all depends who you get working there!

[Linvil63]

An update on the status of my tracker. After several failed attempt to restart the tracker, I did other recommended steps. Since the bluetooth got disconnected earlier, i had to pair it again. Then I tried to change the clock and it got installed as indicated in the app. While wearing it, I again attempted to update the system… lo and behold it finally did and then the screen is now back to normal!!! 

[Peles_Fire]

As an update on the status of this problem: I did get an email from customer support this afternoon.  I pre-ordered my device, and so it is out of the warranty period and the most they offered me is 35% off a new Fitbit device.  I did not receive my Charge 5 until mid September in 2021.  This means that my device did not even last two years, and Fitbit as a company considers this acceptable performance.

With that in mind, I will no longer be purchasing Fitbit products.  Their level of quality is not something I'm willing to pay for or support. Best of luck to all of you!

[bhb57]

Having the exact same issue.

Fitbit sent me a discount coupon.

This looks like a widespread issue among users.

Thx for posting.

I have tried everything. If your screen is dead there isn't much that can be done from the available information.

[goochyshoes]

I just wanted to record that having signalled the problem to Customer support today after trying the troubleshooting, they have offered to replace my Charge 5 ( it was under a warranty) and its on its way to me now. 

This fits with my previous experience of quick resolution of problems by fitbit ( to do with straps in past) and willingness to replace.

The support via twitter DM is fast & very efficient.

Many thanks!

cc @Pelesfire