Same issue. A forced update occurred on September 8 and Charge 5 has not worked right since. Talked to customer service and advised to change my clock face to a new one, which has kept it from reverting to black screen of death and the app constantly trying to find and re-sync with my Fitbit. Fitbit is now ‘alive’ but not tracking any data whatsoever. Case has been referred to technical support for review, needless to say I’m still awaiting a response. I too will NOT be purchasing a new Fitbit if this is a forced obsolescence tactic. Fitbit needs to make this right. Updates should NOT break their products!
Update as of 9.21 - instructed to perform factory reset. Fitbit still would not track steps. As of evening of 9.20, display is a persistent Fitbit logo and is not allowing any type of restart so at this point is totally useless, even as a watch. Completely non-responsive unit. Waiting on further instruction from customer service.
Update as of 9.27 - Was advised we have exhausted all options and they offered me a 35% discount on a new tracker. What utter BS. As if I consider myself a repeat Fitbit customer at this point. My Fitbit was working perfectly until the update Fitbit automatically pushed on September 8.
Speaking from someone in IT, they need to take a serious look at their software development and testing team. Updates should not be breaking your product in the first place, and if they are and then aren’t even caught during UAT prior to release, you have a serious problem.
The fact that so many of their customers have reported the same experience, and have received the same level of apathy that I’m receiving now, is totally unacceptable. Fitbit really does not seem to care and will not stand behind their product. Goodbye Fitbit, time to start looking at other trackers!
Update as of 10.2: Per customer “service”:
‘Please be informed that our Fitbit devices don't have a specific lifespan, but I'd like to share with you that we made sure that our Fitbit devices would last depending on their usage and environment.’
Welp, they don’t seem to survive your firmware updates, but no comment on that. Had to remind yet again that my Fitbit was working perfectly until September 8 when I happened to look down at my wrist and saw a Fitbit logo with a blue line going across it. Imagine my surprise as this was not an update that I, the user, had initiated.
I have now been forwarded a complaint form. Not feeling completely hopeful, as it already appears their Customer Experience Department is incompetent and/or apathetic as they do not seem to be monitoring the forums and raising a bug fix request for the software development team, as I continue to see responses rolling in from more unfortunate souls that continue to be hit by this faulty firmware update.
Fitbit, you owe it to your customer base to make this right!
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