My experience with Charge 5 and Customer Service

[kimrefs]

I have bought 2 Fitbit Charge 5s in less than 2 years.  The first one stopped charging.  The second one, stopped working in less than 8 months.  It has circle with an X on the screen and will not show anything else.  I have called support numerous times.  They have offered to give me 50% off a new Fitbit.  I will NOT spend another dollar on Fitbit with this history.  Shouldn't they replace it at this point....according to the warranty.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @kimrefs. Welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums. We‘re taking your comments and sentiments in regards to our products and services into consideration. 

Even though I truly appreciate that you've taken the time to come here and share your experience, please note for this kind of inquiries/cases/process, there's no so much we here in the forums can do for you as this is something that our Support Team handles based on our policies. Nevertheless, please feel free to reach out to them again if you need further assistance or clarification regarding the outcome of your case. 

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

[FitbitUser0714]

The reality is that there is nothing anybody can do. I spent an hour and a half on the chat with somebody on September 19, and it was deemed that my faulty Charge 5 was covered under warranty. I got a link to a form for the replacement filled it out and....crickets. I checked back a few weeks later and the main person sent me to the replacement person. The replacement person said she couldn't help because the main person didn't get me an RMA (apparently my Fitbit case number didn't count). They said they were sending this case to the top to I guess get a CEO to issue me an RMA number. Methinks they are killing time until the warranty expires in November.

[DamisaSarki]

Hello Marre,

I tried to send this to Lizzy, but I kept getting error messages; seems you all don't want to hear from me!

It seems like the update has caused a lot of Charge 5 owners' units to stop working; mine included.  When I contacted Fitbit Technical Support, I was taken through a series of steps to attempt resuscitation of my device.  After several tries, the "code" was called, and the Charge 5 was pronounced deceased!

I was then told Fitbit needed a couple days to determine the next steps regarding the unit; during the chat I had revealed the purchase date, which was approximately four days prior to this contact; this meant the one-year warranty had expired.  After a couple days, I received an email stating the warranty had expired but Fitbit wanted to keep me as a customer, so they offered 50% off my purchase of another Fitbit device (I found out later, it was initially 30%); however, it said the following:

• "...This offer can only be applied towards one Fitbit device currently in stock. This offer is not applicable to Fitbit Ace 3, Charge 6 and Google Pixel watches..."

I wasn't looking for a Charge 6, I wanted to replace my Charge 5, so I went to the website to make my purchase.  Guess what?  The website didn't show any Charge 5 trackers!  I then wrote Fitbit letting them know this and this was their response:

"Hi George, Thanks for responding to our email.  We would like to inform you that the promo code that was offered to you is applicable to all Fitbit devices except with the Charge 6 and Ace 3.  The reason why Charge 5 is not listed is because we do not sell the Charge 5 anymore.  We highly appreciate your understanding regarding this matter.  Hopefully, this email answered your questions.  Thanks for contacting Fitbit. Should you need more information, please check our help site at help.fitbit.com.

Sincerely,

Jedediah G. and the Fitbit Team"

This just upset me more, adding insult to injury.  Why would you not offer the same product that failed; and if not, why would you not offer the upgraded product.  Does the phrase "customer service" come to mind here?  I then sent the following email back:

Please escalate this to a Supervisor or Manager.

I purchased my first Fitbit Inspire back in 2020 and was very pleased with the product and becoming a member of the Fitbit family.  I decided in 2022 to "upgrade" to the Charge 5 and was very pleased with it; however, I'm no longer feeling that way.

It does no good to anyone to offer a discount on something that can't be replaced.  The watch I had was the Charge 5, so I was trying to replace it.  If the Charge 5 has been discontinued and replaced by the Charge 6, it only makes sense to offer the discount on the model that replaces the model which failed and has been discontinued.

Taking into consideration the fact the watch failed to operate properly just after reaching its one-year warranty is questionable and does not speak highly for the quality of Fitbit products.  I am not your usual uninformed run of the mill consumer.  I have looked into this matter and found the following information which states Fitbit is responsible for the tracker failing to operate properly:

"Fitbit Charge 5 update is bricking the fitness tracker — what you need to know

By Jeff Parsons last updated July 12, 2023

Fitbit Charge 5 firmware upgrade is reportedly bricking the device for many owners

 The Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the best activity trackers you can buy, but a new firmware update appears to be bricking the device for some users. According to multiple reports, the latest update from Fitbit — v194.61, which started rolling out towards the end of June — is having some unintended consequences.  The update is available to download now and includes a slew of new benefits for the tracker, which was first released back in 2021. New clock faces, added support for global language characters, more exercise modes in the Exercise app and general bug fixes are all offered as part of the upgrade. Unfortunately, the side effects seem to include drastically draining the battery before killing the device and leaving it unresponsive with a black screen.  “I was running and tracking the exercise, and the screen went black. Now it charges, tracks my heart rate, steps, etc… I can tell that as it syncs with my phone, but the screen is completely off,” one Charge 5 owner posted on the Fitbit community forums. Fitbit's forums have a thread on the Charge 5 update pinned to the top. There are currently over 130 messages in the thread with Fitbit itself seemingly aware of the problem.  “I've seen some of you have mentioned having trouble with the screen no longer responding or the battery draining too fast,” wrote a Fitbit moderator in a pinned message atop this thread. “Since this thread is about the firmware update, let me know if you specifically started having these problems after you updated your Charge 5 to version 194.61". 

 The moderator in question recommended the steps below as a troubleshoot for anyone suffering the issue:

Fitbit's guidance

• Complete the 3 pulse restart procedure using the charging cable.
• Follow these steps in case you're having trouble to charge your device.
• Please sync your device in the Fitbit app by tapping your profile picture > Charge 5 > Sync Now.
• If you can't sync, tap on your profile picture > Charge 5 > Tile to see if a firmware banner appears and complete any update if needed.
• If it's still unresponsive, please try changing the clock face as well and check if you're able to see anything on the display.

However, many have reported that following the steps outlined hasn’t worked and their device is still faulty. Tom’s Guide contacted Fitbit separately and we received the following response:  “We’re aware that a small number of Charge 5 users are experiencing problems with their devices. We’re currently investigating and will update users when we’ve identified the issue. In the meantime, users should contact Fitbit Customer Service at help.fitbit.com to help troubleshoot the issue.”  As news of the issue is starting to spread, plenty of Fitbit owners are warning others not to download the firmware upgrade until the company has fixed the issue.  The latest update (v194.61) for the Fitbit Charge 5 is reportedly bricking the fitness tracker for many users, so you may want to hold off on updating to the newest firmware.  #Fitbit #fitbitcharge #firmware.  July 10, 2023 

Unfortunately for many Charge 5 owners who bought their device at launch or soon after, the one-year warranty will have elapsed, and the 35% discount code Fitbit is offering as a token gesture to those affected is causing further community backlash.  After all, it's understandable that many Fitbit owners won't be too pleased with having to hand over more cash to replace a device that's seemingly been broken by the company's own update."

Subsequent to this, I realized I had purchased a warranty which extended the warranty from one year to two years.  After "processing" the warranty information and paying the $15.00 deductible, I received this email:

Hi George,
This is an update on your replacement, and we'd be pleased to assist you further.  Your Fitbit replacement order has been placed and your confirmation number is RMA82205096. If we no longer carry your original device, you may receive one in a different color or material.  After your order ships, you’ll receive an email with the tracking number.  When your replacement device arrives, follow our setup instructions to get started. To recycle your device, find more information on our website help site.  If your replacement order was placed using an email address associated with a Google account, visit the Google Store replacement order status page.  Responses to this address are not monitored. If you have further questions about your replacement device status, please chat with us.

Regards, Reyc  The Fitbit Customer Care Team

So now the question becomes, what are they going to send me?  As one person said, he was sent a Fitbit Inspire; well, I don't want that.  That's what I had and I upgraded to the Charge 5.  If I don't receive a Charge 6, I am going to escalate this to the point where we all may need to get together and file a class action lawsuit against Fitbit/Google.  It makes no sense for us to have trackers that become inoperable due to an update the manufacturer sent out, and then they not do basically anything to make it right.  I don't know what others paid for their trackers, but mine was $119.00 plus tax; this is not cheap!

Fitbit, do the right thing and just give all of us Charge 5 customers whose trackers have basically died, new Charge 6's.  It will go a long way in showing you are committed to your brand and IMHO, save you a lot in the long run!

[MAWilliams400]

At least you got 50% off... Same thing happened to me, and I only got 35% off. Recently my Fitbit Charge 5's touch screen just stopped responding after 6 months and of course warranty was based of original purchase NOT the replacement date. 

From the looks of the support sites, this is a common issue that Fitbit refuses to acknowledge as a defect.   😠

But YES, I AGREE... If the warranty is 1 year... and you get a replacement within that year the "New" or “Replacement” Fitbit should be covered for another 1 year!

[ChaletinPG]

Hello Damisa:

I concur with your thoughts on this Fitbit dilemma.  Unfortunately, I was in the hospital when this all went down.  I only realized the issue after putting on my Charge 5 (which I loved), and the battery died in one day.  I typically would have to charge it every 4-5 days.  

I also noticed that this happened right after my 1 year warranty expired.  Needless to say, I'm very disappointed.  

I appreciate all the Fitbit options and the simplicity of the Charge 5.  I haven't explored the Charge 6, but I'm not keen of forking over more $$.

Since Fitbit is aware of the malfunction caused by their update, it would only seen just for them to provide new watches in good faith.

Thank you for taking the time to post your response to this issue.  I look forward to the next steps.

[DamisaSarki]

Hello all!  Here is the update.  As I said before, I had a two-year extended warranty (which cost $39.99), so I paid my $15.00 "deductible" and low and behold, I was sent a new Charge 5! (I thought they said they didn't have them anymore???).

I plugged it in and the first thing it said was it needed to update (YIKES!!!!).  I deleted the old one from my phone and added the new one and then let it go through the update process.  After that I let it fully charge.  While it was charging, I immediately purchased another two-year extended warranty (this time it was $29.99, once again with a $15.00 deductible), so in addition to the initial purchase price, I've paid $84.98 (approximately $34.00 less than my original purchase price) to replace something Fitbit ruined.  An online search shows new Charge 5's are selling for $149.00, but the new Charge 6's are only $10.00 more!  I'll see how long this one lasts.

So, it seems, the "moral to the story" is, if you cajole, complain and publicly shame Fitbit, as well as have an extended warranty and spend an additional $54.99, you too could end up with a new Charge 5 to replace your original one Fitbit screwed up!  I'm wondering what would have happened if I didn't have the extended warranty and I continued to "rally" for the 50% discount to purchase a Charge 6?  For those who don't, stay strong and remember; perseverance is the key!

[kkaboom]

Shame on fitbit - mine also died and I've never been so disappointed in a product

[MAWilliams400]

Hey kkaboom... what happened to your fitbit... how long did you have it before it died?

[kkaboom]

I had it two years, never any issues until suddenly it just went black screen. 

[penny01]

I had the same problem is September of this year. They were great, I was offered the same again or 50% off an upgrade. I received it within 4 days. Great service. 

[shn112]

Good to hear that someone has had a good experience recently. Was your Charge 5 still under warranty? For most, (including me) the problem seems to be that they are just out of warranty, ie just over 12 months old, so Fitbit seem to be telling people they have to buy a new one. If they only last circa 12 months, then they are not fit for purpose. There is also the issue of the update which they issued but which caused many Charge 5s to fail. Seriously, Fitbit, this is no way to operate - you need to replace faulty Charge 5’s!

[MAWilliams400]

Hey Penny01 how long did you use your Fitbit before it started having issues?  They replaced it... so it's within the 12 month warranty they offer.  They do a good job at replacing... but my issue is if they send you a "new" one... that should last 12 months or be replaced like the original.  Mine seem to only last about 6 months and the 2nd one always dies right when the warrenty is over.  I've had every Charge (1,2,3,4,5)... Can't force my self to purchase the Charge 6.  Trying to stay strong.  LOL