My experience with Charge 5 and Customer Service

[URiz30]

I’m writing this out of sheer frustration. I’ve been a loyal Fitbit user for a while but finally reached my breaking point. My Charge 3 stopped working just over a year after I bought it. I figured it was a one-off issue, so I gave Fitbit another shot and purchased a Charge 5. Now, I am, facing the same problem again—right after the warranty expired.

I contacted Fitbit support, hoping they might understand my situation and offer a replacement or at least a coupon for a new purchase. Unfortunately, their response was disappointing—no help, no replacement, no coupon, just a reminder that my warranty had expired.

At this point, I can’t help but wonder if there’s something more to this. Why do these devices seem to fail right after the warranty ends? Is it just a coincidence, or is there something more going on? I hate to think this could be intentional, but it’s hard not to when the pattern is so consistent.

I’m done with Fitbit and moving on to something more reliable, but I wanted to share my experience here in case anyone else is going through the same thing. Has anyone else had similar issues with their devices bricking right after the warranty expires?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there, @URiz30. It's nice to see you around the Fitbit Community Forums. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm sorry to hear that your Charge 5 stopped working. We‘re taking your comments and sentiments in regards to our products and services into consideration.

Please note that our products are indeed designed and made to last (this goes for each product component) however, there is not an infallible way to ensure that no issues will be present in the long run. Because of this, our Warranty Policy  is set into providing as much coverage as we can. For more information about our warranty, see fitbit.com/legal/returns-and-warranty 

Even though I truly appreciate you took the time to come here and express your feelings towards your experience with your Charge 5 and also want to find a resolution to your issue, my best advice is to keep the conversation with our Support Team. Note for this kind of inquiries/cases/process, there's not so much we here in the forums can do for you as this is something that our team handles based on our policies. Thanks in advance! 

[Ellsbells930]

My Charge 5 bricked in December 2023 right after the warranty expired (by about a week) and an update came through.  It updated, then no longer worked.  It happened to a lot of people.  Fitbit's response was "oh well".

[URiz30]

Thanks for your reply. I’ve already spoken with Fitbit Support, and they denied both a replacement and a coupon, saying my warranty has expired.

I understand that devices can have issues, but it’s frustrating how both my Charge 3 and Charge 5 stopped working in the same way—fine one minute, dead the next, right after the warranty expired. Judging by the posts I’ve seen here, this seems to be a common problem.

I’m just disappointed with how this has been handled.

[RiekoC]

Hello @URiz30 

I understand your frustration. I don't know why you weren't offered a discount on a new device since that is what I've seen other users report they received.

If you are want to stay with Fitbit, it might be worth contacting Support again. Let them know you understand that your Charge 5 is out of warranty and if there is anything that they can offer you to remain as a loyal Fitbit user. Hopefully, you will get an agent who can do this for you.

[AnjG]

Same! I have a charge 5. 1 year ago while still in warranty it just stopped working. They replaced it. Today after working normally and 60% charged it just stopped again. Spoke to customer service and they said they know there are problems with the charge 5 but can't replace as out of warranty. They have sent me 35% off a new device but why would I want to buy another fitbit when they keep failing. Also now owned by Google, such a massive corporation making money ripping off people.