Charge 6 blank screen and will not reset

[jb1985uk]

Hi,

I have had the Fitbit charge 6 for nearly 2 weeks and yesterday the screen went blank and had at least 20% battery still. I tried to charge it but nothing is coming up on the screen. when I plug the charger into the Fitbit it vibrates, also if i push the button on the side of the watch it vibrates.

I have followed the steps by switching to different plug and still no luck and I have tried multiple times to reset the device via the charger button (pushing 3 times in 8 seconds) As well as pulling the cable in and out of the plug to hard reset it but still no luck.

Is there a way to do a hard reset of the device via the button? Phone will not find or sync to the device either as it says the battery is low.

Also to add i have tried cleaning the back of the watch charging inlet as well as the charger itself.

[shimsim]

In the past, they never asked for the charging cable back, but when my charge 6 died and we discussed the possibility of a replacement, they did say I also need to send the cable back. Normally they just ask for the body, so this must be something new and perhaps thats why it wasn't sent, they didn't correctly implement this in their replacement procedure. Regardless, it is very frustrating to hear that

[Keefos1]

Hi, I did mention that I was having problems connecting the charging
connector to the body - as well as the other issues.
I sort of assumed that was why they asked for the charging lead back.
When I had the blank screen problem before, it seemed to spring to life
when I connected the charger. As I now had to fiddle around with
connecting the charger for it to make contact, I couldn't rely on the
screen to make sure it was connected & charging.
I thought I had it connected properly a couple of times, but the charge
indicator didn't change, when I checked it after a while.
It was at this point I decided to flag it up as a faulty item, in need of
repair/replacement.

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[Frogpond1]

How do I contact someone from Fitbit to get a replacement charge 6 or some form of satisfaction?

[shimsim]

Contact info is at the link at the bottom of every page - https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/about-us but its not just about making contact, the frustration will be getting an adequate solution. I've been waiting over a month for someone to get back to be about my faulty charge 6, service is at an all time low now.

[Carterdill]

Keep expectations very low. They confirmed mine was dead. I had to mail it back to them, then they evaluated it and supposed sent me a replacement last week. But it been ‘out for delivery’ for two days now and no sign of it. 
I think Google sometimes loses sight of the fact that it is their failure. In businesses we work with, when something fails it matters a great deal how quickly you fix it. Google doesn’t get it. They should have sent a replacement immediately and only billed me if I didn’t return the Fitbit within a week. 

[Keefos1]

I must say that I managed to get my replacement in good time. When I spoke
to the support agent,I stressed that I had tried all the fixes and that it
was obviously a faulty device.
It was dealt with from that end very efficiently. He arranged for the
package (free) delivery label to be emailed to me. As I had already
mentioned... I had to send the body (without the strap) and the charging
lead.
I received confirmation of delivery and then confirmation that a return
package had been sent after a couple of days. Because there was no
other information, I didn't know if this was a replacement, repair or the
original with no fault found.
When received it was obviously a replacement, as it had a different serial
number. Did not receive the charging lead back, so flagged this up to
customer support. A new charging lead arrived the following day.
Support dealt with everything efficiently, but wasn't impressed with the
lack of communication from the repair centre.


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[shimsim]

To be fair, forums such as these are not going to be representative of the full picture because you tend to visit them only when you have a problem, BUT my experience spans several years and multiple failed devices, plus every person I know (and stupidly recommended Fitbit to) has had a similar experience, so I feel somewhat confident in saying that things have gone downhill for some reason. It might be Google, or it might be the growth or prioritising Smartwatch development, I can't say for sure, all I know is they can't make reliable products anymore, and when they do fail, customer support seems to be potluck. Some people get a quick turnaround, while others, such as myself, can't even get an email response after one month to advise them what to do next (and that is after chasing up two times already). I just want a product that works, is that too much to ask?

[Keefos1]

I fully understand what you are saying.
I had multiple continuing issues with my product, before I finally asked
for a replacement.
The replacement currently seems to be working ok, but I'm not fully
confident that will continue.

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[logrady]

I have a Charge 6 and the screen is now black. I charged it last evening (at 60%) and when it was 100% I put it back on my wrist and went to bed. The next morning it was at 2% so I recharged it again. It drained very quickly to 31% so I tried to recharge it. When i connected it to the charger the screen indicated it was charging. However, in the app i could see it was not charging as it stayed at 31% for too long.

I connected the charging cable to another outlet. Same problem. Then the screen went black. I tried the reset from black screen by holding the button on the charge cable three times a few times. Nothing. The firmware was up to date and i have not added any new apps since I purchased it. Now it is no longer recognized via Bluetooth on my iPad.

How do I get a replacement? Thanks.

[shimsim]

That is a very typical mode of failure, you will need to get a replacement (I had a few die the exact same way).

The only option is to contact Fitbit support and go through the issue with them. Unfortunately, you will be asked to try several troubleshooting things which can be very frustrating (the equivalent of 'did you try turning it on and off') but once you get over that, they should be able to send a replacement if you are still in warranty. Hopefully, it failed in the first year and not right after but no guarantee it wont fail again (as in my experience)

[Jjelmer]

I had 2 and finally gave up and got a refund. Fitbit was accommodating. I’m wearing my 4 year old charge 4!!!! It still work great. I hope they have a charge 7 soon. I’ll try it. 

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Contact Fitbit customer service through the app. Once you’ve done that they will contact you via email. They have been very helpful as I had issues with my previous charge 4 and got a replacement (which I am still wearing) and 2 charge 6 (due to save issue as you have, black screen) which they resolved with a refund. 


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[shimsim]

You are lucky to get a refund, I just found out today, after waiting for 2 months, that they would not offer me a refund, only a replacement. The fact that I'm travelling and won't return home for some time or that I would purchase a new one when I got back made no difference. Fair enough if they didn't want to accommodate me, but why did it take 2 MONTHS to figure that out, It's very disappointing and irritating (on top of the fact they keep breaking)

[robworkingout]

Have a refurbished charge 6 pebble on the way from the google store which is great to see them standing by Fitbit warranty cover. My old charge 6 (10 months old) had a non-responsive screen to start with then half started going a light blue colour. I’m guessing screen errors have no way of fixing them so replacement is necessary. steps I take…Tracker Force restart using usb charger, update tracker firmware (if one available) last step is swap clock face then change back to normal. If non of those work go to support (web chat). 

[Jjelmer]

Sorry to hear your difficulty but I did have to push them almost daily to get the final refund. I suppose also my issue was early in the charge 6 life so by now they’ve had so many they are trying to minimize their losses. 

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The in app online customer service is your only effective way to communicate. It worked for me but it took several back and forths. Good luck  


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[logrady]

Thanks everyone! I did just that and was provided with the information to return my Fitbit. I was informed I would receive a replacement in about ten days. It may be a refurbished unit. I had just bought it in February, 2024.

[shimsim]

I dont think I will be a Fitbit customer for much longer, it's been disappointment after disappointment, but I wanted to share my latest experience in the saga of my dead Charge 6. So as a quick recap, the device died (blank screen) and customer service said I could either get a replacement or a refund. As I'm travelling, I requested a refund (because I dont have a fixed location), and I was told that someone would get back to me to arrange that. After 2 weeks, no reply, so I contacted support again and was told the same thing, that someone would get back to me. I waited again, in total after contacting 3 times, I finally got a reply after over 2 months passed saying that I could NOT get a refund, only a replacement. Fortunately, in that time, I made arrangements and left the broken Charge 6 with a friend who can handle the return for me, but considering the delay and entire process, I asked support if they could extend my warranty as I would effectively be losing a total of 3 months. I would never have waited 2 months just to get a replacement approval, that would be ridiculous. This was the reply ......

"We understand your concern about your replacement device. However, since we've already sent you an email regarding the replacement. There's no option to extend your warranty. We do apologize for that. "

Apart from sounding made up, it does not even make any sense. What does sending an email about the replacement have to do with losing 2-3 months of warranty from my device? If nothing else, it would be a goodwill gesture to make up for that unreasonable wait time and would show some actual confidence in the reliability of the product (something which is already seriously lacking)

Am I being unreasonable in expecting my warranty to be extended by the 2 months it took them to reply to me?

[KatheeMcG]

Tried all your recommendations...nothing is working.  😞

[KatheeMcG]

I have had all the same problems as most of you.  Although, mine will sink, charge and track but no screen.  I bought mine through Amazon in August.   Spoke to them yesterday and they are giving me a refund for a little less than what I paid and I turned around and bought replacement.   However, after reading all these complaint's, with NO solid solutions from Google/Fitbit, I may just return the new one and buy something else.   Fitbit had a good product before Google took it over.   Very disappointing. 

[shimsim]

You are lucky you managed to get a refund, after keeping me waiting for 2 months to decide, they only offered me a replacement and even that process was filled with mistakes. I was told to return the watch and charging cable, but they only sent me back the watch (without cable), then they managed to arrange the wrong cable. I had requested they send the replacement to a different address as well, but they totally ignored that request even after first saying, 'dont worry, you can choose where the replacement gets sent'.

I think its clear to see the downward trajectory of Fitbit since it was absorbed into Google. I'm sure there are people in the team that still care about making great products or providing good customer service, but they are drowned out by the same issues that impact every large corporation. 

I am also actively looking for a new tracker, the writing is on the wall, its actually very sad, I was very invested in the brand.

[Sumerisme13]

This worked for me, I tried everything. Even left it in my drawer for months thinking it was broken. 

I decided tonight to get it out and try again, and stumbled upon your comment for it to work again!!!