Debating if I should invest $180 USD for Charge 6 or not?

[stainsm2]

Are people still facing quality issue with fitbit charge 5/6?

I had brought Charge 2 back in 2016. One of the best investment I made towards my fitness. But it suddenly stopped working in 2023. I read reviews online for charge 5/6 and they were not good. What does this subreddit think?

[RiekoC]

Hello @stainsm2 

Not sure if you meant to reference "subreddit", but this is the Fitbit Product Help forum, not Reddit.

That said, you're posting in a forum where users come to get help. Users here are dealing with problems and issues. Their experience is typically not a positive one. It's not very frequently that we get users posting feedback here about how happy they are with their Fitbits. So, please keep this in mind as you read the responses.

[Kenhal]

I bought one awhile back for hiking and now it is not tracking data. Hanging up on apple app. Really disappointed!

[Rich_Laue]

@stainsm2 you got 7 years out of a battery that small! That is really good

[KevinMcW]

I have a 5 got a 6.  Wouldn’t do it again.  Thinking about an apple. 

[Kenhal]

I bought one in Dec 23 back. The watch works ok but the app started freezing up a couple months back when I try to look at my hiking results and support hasn’t responded to my notice about it. I’ve seen that others have the same issues with no help from support either. I wouldn’t buy again if I had to do over. 

[GlenSiegel]

I just bought a Charge 6 as an upgrade when my Charge 4 died.  I haven't had any problems with the device but you have to use a Google login with the 6 instead of a FitBit login.  If you are using the web Dashboard,  you have to login several times a day.  The Android app stays logged in and I've heard the the iOS app stays logged in. Rumour mill has it that the web Dashboard will be phased out soon.

[Kenhal]

I use a Google login and use the Fitbit iOS app not a website!
Sent from my iPhone

[Rafas]

Creo que no fue una buena inversion , pienselo y evalue en el mercado hay mejore por menos  inversion. lel ECG nfunciona para ciertos paises , la afiliacion a fitbit premium , es valida si paga seis meses vaaaa, y de la semana pada para aca  salgo hacer ejercicio y el gps no conecta o va conectado y despues de uno minutos avisa que esta off,  y los kilomettros que indica no son los reales al no tener el gps activo mucha diferencia, la verdad muy arrepentido de esa compra.

[ColoSteve]

I have had the Charge 6 since 4/2. I called 4/7 for some help. Since then I have talked to Otoniel, Maria, Moises, Ingrid, Maria(supervisor), Angy, Valentina, Sophia Saria, Jennifer, Alejandro, Maria Jose, Gretel, Santiago, Santo Ismael, Valentina(again), Jose Pablo, and Yessica Paola. It is now May 1, 24 days and literally hours on the phone with front line non-technical operators working from a script that I know by heart. They have "escalated" my case 3 times, even once she told me she was escalating it a second time. I have received three letters asking for more information and promising action. I answered those letters on 4/9, 4/13 and 4/16 and have received no response. I received an email from Gretel on 4/20 after 2 weeks that was the original manual information that I got with the purchase. On 4/21 Maria said her resolution of my problem was an update coming on 4/24. I waited several days for the hoped for resolution, none came. I called and Valentina told me there was no such update and none scheduled. At least four times I have been put on hold so they could talk to their "team" only for the music to stop after about a minute, then silence for 5-7 minutes, all the time the call timer was working, and then the line was dropped.

I assume that they launched the Charge 6 prematurely and it is very buggy and customer service is going crazy.
Meanwhile I am looking at alternatives. At this point a tracker that is more than twice as expensive looks like a deal.

All that and they finally offered to replace it, 4/28. Just 5-7 days to process and they don't know when I'll get it. 
Make your own decision.