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Charge HR failures

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Hi Community is anyone else out there having similar problems, I am on my thirsd Charge HR. The first failed when the watch band started to peel away from the watch the second one lasted a matter of weeks before it stopped working and refused to start and or be coaxed into doing a factory refresh. The third one has just failed  cutting out almost everyday and the LED screen has now lost a band of pixels. Up until this point I was very happy with the Fitbit commitment to resolving issues, howvere this time I have had a very different experience after days of working with the help desk the agreed that the fitbit is faulty only to be told that as my original fitbit is now out of waranty tough luck. Now for a company of Fitbits standing you expect a product to last more than a few weeks in the second Charge HR case and 2 and a bit months for 3rd Charge HR. Is this really a quality product I am losing patients and now looking at what other products are out there and can no longer endorse or recommend Fitbit products

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21 REPLIES 21

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @alisdaird, hope you're doing great today Woman Very Happy

 

Thanks for your feedback, I'm sorry to hear that some of you are having issues with a replacement because of you damage tracker.

 

I found this post and I will love to briefly describe the Fitbit Warranty Policy.

 

The Fitbit.com Online Store has a 45-day return policy. Any product purchased from Fitbit can be returned for a refund for any reason within 45 days of shipment. However, if you purchased your Fitbit product from a different retailer, it also comes with a one year of manufacturer's warranty. In case you are out of warranty Fitbit is going to give you a 25% discount, however, this discount is going to cover only the original purchase. 

 

For exchange and refund options

- For fitbit.com purchases, Fitbit is happy to exchange your tracker or band for the same model in a different size or color. You just need to return the tracker or band to us at your expense and we'll send the new tracker or band when we receive your package in our warehouse. Unfortunately They are unable to exchange trackers for different models (for example, we can't exchange a Charge for a Charge HR). If you want a different model, return the tracker you have, prepaid, for a full refund issued to the credit card on file. With your refund you're welcome to make any other purchase on fitbit.com. They accept exchanges and returns for 45 days from the date of purchase.

- Different Retailer: If you didn't purchase your tracker from Fitbit directly, you'll need to contact the retailer about returns and exchanges. We can only exchange or refund items purchased from fitbit.com.

 

- Gift: If you received your tracker as a gift, please reply with the serial number on the box. This will determine if the tracker was purchased on fitbit.com. If so, you'll be eligible for a size or color exchange.

 

If you think you are a candidate for a replacement please contact Costumer Support, they will be happy to further assist you. You can read more about the warranty here "Fitbit Warranty

 

Enjoy your day and I hope you guys can be back on track soon!

Maria | Community Moderator, Fitbit


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Hi you seem to be missing the point should your customers not expect that a replacement product to last longer than a few months. If this was a quality product it should last for at least one year. If the replacement fails should this not be covered by a year warrant in its own right. A 45 day warranty period shows that Fitbit has no confidence in the quality of their products.


Moderator edit: Removed personal information

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Dear Alisdaird and fellow Fitbit Community users, I have experienced the same problems.  I purchased my Fitbit HR Charge through Bed Bath and Beyond in Aug 2015. Worked great for about 7 months, and then, it just went blank on me.  I submitted it to Fitbit Customer Support and they replaced it for me, no questions asked or items to return.  However, now about 7 months later (Oct 2016), the batter is failing and the charge HR is going blank intermittently.  So, it looks like my watch is going to fail soon, and this time, because my year's warranty is up, I am out of luck. Too bad.  I really liked many of the features - great time keeper, pretty close to accurate on the HR and mileage features and very user-friendly dashboard as an app and on the computer.  My watch hadto be recharged every other day, which was a nuisance.  Now that is going out on me, I will consider another brand.  I have used Garmin, Polar, and Timex heart-rate monitors. Timex is the most reasonably priced in the market.  You can get an IronMan HR monitor for about $100, and it will last about 3-4 years with no problems.  Great features such as chronograph and interval timer.  No way to keep records electronically (I created my own worksheets to log my workouts), but you get what you pay for.  Garmin has great tracking capabilities with an app and with the computer, but that will require an investment of $200-300.  I wished the Fitbit product was more reliable. I really liked its featues. 😞

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My second HR band is failing too!  The band on my original Fitbit Charge Hr (bought in Oct 2015) band started to bubble and fail in June 2016... and was replaced on warrenty.... on July 15th 2016... Now in mid January 2017 the second band has developed major bubbles... It's obvious that the manufacturing of these Fitbits is using a poor quality on glue to secure the band to the tracker.... At this point, I'm sure they'll say that I'm out of warrenty, so when this one falls off my wrist, I will cease using a Fitbit altogeather.... and will loudly voice my opinion about the function and quality... For the price, I expected more... it's sad the saving money by using cheep glue is destroying the comsumer's interest in using their products... I'd say that duribility was the most basic expectation in a fitness tracker, with accuracy and battery life coming in second and thurd... but with all the compatition, we expect three out of three!! DJK

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Same thing here. Got a Charge HR in December 2015, it started getting bubbles in the band within 5 months. The warranty replacement started getting band bubbles by 12-2016. Yesterday, the band just fell off. I think the fitbit does some cool stuff, better in many ways than some of the competition. However, $150 for something that fails in 6 months followed by a replacement failing in the same basic time frame, is terrible. There is no chance of me spending any more money on a fitbit product. If the company wants to stand behind its product, it should make good on replacing clearly defective products with products that are not defective. As a silicon valley executive, I have seen dozens and dozens of companies fail for not being able to learn that simple lesson.

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I have not had a Fitbit Charge HR last a year!  I bought the first one Feb 2015 and Fitbit has replaced it twice, now it has bricked again.  That's three Charge HR's in just over two years.  Now they offer me a 25% discount if I buy another one.  I ask them if they would by something that won't last a year.  And its not that the it physically breaks, they can't offer software that doesn't brick.  I can see damage I do or wear or abuse not being covered, but this has nothing to do with me.  The software just fails to respond.  I hope someone in fitbit software development or QA has been sent packing!  Love the product when it works but I'm betting no one has ever had one outlast the little battery.

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Same thing here. 3rd HR in less than 2 years. Bought 1 and the other two were replacements. Will never buy another Fitbit based on this experience. Great product ideas, but very poor execution. 

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same for me got mine for Mother Day and yesterday it died. won't do a thing I hold the button for a few seconds the green light on the inside blinks then off ...nothing. I think FitBit is junk. A look at youtube will tell you they know what they are selling and just don't care.

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 I have the same issues.  My first charge  hr  died within eight months when the truck or peeled away from the band.  It was replaced by fitbit but the replacement died within six months.  They have offered me a 25% discount on my next purchase but I hardly see the point since their products don't seem to last more than a little over half a year   

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I have spent more than an hour on a "chat" with Fitbit customer service for this same band issue.  Like others, they are trying to get me to spend more money on a new Fitbit because the first one failed after 16 months.  The customer service has been slow and unhelpful.  With so many other fitness tracker options available, I can't imagine why I would ever want to do business with Fitbit again.

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I've just had my second starting to fail as well and know several other people who are on their second one that is or has failed.  Fitbit have shown no inclination to fix the problem and just keep replacing them which is great but my question is how are they paying for all the replacements???  How much of the cost of the current models is actually paying for the poor quality of the previous generation of trackers?  I would not pay for another fitbit for this reason.

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3 HR Charges failing I n one year. Good bye Fitbit. 

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3rd Fitbit Charger HR in 1 year as well. So bad

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My HR Charge was a gift last May, 2017, but has failed. It charges ok but will not sync. I've gone through the procedures to unpaid and set up but this simply won't work. I'm not happy.

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My screen just failed after 2 years 

My fathers failed after only 1 year 

Am going to have to look for other options and manufacturers 

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There were a few fatal design flaws in the Charge HR, starting with a charging cable that was entirely too short to a port that clearly wasn't built for repeated use, not to mention unsightly band wear and bubbles.  The list is lengthy but I could have accepted the effort had Fitbit made a decision to stand behind it's ill-crafted product.  Fitbit is dead, they don't sell replacement parts or offer repair services, but they are kind enough to offer a 25% discount if I give them more of my cash.  Why on earth would someone take another chance on Fitbit?  I will pay more for a better product if I have to, or less if this is a disposable segement, from a company that properly tests their products before getting them into market, and stands behind their products.  Fitbit does neither, RIP Fitbit, it was fun while it lasted.

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"My watch had to be recharged every other day, which was a nuisance." 

Ha! Try every 4-5 hours! That, and the strap is falling apart — again. I got a 2nd year warranty from Walmart for $12.00 (as I KNEW I was going to have problems). They are going to refund my entire purchase price and I'll buy a different brand.

 

Great software... lousy hardware. You'd think FitBit would get the idea after all these pages of complaints.

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The cable is ridiculously short. Every time I try to charge my Fitbit the back falls off and the button you press to activate falls out. It's tiny and a huge pain to try to fit back in. I've had three zips and a flex and now this charge hr and I am disgusted with the quality of the products I've spent hundreds of $ on.  Great tracker in theory but absolutely poor quality. I will never buy another. 

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I totally agree with you. Are other folks having the same issues? do you suggest I buy another one?
 I recently asked for fitbit failure data from the company? I may not get a response, but my experience with several fitbits is they break and you get a replacement and it breaks outside the warranty of the original one. I didn't get an extended warranty because my last one, which I bought because the other charge 2 broke, and I made up my mind I just wouldn't buy another one if it breaks and of course it broke. I like the features and one gets hooked on the data it provides, but there has to be a limit to how much one can take. Will be looking at other options, My GF suggests I buy a Charge 3, I am hesitant, it may have the same history. Note, I don't think I abuse the fitbit, it, I believe, has a very limited life expectancy under normal use and maybe we just need to invest 100 plus dollars for a year just to see the data of our lifestyle. Not sure. The enticement you receive is the 25% discount on selected fitbits, but not the charge 3.

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