Here is a response I sent to @MatthewFitbit when he responded to me about an action precipitated by one of my earlier comments:
@MatthewFitbit Thank you for a timely reply. You are the only moderator to do so. I think what would be really helpful to many of us is if someone sitting in the higher echelons of Fitbit authority could and would lay out the rationale for abandoning the thousands of people who relied on the web-based community groups. I sincerely believe (and I know my belief is shared by many) that this is a huge mistake.
Exactly WHY can Fitbit not maintain the old framework after it rolls out the new one? Is it a cost issue? Is it a server space issue? Failure to address these questions, which have been asked, often just implicitly, but at other times directly as well, just serves to foment frustration and the feeling that Fitbit doesn't care about a significant segment of their user base. Had there been advance notification that the change was coming it probably wouldn't have lessened people's desire and insistence on maintaining the old system, but feelings of disenfranchisement would most certainly have been greatly reduced. It boggles my mind that Fitbit would not have anticipated this sort of reaction after the fiasco of early 2018.
Yes, I get that the [mobile] app may likely be more appealing to some, but my understanding is that, while it may offer some extras, it lacks a great deal of the utility that existed before. Also, and this is a huge concern, people have lost connections with people with whom they've been interacting with for some time, years in many cases. The personal friendships, even if only virtually, that had been fostered and the ability to interact and challenge each other by comparing data, has now been lost. Fitbit can well be proud of the connectivity that they helped to create and nurture through those groups. That was perhaps the best aspect of the FItbit community! People could have gone anywhere for a fitness tracker and at much less expense. However, many of us, when it came time to replace or upgrade our trackers, stayed with Fitbit primarily for the added social interaction through friendships, challenges, and encouraging others, but NOT necessarily on a daily basis or in a chat room format.
At least this time around, it is obvious that removal of the groups was an intentional act. When it occurred last year, it was disguised as a glitch that the software gurus were having difficulty fixing. Many of us were told to use a different browser when management knew that wasn't a problem.
There is a psychological aspect to what is happening and I believe it is quite comparable to the acting-out behaviors I have seen in children when they experience feelings of isolation and abandonment during a divorce or when they are otherwise shunned by someone they love. (I have been an educator for 40 years and am a parent and grandparent. I DO know what I'm talking about!) It is analogous to the lashing out that some people do during a breakup. When someone you love abandons you, especially without explanation, it hurts. People have loved Fitbit, not for the tracker, but for the experiences and relationships. They feel abandoned and can't understand why you no longer care about them. Much of the lashing out at the company may likely be due to those feelings of abandonment.
These people are more than just a segment of your consumer base. They are people who have put their faith and trust in you. Whether you realize it or not, they have loved Fitbit as they would love a dear friend. Many of them either never left or even came back to you the last time you kicked them to the curb. They begged and pleaded and when they thought that you cared enough to re-institute the community groups after you took them away last year, they came back to you. (Whether Fitbit actually cared enough about the consumers or just feared losing them, the effect was the same - they THOUGHT you cared and they were happy when access to the groups was reinstated.)
Simply stating that the decision has been made, isn't going to change, and consumers should just migrate to this wonderful new system that we've rolled out isn't enough. We need more information. Please respect your consumer base enough to secure and share honest answers to the questions I pose in my second paragraph above. Even if the answer is just "It's too expensive to maintain that system (and then explain WHY), and we feel that we can handle the loss of the customers that we alienate due to this decision," at least people will know not only WHERE Fitbit stands but also WHY (the requested background rationale) and what they (the customers) must do. An added benefit of your doing this is that many of the pointed messages will stop because we'll all have a clear picture.
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The above is what I sent to @MatthewFitbit and I believe that I may be on target with why so many people are upset. I cannot claim to speak for everyone, but I do know that at least several people in a small group that I created and administer would agree with these sentiments. Thoughts, anyone?
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