Custom foods not populating when typed in search box

[biancaphillips]

For the past few weeks, I've noticed that the custom foods I've added recently (over that same timeframe) won't pop up for me when I type them into the search box on the food part of the dashboard on both the FitBit.com app and the mobile app. Older custom foods still populate though.

To find my custom foods now, I have to go to Custom (only available on mobile) and scroll through til I find it, which takes forever. I've been using FitBit for years, so I have a LOT of custom foods to scroll through. Can this be fixed? Why is this happening?

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @biancaphillips! 

Thanks for bringing this up!

Our team is well aware of this situation and this is being looked into. As soon as we have any news, we'll be sure to let everyone know about it! 

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

[ashwolve]

Looks like this issue is still ongoing - have just contacted support - who were unaware of the issue and gave the impression it was my fault for using wrong browser, wrong computer, wrong operating system, wrong version etc etc (and the relevance of what device I have has to do with inputting food is beyond me) - for such a big company you really need to sort out the problems and work to customer requirements not give them the impression they are constantly wrong and take ages to fix the issues .

failing that the computer system with all of the spec you want us to have cost about £600 GBP I will gladly upgrade if you cover the cost

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @ashwolve! 

Thanks for sharing your concerns.

I have not received any updates on the matter but I'll keep my eyes open. As I have mentioned on here before, our team is aware of the situation. As soon as there is anything to share I'll be sure to post about it in here.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

[ashwolve]

Hi @LanuzaFitbit Thank you for the update - I think the biggest concern no matter what the issue is - is the amount of time it take to fix the problem over 2 weeks is normally not an acceptable amount of time to be without a service we should be able to access fully - so at the moment we are having to work around trying to find food products close to what we have eaten - which in some cases has incorrect information in and the ability to be able to add new food with correct data and be able to search for it at a later date should be an immediate concern and fixed soonest - the only reason I mention the length of time is there are other reported issues that seem to be a simple fix have taken more than a year and have still not been fixed - this may not seem important to Fitbit but let me assure you any issue should be sorted soonest and not get the same replies week in week out.

I know its not your fault and you are just passing on the information so I apologise for the rant but management need to know of these concerns, Google and Microsoft have gone down this route and people are starting to stray to lesser products - don't fall into the same trap as believing Fitbit is so big it cannot lose you need to keep working on keeping the user happy even if it means taking a step back occasionally

I hope you understand these concerns and take it as constructive as my wording can sometime come across aggressive and it is not meant that way.

Kind Regards

Wayne

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hey @ashwolve.

I definitely understand how this can get very frustrating. Believe me that we take any and all feedback into account and that we are continually looking for ways to improve the overall Fitbit experience. 

Thanks for being considerate in the way that you post about your feedback. I will be sure to bring it up to the team.

As I said before, whenever I get any news on this I will be sure to post about it in here.

Let me know if there are any questions.

[ashwolve]

@LanuzaFitbit

Still Nothing - this is unbelievable - this issue has been going on since at least the 10th May and it still has not been rectified.. I appreciate that the team are aware - but - being aware doesn't fix the issue - the list of new foods I have added since I first reported has now increased to 14 Foods -

Fitbit has had this issue before and it has been fixed before so they should know how to fix it and it should take this long - this now needs to be a priority as it is across more than one platform / browser - my experience with Fitbit has not improved  - if anything it has gotten worse - I wont bring up the other issues here case I get accused of it being off topic but rest assure Fitbit are not doing themselves any favours by extending the amount of time until they rectify customer complaints or what seems like ignoring the problem altogether (again being aware isn't a fix - I am aware of a lot of things to doesn't mean I can fix them)

Maybe you need to employ more tech staff to help reduce the amount of errors in your programming or as I have mentioned about a million times before as soon as an error is reported - roll it back to when it worked properly then you can take as much time over fixing the newer programme as you like and you would in the meantime keep the customer happy with a fully working software programme

the longer you take to fix the issue the more compact it will be - surely you can understand that

My patience is starting to wear a bit thin now and as you can see by the amount of other responses since my last email others look like they have given up totally

Kind Regards

Wayne

[ashwolve]

And another 10 days have passed with no interest from Fitbit to resolve this problem or to roll it back to a time when it worked - this is a major issue and should have been sorted within 48 hours not 6 weeks and not any further ahead - Yes I know Fathers day is approaching but the time spent on the ads for this could have been better spent on fixing the problems you currently have - then maybe (just maybe) people will buy this product for there family - while these issues remain and the lack of concern about fixing it still persists do you really think anyone will want to spend money on a product that's only 50% operational, especially when there are cheaper devices with better software and customer support.....

now please get your fingers out of your ears and listen to your customers and fix these issues

Regards

Wayne

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hey @ashwolve.

I truly understand how this can be very frustrating and appreciate your patience through this whole time.

Our team is fully aware of the situation and it is being looked into. We do not have any news at the moment but please do know that I am constantly on the lookout for new details on the matter. 

Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. 

[ashwolve]

@LanuzaFitbit Thank you for your reply - it has been roughly the same the last couple of responses - I don't feel that it is adequate after this amount of time for the development/software department to be relying of you and other support members to keep covering with this sort of thing.

I appreciate that it is not your fault but considering the amount of time this incident is taking why not do as suggested and roll it back to a time when it worked (there is no issue with a company admitting that they have made an error and need to reverse a little before proceeding forward again) - this give the best of both worlds - it give us (the paying customer - your devices are not free) a working set of software that allows them to gain  /log the information they are entitled to log/view etc etc and the team time to investigate under no pressure to rectify these issues - this is logic and dare I say it common sense - all faults should be fixed within a reasonable amount of time in the company I work for it is 72 hours max if it looks as if it will go beyond we will revert back to the latest working model while we conduct investigations and put in place fixes it is that simple - hence we get loads of repeat customers with good reports on out customer service - this is not what we are seeing at the moment.

this is not the only issue that is taking time some which I have flagged still have not been fixed after 13 months now tell me that you would settle for we are aware and being looked into if it was you on this end of the issues.

now please do the right thing and get whoever it is that is "ahem" looking into this issue to revert to a time when this issue didn't exist then they can take all the time they want - I really don't know how many other ways to say the same thing - it is not our responsibility to wait forever, but it is Fitbit's to ensure that there product is in good working order - its basic quality control and should have been in place before any update is implemented - then and only then should you concentrate on newer models and advertising which is coming in abundance while errors are not being dealt with - please don't insult us by covering for people who are seemingly taking there time

this is very disappointing an needs to be top priority  - I have mentioned before that the trackers are good its the software backing them up that needs a major looking into and if need be employ technicians that can help to fix these in a timely manner.

most other companies after this amount of time would be offering compensation to its customers as way of an apology - that's the companies that care both about their product and their customers

I will apologise for the rant but this really does need to be taken seriously along with all other issues including graph axis and calendar on sleep pages, to name but 2

Regards

Wayne

[LanuzaFitbit]

Hello @ashwolve.

Thanks for your understanding on the situation. 

Please know that this is being brought up regularly with the team and that the instant we have an update on the matter we will be sure to let everyone know. I completely understand where you are coming from.

Feel free to ask me if there are any questions I can help with.

[ashwolve]

@LanuzaFitbit Sorry but being brought up with the team isn't making it work....can the team relent and revert back to a stage when it did work while they are trying to sort out a fix - it is not a sign of weakness nor is there any shame in taking a step back if it keeps the customer happy - the way this is being handled is just leaving it open to compacting problems I now have an extra 18 foods that I have needed to add that I have not got access to and cannot input again as it says I already have it in the system - yes I can give it a slightly different name but that is defeating the point.

please get the team to start thinking and working with logic and common sense they will get more respect from the customers if they do as I suggest .

its good that you understand but it seems that the rest of the team doesn't or it would be a) fixed or b) reverted back to a working programme.

my understanding of the situation as per the rest of my posts is that it is taking too long and as a result we are not getting the functions that were advertised when purchasing this product (therefore false advertising under the fair trading act) the fact that is has come in the form of an error that could have easily been dealt with once they realised that time would be an issue doesn't change that fact - I will visit the point again this needs fixing asap or compensation needs to be forth coming

if this is not fixed soon it needs to go to a higher management level I should suggest the CEO as I am sure he will be concerned on the amount of time his customers have been unhappy with the quality of his product

Regards

Wayne

[KateFitbit]

@ashwolve we appreciate your feedback. I would suggest if are logging your food through Fitbit.com you use the 'recent' tab and mark your custom entries as 'favorites' as a workaround. This way your food entries will always be available. 

[ashwolve]

@KateFitbit Hi Kate, I thank you for your response but workarounds at this stage should not come into it, as a customer who has spent hard earned cash on a Fitbit product I expect it to work correctly both hardware and software, workarounds work both ways and I continuously have informed Fitbit of the workaround they should be using which is constantly ignored - Roll it back to when it worked then everyone can have then benefit of a system that works - a workaround should only have to be put in place for the first 48-72 hours when in most cases proper IT Techs should have resolved the issue - as this is not/nor has been for many a fault with Fitbit it seems only logical to roll it back to when it worked and then investigate the issue - once fixed re-release the update made with the fixes implemented - for the sake of good order this is both logical and common sense and good customer service practise - please be advised that some of you customers work or have worked with computers/programmes etc etc so being told the team is aware and are still working on it is really a mute point - again there is no shame in admitting that there is a fault and that you need to roll it back for a time while they conduct there investigation .

please understand that this particular issue has been going on well in advance of 6 weeks and is unacceptable to not have a service we should have - the box states that it should show up next time I search and that should be what I get

this is just one of a multitude of faults with the software at present that is running across all browsers and getting the same reply for all of them.

if this had happened in my company there would be a major investigation and jobs on the line for not providing the customer the service the have bought into.

out of the last 5 -6 weeks I have input nearly 20 new foods (yes more added since the last message) with corrected data as there is confusion between salt and sodium and grams and mg to some people and the sums don't add up hence why the need to input new foods or edit ones already in as each country has  a different way of displaying data and packaging/serving sizes etc are different from one country to the next so back to your work around not all my entries are in the recent foods tab so back to the subject of this discussion an error has been reported and is taking too long to fix so we are without this functions proper ability and needs to be fixed immediately - the roll back is not a sign of weakness are something to be ashamed of it benefits both parties and as soon as fit realise that the better for all not just on this issue but on all issues.

I hope you can understand - we need someone to speak up on our behalf not protect a team that seem to be dragging there heels - this has been an issue before and has not taken this long to resolve - the longer it goes on the more that can go wrong with it as more people will add foods and compact the problem so I will repeat yet again get the tech team to revert back to when it worked then they can take 5 years to sort it if they must but we will be able to use the service that was available when we purchased our product -

Fitbit want people to buy their new products these new customers will also want a fully working software package so the only real workaround at this stage is for it to be fixed.

please understand the frustration and anger of having to continuously fight to have a fault fixed in a timely manner which for most companies is within 72 hours max

you used to be one of the leading fitness tracker products but now I fear you are being overtaken by a lot cheaper models who can fix faults and provide a working infrastructure .

if I really need to I will produce a list of everything over the past 16 months that is still not working correctly and has either been escalated, team is aware and are actively working on it (I don't think so in some of the cases) failing that you may ask the support desk for access to the emails I have sent which has 4 attachments on errors that are currently still active some small and some not so small and ontop of that feature suggestions that have been ongoing for 3 years plus it is a disappointing way to resolve issues that the customer has brought to Fitbits attention.

right second rant nearly over - it may look like I am the only one with this issue on here but I think everyone else has given up  as have probably come to terms that it will never be fixed along with suggestions that have to go through multiple voting processes that no-one knows the criteria for..

I am sorry I unloaded on here to you but everyone else hides behind the Moderators/support desk and wont explain or apologise for anything - these people have to be made accountable for the distress and upset caused by there lack of urgency

Regards

Wayne

[KateFitbit]

@ashwolve I understand the timeline for a fix and communication on this issue may not have been ideal, but we are working on this. If the food database and workarounds don't work for you, you may want to try My Fitness Pal, which integrates with Fitbit. I've created a floated thread here. Since this thread has gone a bit off the rails, I'll be closing it for further responses.