Fitbit having issues after One Year

[aeisenbe255]

I have no idea who reads this and can only hope that the Fitbit people do.

I received my Fitbit as a gift one year ago in March. I never got it wet and used it every day for working out. Honestly, I got it as part of my continued need to monitor my food and workout, due to a recovery from depression.

The Fitbit for me was like a coach, a trainer, a therapist, and a support service for me all in one. I had many competitions weekly with friends on it and it encouraged me to live healthier, which, in turn, brought me out of my depression as part of my support. Even my therapist agreed that it was a great device.

But...it was not cheap and I am loathe to buy another if they only last about a year for the price. I know you offer a one year warrenty, but I think that is too short for the failure that the device gave me after only one year of use.

I am saddened by this issue and need to consider getting a device. I loved my Fitbit and it really did help me. But now I may look at all the other devices and see if they have a better lifespan. I hope you will consider looking into what goes wrong with them after such a short amount of time. I can tell you that I took very good care of mine (no water use, no overcharging, no smashing into something.

V/r,

Alan E.

Moderator Edit: Clarified Subject.

[fream54]

I have similar problem. I have a ftbit alta hr that I used for monitoring steps and sleeping. I purchased May 2017 from QVC and today June 30, 2018 I have battery failure as verified by the fitbit representative. Since I'm 1.5 months outside of the warranty period there is nothing they wiil do, except offer me a 25% discount on a new ionic. I'm not interested. I won't be purchasing or recommending any further fitbit products.

[Marykay0419]

I have been very disappointed by 18 messages to customer service to fix those green borders which keep moving the rows and columns to the very end. I sent screen shots also. I had an alta which died just after the warranty ran out & got the same 25% off. I will also change to another brand. I have a charge hr which isn't accurate. So much for Fitbit.

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello everyone, I hope you're having a great day! 

We really appreciate our members's input and feedback and I would like to thank you for yours. Our team is always looking to improve the Fitbit experience and I appreciate you have shared your experience with us. I sincerely apologize for the inconveniences this issue has caused you, please remember that we do not expect manufacturing issues to to affect our trackers but that's why every Fitbit tracker comes a limited product warranty and in case you have inquiries or doubts about what it covers, you can check it on this article: Return Policy & Warranty.

Thanks for your patience and understanding, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[Lynnjan]

Wow!  I just got off chat with customer service and what a joke!!  I will NEVER buy a fitbit product ever again.  Mine died about the day it was out of 1 year warranty and was offered the same 25% off new one.  Why would I purchase another item from a company that can't keep their products working for more than a year????  Like throwing money down a rat hole.   Wish I'd seen this forum prior to purchasing I would never have bought this brand.  The company's nonchalant answers on this forum are ludicrous.  Basically.....we offer a 1 year warranty and after that tough luck it if breaks...just buy a new one!  Well, you have ANOTHER unsatisfied prior customer.  Won't ever purchase another item from you.

[TFFJMS]

I am so incredibly bummed out right now. My mom got me the Fitbit HR for my birthday last year, October 2nd I believe was the day I activated it. I've been pretty crazy busy this week, and hadn't been paying much attention to whether or not the device had been syncing. This is the first week I've taken off from challenges in a while and was trying to have less screen time, so I wasn't constantly monitoring the app like I usually am. I just went on to make sure everything was synced up for the week, and see if I had any steps to make up for and noticed that the device isn't connecting to my phone at all. So, naturally I told the phone to forget the device and tried reconnecting it... It's just spinning... For about half an hour now, the little symbol just spins and spins. I had heard rumors that they only have a 1 year life... But I really didn't expect it to be down to the exact day. My moms is also just sitting on the cupboard collecting dust as hers has failed now too (I believe she had the flex - the really big one that looks like a grown up charge) 😞 I think it's really  cute that the company thinks I just have money to drop on a new fitbit every year. I am so incredibly disappointed. I love the app. I love the community. I love the motivation and everything... But I simply cannot afford to keep throwing money at technology that DOES. NOT. WORK. Ugh. Why, fitbit? Why? 25% off simply wont cut it for me. So, I'm not even going to bother wasting minutes of my life I won't get back contacting customer service. Just all around disappointed. 

[Julia_G]

Hi, @TFFJMS, problems syncing aren't usually a sign of failure of the device.  I am not sure which Fitbit you have, but hopefully someone can get you back going...with a little more information!

Could you have a look at this comparison chart and, if possible, let us know which Fitbit device you have.

Next, please let us know which phone you are using.

Also, when you say you told the phone to forget the device, did you do this in the Fitbit app or did you do this in your phone's Bluetooth settings?

It is definitely NOT true that Fitbits have a one year life.  Although some people inevitably have problems, many Fitbits are still going strong after several years.

With luck, we'll get yours syncing again too.  Please do post again with as much info and details as you can.  (And welcome to the Forums!)

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi there @TFFJMS, welcome to the Fitbit Community Forums! 😄

Thanks a lot for everything you've tried to get your tracker to work and I'm very sorry about this situation. I'd like to help you out.

I have one small question. Have you made sure that the phone you're using for syncing is a compatible device? If you're unsure about this, you can check the list of compatible devices here.

If it is compatible and you're still having problems, let me know and I'll be happy to take a deeper look!

[Putney]

When I press the button on the left of the watch first time nothing happens, second time I get a "flash" repeat of the last screen I saw, third time I get nothing or steps and time readings but no heart rate... 

The fitbit has not worked since the "update" they put in a few days ago that disabled it and we got partial service after well over an hour of 2 x "chats" and 2 x lengthy calls with the helpline checking everything but the fitbit.

So my fitbit has lasted for just a year - !

[ailurophile]

Mine just died after 12 months. So pissed  same scenario 

[Putney]

The Fitbit people appreciated that mine had stopped and helped me with a new one 😀

Tim Mack

Moderator edit: Removed personal information.

[lifesabeach11]

I did get a full refund after fighting  they were not fit for purpose.I have a £6 pound one  off ebay for 6 months works great 

[GraceGFitbit]

Hey there @ailurophile, @Putney and @lifesabeach11, thanks for taking the time to update this thread with your feedback. Fitbit is always reviewing your responses to provide feedback to our product development team.

@ailurophile I just confirmed with support that they replace your Fitbit. Please don't hesitate to reach out our Customer Support team again if you have any more questions, comments, or concerns.

Thanks for posting, your comments helps us constantly improve our services. 

If there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply.

[ailurophile]

Thank for replacing the Ionic. I am happy for now, generally disappointed. I read on the internet the Ionic was only made to last s year. I cannot afford to replace a 300$ watch every year. Yo really should try to develop a product that lasts a little bit longer than that. So unfortunately when my watch goes in another year or so, I will be forced to go through other avenues. And I will no longer be able to be a Fitbit customer. It’s very sad because I have been a full supporter of Fitbit from your very first device.

Cynthia Lenartowski

[MarcoGFitbit]

Hello @ailurophile, I hope you're doing well, thanks for taking the time to reply. 

We really appreciate our members's input and feedback and I would like to thank you for yours. Our team is always looking to improve the Fitbit experience and I appreciate you have shared your experience with us. I sincerely apologize for the inconveniences this issue has caused you, please remember that we do not expect manufacturing issues to to affect our devices but in order to anticipate that, every Fitbit device comes with a limited product warranty. In case you have inquiries or doubts about what it covers, you can check it on this article: Return Policy & Warranty.

Thanks for your patience and understanding, if there's anything else I can do for you, please feel free to reply. 

[sandimelb]

Your products stink. I said so online and you deleted my comment.  So typical. Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[Marykay0419]

Samsung does that so they can sell more phones, and but true.

[TFFJMS]

I shoult note - I was able to get this device fixed. It was exactly like support said and essentially resetting things. 

So I retract my prior statements. I have since given my Alta HR to a friend, and upgraded to the Charge 3. Both still work wonderfully...  Thanks for all of your help! 

[sandimelb]

Not EVER buying another Fitbit product. Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[Steve-oh]

Well, it's happened to me for the 2nd time now. My ionic just died for no reason other than it turned over a year old. Started out with screens going crazy like I'm pressing buttons when I wasn't even wearing the watch. Then, it would restart itself over and over until it finally ran out of battery and died. It cannot be charged. My last Fitbit watch just froze on a workout screen and couldn't be fixed. This also happened a little after a year. Not falling for it a third time; I'm going to get a Samsung. Stay away from Fitbit. Nice watches but they don't last long. 

[Jezzette]

Same thing has occurred with me. I am disappointed in fitbit longevity. This is my 2nd fitbit that has only lasted just over a year (both have had battery issues-my current fitbit only lasts 2 hours on full charge even after following fitbit recommendations to do a hard reset.  I have enjoyed my fitbits but do not want to continue such a significant investment every year.