Complete lack of after sales support - (AKA 'just buy a new one')

[callisto_za]

Remember Kickstart Pebble v1.0? I was there, and bought one. Bought another 3 years later, this time the Pebble with a colour screen. Fitbit bought the IP and I bout a fitbit Versa Lite about 2 years later. After 15 months it stopped charging, and Fitbit support was anything but helpful. I then got a Versa 3, which fell and has a badly cracked screen. Repair? Not on this continent buddy! Support's advice boiled down to "oh well, just buy a new one". Speaking to friend on social media, it seems I am not alone or unique wrt this experience. What was unanimous was the migration away from Fitbit products once these stopped working soon after the warranty expires. 
This rant is not about the lack of value for money (maybe a little), but more about how Fitbit manufactures devices that cannot be repaired and that end up adding to the flood of trash our children will need to deal with. All for the sake of profit. There is a better way! 
I am now the happy owner of a competing brand's device, one with a reputation for lasting many years, and for being repairable. Care to guess what my recommendation will be when someone asks me for advice on a fitness tracker/smartwatch? Hint, it rhymes with barmen...

[emili]

@callisto_za hey there. I am sorry you have had such a bad experience with Fitbit and it's products. I think with more features being added to all trackers, the likelihood of stuff going wrong faster is inevitable. Think about phones. The old rotary phones still work now- 60 years after being mounted to the wall. Our smart phones after 2 years start showing signs of fatigue and the need to upgrade. It is sadly the world we live in. Garmin is a great product, but if you read reviews and talk to people some of the same complaints exist in their forums. Hopefully though for you, it will be the experience you expect to have with a tracker.