Fitbit, Blaze, Ionic, Versa, and Adidas are registered trademarks herein referred to as (RTM)
I love my Fitbit(RTM) but am appalled by the poor customer service. I received a Fitbit Blaze(RTM) on 2/14/16 as a gift. I used my Blaze (RTM)daily as a smartwatch/activity tracker to monitor my training progress as well as heartrate. Everything seemed to be going well for the first year with occasional software glitches here and there. They all seemed to be fixed in a timely manner so no real concerns there. Then early in 2017 the battery seemed to fail out of nowhere. The device was good on battery life up until then and lasted anywhere from 3-7 days depending on activity. All of a sudden the battery seems to have just died. I was able to charge the device to full capacity (carefully monitoring it as to never overcharge). Once fully charged with little to no activity (scrolling through the screens, touching it, ETC) it would die within 5-8 hrs.
Before I go any further let me be clear in saying that I have never charged with anything other than the Fitbit(RTM) provided charging case and a UL listed charging block. I have never fully submerged the device nor have I ever had it exposed to any extreme conditions (extreme hot in excess of 100 degrees, or colder than 30 degrees while on my wrist). I had made sure it never got wet other than an occasional couple drops of water while washing my hands. I also made sure if it did get any water (or sweat) on it, it got dried off immediately. A lot of my friends and family had beaten their Blaze(RTM) up far worse than I had. I guess you can say I was almost overcautious to not ruin my $200 fitness tracker.
At any rate I stopped wearing my Blaze(RTM) around the time I noticed the battery was shot. After 5-6 months I decided to get up with Fitbit(RTM) to see if there was any way it could be repaired or replaced. I headed out to the internet in search of who to contact. While poking around various websites and forums I ran into multiple accounts of the Blaze(RTM) battery failing. Not only did I discover this was an issue, but so was their customer service. Like any person should do I figured I would disregard the negative comments and contact Fitbit(RTM). Sometime in the week before Dec 4th, I charged my Blaze(RTM) and began wearing it again. I would sync it as often as possible as it records the Blaze(RTM) status to your mobile device. I contacted Fitbit(RTM) Support via the internet chat and began explaining the issue. Immediately I was impressed with their willingness to help (FOR NOW). The representative I spoke informed me that in order to see exactly what was going on I would need to charge the device and sync it every hour until it died. So after charging it to full capacity I did just that. The only thing I did differently was sync every 30 minutes as I knew it would die quickly. On December 4th 2018, I started a chat with Fitbit(RTM) so they could diagnose the problem. The representative was quick to see the issue with the battery and informed me that they were aware of the issue and seeking a solution. They then informed me that they could not offer to repair my Blaze(RTM), nor replace as it was discontinued. (The Blaze(RTM) is still available from third parties online and drop ships from Fitbit(RTM).) I was not super upset nor was I looking for a free device, I just wanted my device that failed (just outside warranty) fixed. I was willing to ship it back to be repaired at my expense or pay for a refurbished model or something along those lines. I was then told that although the device could not be fixed they would offer me a 25% discount on all Fitbit(RTM) models through them as well as a 40% discount on the Ionic(RTM). They issued me a discount link via Email on December 4th and informed me I had 30 days to make a decision as to which device I would like to purchase.
So far everything was going alright. I was going to pay to have my Blaze(RTM) repaired or replaced so why not take the time to upgrade. Other than the in-convenience of having a perfectly good device that cannot get a new battery I was fine with this solution. So on December 4th I got on to Fitbit’s(RTM) website to see what options I had. I immediately looked at the Versa(RTM) and Ionic(RTM) as they were the closest model to my Blaze(RTM). I found that I could get the Ionic(RTM) for $161.97 or the Ionic(RTM) Adidas(RTM) edition for $179.97 or the Versa(RTM) for $149.96. So I decided that I would put a little bit of money away every week being that Christmas was right around the corner. I was ok with waiting a couple of weeks until I could buy myself a new device so that others could have a good holiday.
On December 29th 2018 I got onto Fitbit’s(RTM) website via my discount link to purchase a Fitbit Ionic(RTM). Being that I had a couple of weeks I did the research and decided the Ionic was closer to the Blaze(RTM) and this is what I would purchase. When I added the Ionic(RTM) to my cart is informed me that the Ionic(RTM) was on backorder until “Ships in March.” I also noticed that there were only 2 regular models available via the link now. The black/charcoal version was not there. I went onto their regular website as sure enough the black and charcoal version is there and not on back order. At this point I’m thinking to myself, I really don’t care what color I receive as long as I can get it now. I participate in a good amount of distance runs and have an Ultra-Marathon quickly approaching. The Ionic(RTM) would be the perfect tool to monitor training progress and heart rate. So once again I did what I thought was logical go to the Fitbit(RTM) Chat and discuss my options.
This is where things really seemed to have turned south. Fitbit(RTM) essentially told me (read the conversation for yourself) that it wasn’t their problem the Blaze(RTM) failed. They have done what they can and if I want an Ionic(RTM) I can make the transaction now, get charged whenever it ships (sometime between now and March) or don’t buy it. They have an employed almost a trap tactic to get you on the hook for a device that may ship, sometime. The thing that really got me was the fact that they still have the black/charcoal Ionic(RTM) available as well as the special edition Adidas(RTM) one. They were not willing to bring the discounted price of the Adidas(RTM) one down $18 to fix one of their faulty products. Again I was fine with this, I do not expect them to sell a “Limited” model at the price of a normal one. I also requested they sell me the charcoal/black Ionic(RTM) at the discounted rate as it was available. At this time, they had refused to honor the discount on the charcoal/black model. I’m fairly certain the only reason they will not sell a model that is priced the same and in stock is because they want to sell the limited number of those they have in stock at full price. It is upsetting that they will not sell one of these (at a discount to replace a defective device) only to make a better profit elsewhere. Once I established that they were not going to honor their discount (on a similar model) or price match (an upgraded model) our conversation was almost over. I simply asked the representative to send me the survey as they do when you complete a chat. Until this chat I had given them good reviews after our conversations. This time the representative did not send the survey as requested. The conversation ended and no survey link was sent. This really showed me that Fitbit(RTM) customer service was exactly what everyone had said.
In conclusion beware of Fitbit(RTM) and their Customer Service. I loved my Fitbit Blaze(RTM) and raved about it. I was constantly showing it off at events I went to. I loved telling people how wonderful it was. I’m willing to pay for a good product, but only if the manufacture will stand behind it. This letter is not about saving a little money as much as a company not willing to stand behind their products. When the device I received failed Fitbit(RTM) would not stand behind it.
Fitbit, Blaze, Ionic, Versa, and Adidas are registered trademarks herein referred to as (RTM)
Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity/format
Community Moderator Alumni are previous members of the Moderation Team, which ensures conversations are friendly, factual, and on-topic. Moderators are here to answer questions, escalate bugs, and make sure your voice is heard by the larger Fitbit team. Learn more
Best Answer
Fitbit Product Experts Alumni are retired members of the Fitbit Product Expert Program. Learn more
