Feedback about Fitbit Ionic

[MelissaRN]

I've never owned a Fitbit product.  I recently began using the Fitbit app as a way to log water, food and steps and I am enjoying it and finding it motivating.

I'm thinking about making the plunge and purchasing the Fitbit Ionic.  (I also was looking at the Blaze.)

So question, would you buy the Fitbit Ionic again?  Do you regret it?  Love it?  Think it's worth it or not?

Any feedback is appreciated.   Thank you in advance!  

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[quenbea]

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@MelissaRN wrote:

I've never owned a Fitbit product.  I recently began using the Fitbit app as a way to log water, food and steps and I am enjoying it and finding it motivating.

I'm thinking about making the plunge and purchasing the Fitbit Ionic.  (I also was looking at the Blaze.)

So question, would you buy the Fitbit Ionic again?  Do you regret it?  Love it?  Think it's worth it or not?

Any feedback is appreciated.   Thank you in advance!  

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Don't waste your money. I have had 5 Fitbit devices and all of them have failed or fallen apart within a year. My Ionic stopped functioning after 8 months. Fitbit support is useless. You have to jump though a million hoops to get warranty service. Spare yourself a future headache. But something else!

Moderator Edit: Format

[Nick248]

I would buy the versa, I had problems with ionic, so far the versa works great and is less exprnsive.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

[PaulusV]

No, I wouldn't. Not even by half the price.

Bought mine roughly a week ago (got it on 26th June) and it's already being wrapped up to be returned for a full refund.

Basic things like syncing, getting notifications and connecting to wifi only worked 5 days. Having to waste time with resets, restarts, factory resets and settings fiddling for making it work as announced is just unacceptable in a 300€ watch.

I advice everyone to stay away from this nightmare as it's pretty obvious it won't be fixed. Imo it's a hardware design flaw or even the unibody aluminum case that prevents good connections between the watch and the smartphone and wifi network.

[Ericws]

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@SilviaFitbit wrote:

Thanks for stopping by @Ericws! I truly appreciate the time that you took to share your experience with Ionic. I'm sorry to hear that you're thinking about returning it. Our team is always here to assist you and our priority is to make your experience better and that you can enjoy the Fitbit that you bought. 

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Hi-  I am not thinking about returning it.  My experience with Ionic is the polar opposite of the negativity people on here.  It has been fantastic!

[Made-in-808]

I would be embarrassed working for a company like this replying to frustrated customers with canned responses such as this one and can't even respond to the correct customer to boot! Guess it's easy to hide behind an e-mail address with no shame knowing how much this has impacted many FB users. But then you get that 1%'er with the "Golden Device" popping to try and even the score...Too late for that!

Moderator Edit: Format

[Tim31415]

I am, over and over again, surprised by the non-answers of Fitbit representatives as well. 

I spent some time on the forum the last couple of days, because of a serious issue (high mobile data consumption, which is costing (some) users money, reported in https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Android-App/Mobile-data-usage-increased/m-p/2813906#M78499) and came across many non-answers.

For me the Ionic is really the worst product (and associated software) I have ever bought. It is only because of the high price (of the Ionic, but also of the competition) that I am still using it.

[Izlet]

To be fair, they've responded to me on the forums and their support responded to the issues I raised. But it always seems to be "restart" or "factory reset", which most people have tried multiple times before venturing here or to support to try and find answers. I ended up sending both of the devices I bought back in the hope I can get a return.

For so many people to keep reporting the same issues, and for one of the devices to have ALL the issues raised in these forums, there's got to be something up with the hardware or firmware

[SunsetRunner]

@Michael6266 You can call it whatever you want. However, in the past if I had any problem with my fitbit, they would send me a new one immediately. That has changed. I understood when I went to a more expensive watch that they wouldn't instantly send me a new one, but I did everything they asked and when the label they provided for me with the carrier they contracted with to receive my package took over 3 weeks to even register received, I contacted Fitbit and they said it was up to me to track it and find it. Their lable, their contract. But okay, I want my watch fixed so cool. I did that and even filed a claim with FedEx, which is the carrier.  Because I have a very good friend who works for FedEx, I had her also research this. She said the contract Fitbit has with FedEx is they type where if a package is lost, Fitbit is not allow (under the contract they agreed to) to file a claim. Also, under that same contract, it can take a month or more to be rec'd. The email Fitbit sends you says it takes on average a week.  When I finally talked to a customer service rep at Fitbit, he said my complaint is very common, it does take usually around a month and there is no ability to file a claim if it gets lost. And he's sorry for my inconvience. So...you send something to them with their lable that they provide to you and it get's lost, you are out of luck and out of money. So yeah, you can call me absurd if you want, but If I spend $200+ on a watch, I want customer service to be on point and I want to be confident in the information that is provided to me will be accurate. None of that happened. 

Moderator Edit: Format

[bmw54]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

You can call it whatever you want. However, in the past if I had any problem with my fitbit, they would send me a new one immediately. That has changed.   

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Bev is correct. That was my experience with the Fitbit Surge: The first time they replaced it was after a Boston Marathon where it lost GPS connection at mile 20. The following day I got on a chat session with FitBit and within a day they shipped me a replacement. 

Imagine! receiving a new tracker because the six-month-old one lost GPS connection! That happens with my Ionic (and, now, my replacement Ionic) at least once per week.

After about 6 months the replacement Surge stopped swiping. I got on another chat session with Fitbit and they told me its battery had run down and immediately sent me a replacement. I didn't even have to send back my old one. The replacement remains, years later, my best Fitbit device ever.

When, after 4 months of use, my Ionic died I had to prove it with multiple video productions proving I wasn't lying. Then I paid for premium overnight shipping to their processing center and they received my Ionic the next day. After a week passed, they shipped my replacement via a carrier that took two weeks to ship from Indiana to Massachusetts. For the last 3 days the replacement was within 20 miles of my home, moving from place to place.

I realize now that they probably figured out they were going broke so freely sending replacements. But they set their service bar so high that many of us grew very loyal to Fitbit and feel all the more let down that they released such low quality on us with the Ionic.

[bbarrera]

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@bmw54 wrote: 

I realize now that they probably figured out they were going broke so freely sending replacements. But they set their service bar so high that many of us grew very loyal to Fitbit and feel all the more let down that they released such low quality on us with the Ionic.

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@bmw54 Go to investor section of fitbit.com and look at the quarterly press releases. Sales peaked in 2015 and since then have been dropping and quarterly losses. Fitbit management offers commentary and explanations on quarterly conference calls which are available to listen. I think the Versa might be the start of the turnaround, as Fitbit management was disappointed with Ionic sales. In any case, given financial status of Fitbit its reasonable to believe management is pushing to cut costs everywhere, including warranty replacements.

[Ericws]

I don't understand how the Versa is more well-received than the Ionic. It is a water-down ionic; too expensive given that it lacks built-in GPS.  Why bother without the GPS?  I hope Fitbit doesn't pass on Ionic in favor of the inferior yet seemingly more popular Versa.

[Nick248]

Yes but it works and the ionic don't !

[Ericws]

My Ionic works great, thank you.

[passaic]

Your ionic works great. Curious if you've used it for bike rides over 50 miles?  

[Ericws]

No, have you?

I am not much of a bicyclist, so I anticipate that I will never do that.  But I have used it successfully for 10+ mile runs and expect to use it for at least my 13.1 later this year (or maybe a marathon if I train up properly for it- that is a big if, for me, though!).

[passaic]

My Ionic stops working each and every time i bike over +/-50 miles, which
is often. It has also cutout on long runs. You may, unfortunately, be very
disappointed with it stopping working during your HM and especially
marathon. I do not think it'll keep recording during marathon distance.

[Ericws]

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@quenbea wrote:

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@MelissaRN wrote:

I've never owned a Fitbit product.  I recently began using the Fitbit app as a way to log water, food and steps and I am enjoying it and finding it motivating.

I'm thinking about making the plunge and purchasing the Fitbit Ionic.  (I also was looking at the Blaze.)

So question, would you buy the Fitbit Ionic again?  Do you regret it?  Love it?  Think it's worth it or not?

Any feedback is appreciated.   Thank you in advance!  

Why do you keep buying them if you have had such a horrible experience each and every time?

Moderator Edit: Format

[passaic]

I don't keep buying. My Ionic is my 1st fitbit purchase.

[Ericws]

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@passaic wrote:
My Ionic stops working each and every time i bike over +/-50 miles, which
is often. It has also cutout on long runs. You may, unfortunately, be very
disappointed with it stopping working during your HM and especially
marathon. I do not think it'll keep recording during marathon distance.

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I guess we will find out, and I will post what happens.  10 miles is ok so far. And I am a pretty average weekend warrior-type sports guy, so maybe my use and expectations for what I need in a fitness smart watch are different.  This (if it actually happens) would be my first ever marathon, and I have done 3 13.1's so far.  Maybe if I were a big-time marathoner I would be willing to spend more than $300 for a different product, but since I am not, this product, at the sub-$300 price range, makes sense so far for me.

[Ericws]

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@passaic wrote:
I don't keep buying. My Ionic is my 1st fitbit purchase.

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Not you- the other person.  Sorry!  🙂

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@passaic wrote:
I don't keep buying. My Ionic is my 1st fitbit purchase.

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