Fitbit Ionic Dead - Won't Power On

[Waj-A]

After having used a surge for less than a year, I switched to the more versatile (and expensive) Ionic. Less than two months later, it won't switch on: the screen is dead. After having gone through multiple forums, this seems to be a common occurrence. I'd have filed for a refund if this was less than 45 days old. Fitbit is losing a faithful customer today.

[DarthBabooshka]

@YojanaFitbit thanks to the Fitbit support i'm waiting for the new Ionic. Hope that everything will be good. Really appreciate how support team resolve problem.

[SunsetRunner]

How does one poster get a replacement out of warranty while the rest of us are told no?

[MEbrogdon]

I got one replaced, it was only a month old.... They told me to keep the
band and the charger and recycle the old watch (Fitbit CS)
I had one before that replaced by Best Buy that was maybe 18 mos old, I
didn't even have a recepit, so they made me pay the state tax over.
Next time I went back to Best Buy they said nothing they could do they
don't honor any Fitbit's (but they still sell them there) that doesn't make
sense?
Now I am on my 3 rd one and pretty much waiting for it to quit...hate to
say it...
Replacements are pretty inconsistent?
Watch the face of the watch... you start to see lights popping out in
places they shouldn't and shortly after that it starts malfunctioning.
Meantime be sure to keep it charged and the chargers clean, thats all I
know. Good Luck

[RicardoFitbit]

Hello guys! I'm here to continue providing assistance with your Ionic devices, my apologies for the delay in responding. It's always nice to see each of you participating again in our Community Forums @DarthBabooshka @SunsetRunner @MEbrogdon.

@DarthBabooshka I'm happy to know that our Customer Support team assisted you with your Ionic device and initiated a replacement process to get you back on track. Don't hesitate to contact them back if you have any additional questions regarding their resolution or if you need anything else from my end, I'll be here.

@SunsetRunner Please note that each case is completely different from others, even though your concern maybe similar to another user situation, this doesn't mean that our Customer Support team will assist both the same way. However, take in consideration that they always refer to our limited purchase warranty to move forward with a replacement process, therefore, I recommend you to check our policies here for more information and details.  

@MEbrogdon Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts with us, the feedback that was submitted on your post is appreciated while we work to improve our products and services. Please do not hesitate to contact me back if you need assistance with anything else, I'll be around.

Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions. 

[waylonitee]

If you are over your 1 yr warranty they will not replace.  this is what they told me today.

They will give you 25% off a new watch.

I can't believe with all these issue they are not recalling the watch.

I just want a new watch not a reason to spend another $300.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @waylonitee thanks for sharing your input. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

I'd like to mention that each scenario is different, but our team checks each case individually and provides option according to your  warranty. Nevertheless, I really appreciate your comments since this is the best way to make your voice heard. 

I understand you've invested in the Fitbit Family; however, Fitbit as any other company have policies to follow through.  While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.   

I'll be around in case that you have questions about this.

[Lightboy]

Hi all, I’m on my second ionic in as many months, the first one died dead and was replaced as it was only two weeks old. Now, after nearly 6 weeks, my second one has died. No combination of charging cables, button pushes or anything else will bring it to life. My scenario was:

1. Got an email alert the battery was low (<25%)

2. Put it on charge whilst getting ready as I was going out and wanted to track my sleep later today

3. Took it off charge, put it on my wrist (all fine at this point) went shopping

4. Got home and getting ready to go out, looked at it for the time and........ dead

Blank screen, no response whatsoever. Tried to revive it for about an hour including leaving it to charge for about 30 minutes. Nothing. 

Fitbit your product has helped me track sleep, maintain healthy eating habits and seen me run from just about managing 30 seconds to 11k non-stop in the past 8 weeks. It has helped me manage my PTSD, Anxiety and Depression but it is also causing profound stress given it’s failure to last. I’m a UK resident so will return it for a refund as a faulty product. I don’t think I have the stamina to ever buy another Fitbit product and all the accessories, chargers and straps I have foolishly bought will have to go on eBay. I’m sorry my experience has been so poor, I gave it another shot but I guess, in the end, the ionic just isn’t fit for purpose and should never have been released to the public with such poor stability in operation. 

[MEbrogdon]

did you call customer service? They should replace it, keep your band and
chargers and they ask you to recyle the watch itself (send you a new one)
I just heard recently that Best Buy and Apple are going to honor the
waranties and service... which is how it should be. When mine died Best Buy
wouldn't do anything.

[steevieg]

After being a loyal FitBit customer for years, I will never support this company anymore. How can you label an issue solved when so many people (including myself) have expressed to your team that none of the solutions have worked?? This is not an isolated issue affecting only a small number of users. A quick Google search shows that this is a widespread issue.

A huge mistake in buying the top tier product from FitBit. Just stick with the cheaper products, as those don't break so easily for no reason. My Ionic has about 70% battery. Took it off, had a shower, went to put it on as I was headed to work and it wouldn't show anything. Buttons did nothing. Charger didn't do anything. I tried to restart it with the 2 button method. Tried the factory reset with 3 buttons. Nothing. Left it charging overnight (via PC usb port) and nothing.

After reading through this thread, the only REAL solution seems to be taking a 25% discount code because this company is too lazy and cheap to figure out what's going on with their products, and why they are spontaneously dying. I had been a strong supporter of FitBit for a long time, but because of how much money I've wasted on this Ionic and the lack of acknowledgement that there IS a problem, I will no longer buy from this company. 

Moderator edit: Word choice.

[RJPBooth]

@YojanaFitbit @Fitbit

Being on my third ionic, and sooo many posts to this board (and other boards), all experiencing the same issue, ionic dies and will not recover, can you finally admit there is a know issue with the ionic.

[Lightboy]

I am in the UK, simply put, if a product is not fit for purpose you can always get your money back - even if you have to go to the small claims court to prove it. This is clearly the case with the ionic so I expect no trouble getting rid of it for a full refund. 

[SunsetRunner]

It is staggering to have come on here and read the shear number of similar cases with no resolution.  My Fitbit ionic was purchased in May 2018 and guess what?  Dead 1 month out of warranty yes, I tried every single troubleshooting suggestion here and it is dead, dead.  80% battery life yesterday, went for a swim and when I got home, black screen of death.  I had a Fitbit product previously that was $100 and replaced three times before I decided to try an upgraded device.  $300 for barely one year out of a product is unacceptable.  I, like many others here, will be switching to a non-Fitbit product.  Perhaps once you lose enough business you might consider making a better product and/or increasing your warranty.  I only have myself to blame for not buying an extended warranty at Best Buy given my previous experience with Fitbits failing.  So disappointed. 

[calebleung15]

Had an issue with mine too. I brought my Ionic for about $300 AUD when it was on sale but it too is completely dead. Refuse to turn on. I asked Fitbit headquarters to ship me a replacement promising me it would only take a couple of business days but it's now well over a 'couple' of business days and their excuse was 'several more consumers are facing this problem hence there is a delay in my shipping'. 

Fitbit, this is so not acceptable. First selling a product that is considered your higher calibre device only to break under a month and then unable to keep your promises to ship me a replacement in time is simply beyond disappointing. I previously owned an Alta HR and it was great so I decided to upgrade it to an Ionic. I hope I get a valid explanation for this or you risk losing another loyal consumer. 

[RW01]

Just googled my issue and June 28th entry (and many others) with my EXACT situation. I've had my Ionic since May of '18, been great, used constantly...jumped in the pool for a swim yesterday June 30th and wake up this morning to a dead Ionic...13 months old and one month out of warranty.  Tried all the hacks of pressing keys, re-charging..nothing works.  It almost feels like a conspiracy.

Anyway, very disappointing as i was actually very satisfied with the product up to this point. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Nice to see that you're digging into the Forums @steevieg @SunsetRunner @calebleung15 @RW01, let me give you a warm welcome to our Community. It's always great to see your face again @MEbrogdon @Lightboy.

As mentioned before, we don't want to create frustration in our customers since Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts. 

Note that we don't have the option to change our warranties or give more details about your personal information here on the Forums, if you have questions related to your warranty you can check this page or keep communication open with our support team for more details. Thanks for your understanding. @Lightboy in your case you see more details here.

Thanks for posting the steps that you've tried with your Ionic @RW01. Sorry to hear that this is not responding, you did an excellent job researching for troubleshooting steps. But let's try a couple of steps that might help to bring to life your Ionic. 

I'd suggest to clean the contacts of your Ionic. These contacts can become obstructed by microscopic dirt or debris that prevents them from making a good connection to the charger. Use a toothpick or toothbrush to clean the charging contacts, do not scrape them with anything metal because this may damage the plating and result in corrosion. 

Please try to restart your Ionic, if you haven't do so. How are you changing your Fitbit? We recommend plugging your charging cable into a USB port on your computer or other low-energy device. If necessary, you can use a UL-certified USB wall charger. Don't use a USB hub or battery pack to charge, and only use the charging cable that came with your tracker. Did you have issues before with the charging cable?

Please take a look of these recommendations to charge your Fitbit too.

Let's give it a try and please keep me posted. 

[monionic]

After seeing all the issues here I would think so. Mine just died on vacation last week. I bought it February 2018. I've tried everything multiple times to no avail.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @monionic nice to see you on the Fitbit Community Forums. 

Thanks for reporting the issues with your Fitbit Ionic and for trying those steps before contacting us. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience. In this case, I've requested to our support team to create a ticket on your behalf. You should soon receive an email from them.

Let me know if you have questions about it. 

[Catherine.]

I have just had mine replaced it has arrived and not working can't get it to switch on fuming !!

[YojanaFitbit]

Nice to see that you're digging into the Forums @Catherine., let me give you a warm welcome to our Community.

Thanks for reporting that your Fitbit replacement is not turning on. Have you tried the suggested here? If this is not working, please reply back to the last email you got from support or let me know if you prefer I request a ticket for this.

I'll be around. 

[RW01]

Hi,
Responding to your response to my Community post on dead Ionic.

1) the watch was 80% charged when it died overnight so it is not a charging issue. But yes, i have cleaned the contact points and still no luck
2) i have tried every imaginable sequence and combination of button pushing and it does not re-start
3) referencing me to the warranty webpage does not help me as my device is exactly 13 months old and barely out of your warranty period

Please tell me my options st this point. one year and $300 is not a good value...it is alarming how many Ionic owners has had this same identical issue at the 12-18 month mark and i would think Fitbit would investigate and offer a free recall to correct the issue.

Still a customer but possibly not for long,
Russ 

Moderator edit: Removed personal information