Fitbit Ionic won't turn on or take a charge

[Lupdawg72]

Hey all, bought my Fitbit Ionic on June 2nd 2021, was delivered June 7th 2021. On July 11th 2021 I went swimming with it for the first time and it stopped working. Blank screen, won't charge, and the green lights on the back don't work either. I bought my girlfriend the same watch (different color) at the same time and hers is still working after our swim. Seems mine should last a little longer than a month. Please help with any advice.

Thanks.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Lupdawg72 Welcome to our Fitbit Community. I totally understand how you feel about your Fitbit Ionic since it won't turn on or charge.

I would like to know if your Ionic vibrates when you put it on the charger. In the meantime, try the troubleshooting steps that are listed in this help article. After this, charge your Ionic for 2-3 hours and see if it comes back to life.

See you later.

[Lupdawg72]

Hi @JuanJoFitbit, It does not vibrate when put on the charger. I'll try following the steps in the article you sent me but when I look at the back of the watch I can see moisture in it. 

Thanks

[avadhania]

Hi, 

I am also facing the same issue from 3-4 days. No activity despite multiple charges, changing port, socket and cable. Got a new charger cable and trying this. If this doesn't work , will have to look to get this repaired. 

Thanks

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Lupdawg72 thank you for getting back and thank you, @avadhania for trying with another charger. Please don't hesitate to let me know how your Fitbit devices respond after trying the recommended steps and I'll be happy to follow up.

See you guys later.

[Lupdawg72]

Hey @JuanJoFitbit, I've tried all the steps recommended in that article. I also have tried a different charger. All to no avail. I'm at a loss now. I guess the next step is to call Fitbit. Thanks for trying to help. Let me know if there's anything else I could try.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@Lupdawg72 Thank you for trying all the recommended steps. I noticed that you contacted our Support team via phone. They will reply to your email soon in order to follow up and assist you accordingly.

See you around.

[avadhania]

Hi, 

Unfortunately the answer was not satisfactory. Looks like I have to throw this device and find an alternate (non fitbit) one since I can't afford to invest every 2 or 3 years such a huge money for the device. 

No other options to migrate within fitbit. I also had worst experience on accessories in 2 days. I got a new one thinking that the cable has gone bad and post testing the cable, I found its device which is not working. I don't want to keep this charger cable as the device itself is not working. Even the cable is not being accepted back, It looks like the policy is to return without opening the box. Who would get the box from Fitbit and then return like without using it. What a funny policy of returning the accessories! Fitbit is doing very good business with their customers. Fail most devices just after the warranty and without any support. And then recommend to test out with different charger cable (mostly buy a new one as no one would have this cable) and don't replace any accessories once opened.  

Regards

Anand

[JuanJoFitbit]

@avadhania I'm sorry to hear that the charger cannot be returned. I definitely understand how you feel about the warranty and return policy. We appreciate your feedback and comments since this helps us to keep improving.

[avadhania]

Hi JuanJo, 

I did give my feedback that the company should have policy of longer warranty term or a service center to address the issues with the devices. I did mention in both the instances (when my blaze went off) and now Ionic are exactly just after 2 years and in a similar climatic condition ( temp around 12 to 22 degrees) where as Fitbit claims that the devices can survive between -10 to 67 Degrees. It looked like the devices are programmed to fail based on the timing and conditions so that customers come back and invest more. But the key point is if customers are unhappy they would not come back. No common man can invest such a huge money for every 2 years. The only difference between the first and 2nd time is, I had more people with me reporting the blaze failure issue where as only instance of ionic this time. If there were customers reporting ionic failure now also, the company would have agreed to replace or given offers to buy new devices at high discounted price. All roads closed or no path here. 

The Fitbit is taking feedback and sitting on it. 2 years back when the blaze went down , I got the same response and now also I am getting the same response. I am sure the response would be same even after 2 years. If the company feels they are producing the best in class electronic devices they should have warranty for a longer period and prove that they have produced such a class device. The website describe that they don't have service option as they are confident of their device performance whereas you can see , quite a few incidents being reported recently especially with ionic. By the way I can only comment either Ionic or Blaze based on my experience. 

Finally I am not getting any worth or helpful migration option from Fitbit. Only eye opener for me is , I had shortlisted Fitbit Sense as a gift to a  family member and now I decided that I will go with different option as I am not happy with the longevity of the device. I have started to explore Apple, Garmin and Casio/Fossil as my next smart watch considering the various options they provide for the customers. 

Hope this feedback helps you to improve the quality and I hope/pray others don't get into this situation. 

Thank you for responses.. 

[avadhania]

Hi Juanjo,

Thanks for your help. I didn't get any great support from the Fitbit support. I sent my feedback also to Fitbit team. I am signing off from Fitbit now and moving with other possible options. Thanks for all your help. 

Hope Fitbit does some work on Warranty and support in near future to retain its customer and to support them and customers won't get into such situation. 

Have started to clean up the fitbit account and my all personal details in Fitbit. Plan to start with my Fitness activities with new Device (non Fitbit) starting next week. Wish you and Fitbit a very best to retain the customers and serve them better. 

Thanks and Regards

[avadhania]

Sorry forgot to mention. My 4-5 years of Fitness journey ends with Fitbit on a bitter experience. 

Thanks again for all your help.