How long have you had your Ionic, and do you like it?

[EricJRW]

Dear Ionic users,

Hi, I'm a long-time fitbit user, and about a year ago started running. Initially my Charge HR was enough. But now that I'm running more, I want more out of what's on my wrist (i.e. GPS).

I like the idea of keeping my fitbit lifetime stats, as I'm currently at 16,599,867 lifetime steps and 22,790 lifetime floors. Floors are a bit suspect, due to the way they are measured (atmospheric pressure change), and windy days have done some funny things with my floors.

So, my questions:

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)?

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)?

Any quality problems (see below)?

I'm not overly impressed with fitbit's quality, but I am reasonably impressed with customer support. As long as I'm under warranty, which I wish was longer, fitbit has taken care of me. But with a cost of around $250, I want more assurance on quality. 

Reading through this forum, and reading posts about "Screen Falls off" <link>, makes me nervous.

So there you have it. I'd be very curious about your Ionic experience.

Thank you in advance,

Eric

[WendyB]

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@EricJRW wrote:

Dear Ionic users,

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)? I love my Ionic

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)? had i since 10/2017

Any quality problems (see below)? I have had no problems

I'm not overly impressed with fitbit's quality, but I am reasonably impressed with customer support. As long as I'm under warranty, which I wish was longer, fitbit has taken care of me. But with a cost of around $250, I want more assurance on quality. 

Reading through this forum, and reading posts about "Screen Falls off" <link>, makes me nervous.

So there you have it. I'd be very curious about your Ionic experience.

Thank you in advance,

Eric

---

You need to realize that most people are here to complain. Its rare you see a happy person. Happy people dont post. All devices even non fitbit have there problems.  But that's all you will ever hear about. I think a lot depends on how well you take care of your device

I have owned several fitbits and all have lasted  3 years or longer

[John917]

I have had an Ionic since last year with no difficulties.  Wendy is right.  You read about the problems in the forums but one has to realize the number of devices that are out there.  For example, if you go to the Versa page you will read about problems with the Versa.  But one has to take into account that Fitbit announced a while back that they had sold in excess of one million Versas.  

I don't know how many Ionics have been sold worldwide but I would imagine defective units have been rather few percentage wise.  Naturally, we all get frustrated if we get a product that doesn't work right or is short-lived.

You said you would feel better if the warranty lasted longer. If you want, you can get a 2-year protection plan from Fitbit that also covers accidental damage for $59.99 per device.

[N8teGee]

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)? I've had my Ionic since launch. I would definitely buy it again if I lost it, but I'm careful with my devices so I don't see that happening.

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)? Like I said I've had it since launch and it looks as good as new. I also said I take care of my device's so that should be expected.

Any quality problems (see below)? None at all. 

[EricJRW]

@N8teGeeThank you very much for your response.

[EricJRW]

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@WendyB wrote:

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@EricJRW wrote:

Dear Ionic users,

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)? I love my Ionic

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)? had i since 10/2017

Any quality problems (see below)? I have had no problems

I'm not overly impressed with fitbit's quality, but I am reasonably impressed with customer support. As long as I'm under warranty, which I wish was longer, fitbit has taken care of me. But with a cost of around $250, I want more assurance on quality. 

Reading through this forum, and reading posts about "Screen Falls off" <link>, makes me nervous.

So there you have it. I'd be very curious about your Ionic experience.

Thank you in advance,

Eric

---

You need to realize that most people are here to complain. Its rare you see a happy person. Happy people dont post. All devices even non fitbit have there problems.  But that's all you will ever hear about. I think a lot depends on how well you take care of your device

I have owned several fitbits and all have lasted  3 years or longer

---

@WendyB, Oh, I definitely know that. I really wish fitbit would publish repair ticket stats. As much as I love my fitbits, I remain dismayed at build quality and short warranty. Yes, a year is not bad, but I have owned several fitbits, and all have developed problems.

Just a few days ago, my Charge HR stopped sync'ing. I've done all the trouble shooting. I'm getting ready to contact support, but I am not hopeful. The Charge HR with the problem, is a warranty replacement, and I'm pretty sure is out of warranty (since it did not come with a full warranty, another gripe of mine).

Anyway, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but if Support offered me a discount, I just might go with the Ionic.

I see, in your sig, you have one. I would assume you like it?

Thank you for your reply,

Eric

[EricJRW]

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@John917 wrote:

I have had an Ionic since last year with no difficulties.  Wendy is right.  You read about the problems in the forums but one has to realize the number of devices that are out there.  For example, if you go to the Versa page you will read about problems with the Versa.  But one has to take into account that Fitbit announced a while back that they had sold in excess of one million Versas.  

I don't know how many Ionics have been sold worldwide but I would imagine defective units have been rather few percentage wise.  Naturally, we all get frustrated if we get a product that doesn't work right or is short-lived.

You said you would feel better if the warranty lasted longer. If you want, you can get a 2-year protection plan from Fitbit that also covers accidental damage for $59.99 per device.

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@John917, Thank you for your reply. All good points. I was not aware that fitbit offered a protection plan. I was considering buying from Amazon for that reason. On Amazon, I see a 2 year plan is $10.19, a 3 year is $24.37 . Though I have never used this option on any thing with Amazon. I suspect those years include the original fitbit warranty period, which I believe is one year (need to check that).

Decisions, decisions.

Eric

[JanetFar]

I've only had my Ionic a few days.  I got it at a discount because my old Blaze died.  I use it for running and was surprised there is no feature to have it buzz or notify you when you hit mile markers.  I was hoping this would eliminate me having to carry my phone with my Nike Run app, which does just that.  I see it links with Strava, which I haven't tried yet but I wish it linked with the Nike Run app given that the mile feature is not built in.

I wouldn't buy this if I had to pay full price.  

[WendyB]

@EricJRW Yes I like no my Ionic. I like the built in GPS

 I have always had problems with the connected GPS

The Versa is smaller in design which I like but it has connected GPS

Trust me I don't care that you post in a thread. Any one can help. That's what the board is for

 😁

[NellyG]

@EricJRW I have had my Ionic since December last year and I have had no real problems at all. Just some syncing issues but they resolved by making it the only tracker on that account. I really loved it although it was rather big on my very skinny wrist, but in spite of that was very comfortable. I still have my Ionic but am not wearing it so much as I now also have a Versa and that is all the Ionic is with the addition of being a better size for my wrist. I dont use GPS so only used that feature on the Ionic to try it out (and it worked fine).

Would I buy another if I lost it? Probably not as the Versa is a better size for me, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that I still think the Ionic is great and would recommend it to people thinking of a smart watch.

[soccersnaps]

I started out with a charge 2 14 months ago, performed faultlessly until recently.

got an ionic for christmas and was blown away by how good it was, love it to bits for all my running and cycling, never had a problem with heart rate, gps, or adding music, all been great.

would i buy another fitbit.................NO.

recently my charge 2 developed a problem and i found customer support appalling, so much so, i would not get another fitbit product.

fitbit support was incapable of listening to all the measures i had taken to correct my problem and simply went through the loop of "remove this", "re-install that" etc, even though i had given them the information that i had done that before contacting them and on several phones etc etc 

I feel for people here, people that have had problems and not got any real help. 

im going to be pulled back here for being negative, but i really like my charge 2 and my ionic and ive not experienced so many problems as some here, but when you really really need help..........you just aint gonna get it

[Ericws]

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@WendyB wrote:

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@EricJRW wrote:

Dear Ionic users,

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)? I love my Ionic

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)? had i since 10/2017

Any quality problems (see below)? I have had no problems

I'm not overly impressed with fitbit's quality, but I am reasonably impressed with customer support. As long as I'm under warranty, which I wish was longer, fitbit has taken care of me. But with a cost of around $250, I want more assurance on quality. 

Reading through this forum, and reading posts about "Screen Falls off" <link>, makes me nervous.

So there you have it. I'd be very curious about your Ionic experience.

Thank you in advance,

Eric

---

You need to realize that most people are here to complain. Its rare you see a happy person. Happy people dont post. All devices even non fitbit have there problems.  But that's all you will ever hear about. I think a lot depends on how well you take care of your device

I have owned several fitbits and all have lasted  3 years or longer

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I think there are a lot of very questionable posts as to credibility.  Maybe trolling people from other companies, or just cranks.

I love my Ionic.  Bought it in January during that "new year resolution" time, and have used it regularly.  I am a real dummy when it comes to tech, but have been able to figure out how to add my music and install Pandora.  If I can do it, anyone can.

My GPS works right on target.  I have several well-defined running routes I use regularly and it always gets the distance right.  

I am highly impressed with my Ionic.  I would make the same decision and buy it again.

[soccersnaps]

I'm real lucky, mine syncs, music upload is a doddle, ive never once had a problem with any update, gps seems good with strava, heart rate monitor is great compared to my blood pressure monitor.....i love mine, but when it fails....i now know, im not going to get any help what so ever..........for such an awesome product...thats sad......and thats after all the posts ive made here saying how good it is

[Ericws]

I am only speaking from my experience, and so far it has been a terrific experience.  7 months in.

[Jennie07]

Sadly I'm one of the unhappy users. My hubby bought me the Ionic as a Valentine's gift this past year. I actually received it February 20th to be exact. It's the first Fitbit I've ever owned but always wanted one, one of the biggest reasons was to track my sleep. So I've had this device not even 6 months now and have had nothing but problems w/ it. I can't tell you how many times it just randomly stops syncing or just turns off and resets itself in the middle of the day. B/c the fact that it TRYS to sync but can't find what it's looking for, not only does it drain my phone battery faster but my iconic that's suppose to last 4-5 days on a single charge lasts 2-3. I really really wanted to love this device but for the $300 price tag (which is what it still was then) falls short. So if it broke for good I would honestly not buy another, quite sadly I don't even think I'd buy another fitbit period now that there's many different types of smart watches now that pretty much do the same thing that are much cheaper. I wish my experience was as good as some of the ones I read about. 

[SilviaFitbit]

Hey Everyone! I appreciate your comments and feedback provided on this thread. Our only goal is to continue improving our products and services that we offer. Fitbit is always reviewing your responses to provide feedback to our product development team. 

I was reading the whole thread and it seems that each one has received a different reply from Customer Support. I would like to confirm that each case is reviewed individually and the response that you received from them is always based on the Fitbit Warranty, we're always trying to keep you as a customer so that's why they try to offer you other options. 

Remember that we're always here to assist you with your inquiries. If you need further assistance, don't hesitate to post them. 

[confuzion]

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@EricJRW wrote:

Dear Ionic users,

Hi, I'm a long-time fitbit user, and about a year ago started running. Initially my Charge HR was enough. But now that I'm running more, I want more out of what's on my wrist (i.e. GPS).

I like the idea of keeping my fitbit lifetime stats, as I'm currently at 16,599,867 lifetime steps and 22,790 lifetime floors. Floors are a bit suspect, due to the way they are measured (atmospheric pressure change), and windy days have done some funny things with my floors.

So, my questions:

Do you like your Ionic and would you buy it again (if you lost it, maybe not if it broke)?

How long have you had it (or how long did it last)?

Any quality problems (see below)?

I'm not overly impressed with fitbit's quality, but I am reasonably impressed with customer support. As long as I'm under warranty, which I wish was longer, fitbit has taken care of me. But with a cost of around $250, I want more assurance on quality. 

Reading through this forum, and reading posts about "Screen Falls off" <link>, makes me nervous.

So there you have it. I'd be very curious about your Ionic experience.

Thank you in advance,

Eric

---

mine is.....eh ok but not for the price.

the app disconnects my internet so i need to turn off the bluetooth as soon as im done. syncing etc takes multiple tries. i also had burned 60k calories upon opening the watch and cant delete it, so i have to wait until next year to know my yearly total. i also hate the fact it estimates calories burned. there should be a option to turn that off. i also hate that i have to connect to the app everyday just to update the weather. and i hate that you have to use a app, and the webpage for stats. if the webpage/app ever goes down etc then the device is useless. id be more happier if this only cost $30-$50 range. the screen is digital fancy with alot of dumb options ill never use. ill never pre load my watch with money for transfers when i buy stuff or use starbucks lol. i wiped out most of the stuff on it as i only use weather and exercise. the headaches i had to go through just for this to work on setup was ridiculous. i bought this watch so i wouldnt have to use phone apps, or apps really. and then it makes you use a app. if i wanted to do that i would of got endomondo which is a free app that does the same stuff the watch does and saved $250 and bought another playstation or something.

my full rant is here, id most likely not buy another one nor would i recommend it. id say go for the cheapest thing possible. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/calories-are-way-off-and-this-watch-SUCKS/m-p/2901256#M67148

[ToddBrennan]

Well, it's very much a mixed bag.  I'm here today again because I have a new issue.  There appears to be a new issue every couple of months.  It typically takes a couple of hours of research and experimentation to resolve each issue.  This time my calories in are not transferring from MyFitnessPal to Fitbit, and the calculation for calories in vs calories out is using my daily goal as as part of the calculation rather than calories in.  Gods only know how long it will take to figure out...

I don't use much of the functionality of the watch.  Some of the issues aren't worth the effort to correct.  For instance, the GPS graphic prior to going into the details of an exercise is never correct.  It appears to recycle previous GPS graphics.  It's correct in the details, but not elsewhere.  The weather app has never worked.  Never loaded music, so I don't know if that causes issues. etc. 

I got the Iconic because of the long battery life, and on board GPS (in case one or the other runs out of power I don't miss recording any exercise).  It serves that function well so far.  I think of the Iconic as more of an activity tracker with on board GPS rather than a smartwatch.  Keeping expectations low helps.  

I can't say it hasn't been frustrating.  I've had the Iconic for about 2 years now.  Before the Iconic I had a Surge, which had manufacturing issues (band fell off/ they replaced the watch for free).  I like the FitBit app a lot, but the watch hardware/software leaves a lot to be desired. My Mother bought a Blaze, so I'm limited in my ability to change devices.  Had my mother not bought a Blaze I may have switched to an Apple watch, although I'm very concerned about the Apple watch battery life.  

I can say that using the trackers has been extremely useful in losing and maintaining weight, you just have to be patient, tech savvy, and have enough time to address the various technical issues that arise.

Now that I've vented, I need to figure this out.  Good luck.

🙂

Todd