Ionic is NOT water resistant.

[DudeMon]

Went whitewater rafting over the weekend, and I was wearing my fitbit. I double checked if the Ionic was water resistant "WATER-RESISTANT Seamless watch case is water-resistant up to 50M", it was, so I wore my fitbit with the confidence that the deepest that i would do would be a meter or less. First day in raft was fine. Watch performed without problems. Tracked HR , steps, etc. on the second day of fun the watch turned off. I figured that they ran out of battery, which was strange as i had full battery before that, and usually single charge would last for few days. After getting home and plugging my watch to the charger the display showed 0%, but not indicating that the watch was charging. i also noticed the condensation and tiny droplets forming in the three windows where the sensors were. I put the watch into the zip bag with rice (I've seen some people fix the water damage this way). thinking that if the device is supposed to be water resistant, removing some moisture should bring it back to life. Fortunately the full display came on after a day of rice therapy, unfortunately the battery  is not charging and the touch screen is no longer touch responsive. I can turn on the watch when it is on the charger, but that's about it. The green light from sensors is not on, and the sensors are not picking up the heart rate. I contacted Customer life chat service, and spoke with Marc who was very helpfull and after trying few trouble shooting steps, offered me 23% discount on new device, then bumped it up to 50%. However I wouldn't have to get the new device if the product was not miss advertised as "water-resistant" in the first place. I love the fitbit and had few of their products over the 4 year period. started with the charge (which had fixed band that would get deformed after 1 year of use, changed two of them) then my wife got me Ionic, with replaceable bands. 

In short the watch is not water proof. a) due to poor seal during the assembly. b) bad quality check or c) the water resistance is not 50M deep, but is more like 50M across the surface. So keep this in mind and do not wear your fitbit in water, as it will most likely stop working.     

[rkaplan27]

I like their products when they work, but similar water proofing complaints are all over the forums, and that along with the insulting discount offer is unacceptable. I don't blame the support agents, as they're just doing their job, but it is incredible that they have a policy of recognizing their product failed to meet specifications, refusing to stand by their products, and then offering you a discount on paying for a new device. Only a fool would indulge such an offer after that experience, and I recommend you appeal or explore the offerings of other companies such as Garmin. Best of luck!

[DudeMon]

Yup. I worked at the customer service before, and I am familiar with the standard procedures.

I wasn't really looking for a new device, as mine is "worn in". It was a gift from someone special to me. Buying a new one after such "betrayal" in performance, seems wrong. I just have close to no confidence in the quality of the product anymore.

I don't know. I will see if i can fix mine somehow. If not I will look into something more trustworthy.

[Rich_Laue]

Have you contacted Fitbit? 

[DudeMon]

I did, they offered discount on new device. And they were apologetic that this happened to my device.