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Ionic is not working

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‎01-28-2019 07:57 - last edited on ‎09-25-2019 09:47 by Moderator Alum

‎01-28-2019 07:57 - last edited on ‎09-25-2019 09:47 by Moderator Alum

I have loved my Ionic until last night,. It was working fine, fully charged, and then It just died.  Black screen, no green light heart sensor.  Chatted online with support, they told me to clean the connection with rubbing alcohol then press all three buttons for 10 sec.  None of that worked. That was it! Their solution...a 25% off coupon to get another one?  Really?!?  The support person said all technology has an unknown expiration date.  I'm sorry but a $300 smartwatch should not die after 2 years for no apparent reason and a 25% off coupon to get another one just seemed like an insult. Anyone else have this happen? 

 

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity

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59 REPLIES 59

‎01-28-2019 08:04

‎01-28-2019 08:04

2 years? That would be the new record. It managed to outlive the UK warranty.

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‎01-28-2019 08:15

‎01-28-2019 08:15

I got to be honest with you, if your watch really lasted two years that is honestly a world record for the Ionic. Mine barely made it a year. How would you feel if it made it a day after 12 months and they told you to buy a new one? That is basically what happened to me.

 

I feel for you I really do, but unless we stay on these forums and shed light on what is truly going on there will be zero possibility to get Fitbit to remedy this unacceptable situation. Like I said, you really are incredibly lucky to have your watch last as long as it did.  May I ask if you ever got it wet? and if you did how often?

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‎01-28-2019 08:49 - edited ‎01-28-2019 08:50

‎01-28-2019 08:49 - edited ‎01-28-2019 08:50

Mine lasted 16 months. Was working one moment, then completely dead the next. Device was fully charged the morning before and has been completely unresponsive ever since. Other than that, I had no major complaints about my Ionic. Few little things, but it worked pretty good overall and I loved the 5 day battery. 

 

I completely agree that an investment like this should last longer. I know people still happily using their 1st gen Apple watch from 2015. Since the Ionic is positioned to compete with the Apple Watch, I would have liked at least a 2+ year life expectancy.  

 

I got the same 25% discount offer, which I used towards a Versa. Too many problems on the forums with the Ionic for me to consider it again. Plus, I never really used the GPS. But, most of our family use fitbit devices so I am going to stay with fitbit a while longer. Hoping the Versa is a better experience.

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‎01-28-2019 09:45

‎01-28-2019 09:45

So I actually went back to check the date I registered it in 2017 and it was October!  So not even 2 years!! 15 MONTHS! Ugh!  So do you think the Versa is just as bad? Do you think Fitbit never intended for the Ionic to last, it was more of a trial run?  I feel scammed!

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‎01-28-2019 09:48

In response to jess1971

‎01-28-2019 09:48

Hey, so after all the replies telling me that I was lucky for it to last 2 years (I went back to check the exact date I registered it in 2017 and it was October so I really only had it for 15 months!   So not that lucky after all.

I never got it wet other than sweat from cycling. 

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‎01-28-2019 09:50

In response to gdakin

‎01-28-2019 09:50

Yeah, keep us posted on the Versa.  I am thinking the Ionic was their 'test version' of the Versa so maybe the Versa will last? I have 2 friends with a versa but they have only had them since Christmas. 

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‎01-28-2019 10:05

In response to sh211

‎01-28-2019 10:05

From reviewing the two forums, Ionic has had way more hardware issues than the Versa.To name a few; Ionic has seen screen issues, sudden death issues (like mine), waterproofing issues...

 

Versa has been available since April 2018, 10 months, so it has some track record to it now and I didn't notice as many hardware related issues on that forum. My wife and daughter each got a Versa for Christmas and they both love them. Which is something. The 25% discount helped the decision a bit, but if the Versa fails I may resort to a fitbit flex to stay involved in the family tracking and find a real smart watch somewhere else.

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‎02-25-2019 05:47 - edited ‎02-25-2019 05:49

‎02-25-2019 05:47 - edited ‎02-25-2019 05:49

Mine actually made it 16 months! Reading several Community Forums made me very disappointed to see so many failures just past the warranty date. Contacted customer service in hopes that perhaps Fitbit had done a recall. But, I only got the same line & 25% discount as everyone else. The customer service rep actually said my deceased ionic had “unusual behavior” for the device! That was the only explanation they could offer. After reading the forums, it doesn’t sound so “unusual” to me.

 

I loved my Ionic and am looking at Versa, but I’m really leery.

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‎03-09-2019 18:42

‎03-09-2019 18:42

Mine lasted 12  I hope they go out of business. Product and customer service sucks

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‎03-09-2019 18:43

In response to jess1971

‎03-09-2019 18:43

Omg. Me too. 12 months one week 

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‎03-10-2019 03:52

In response to ailurophile

‎03-10-2019 03:52

Same thing has just happened to me. My Ionic was fine when I went to bed last night -  then this morning - nothing. Completely lifeless. Reading this thread it is pretty obvious there is no point in contacting fitbit. Almost 300GBP for a tracker / watch that was designed and built to last for less than 2 years!!! Mine actually lasted 14 months. All I can say is, that is the last penny the thieving, low life scumbags at fitbit will ever get from me! Anyone who continues to fund these cheating scum after an experience like this is an idiot! They are deliberately taking the public for mugs. Anyone associated with fitbit should be ashamed of themselves!

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‎03-17-2019 05:34

‎03-17-2019 05:34

I had upgrade (at least I thought) from a charge 2 to the ionic in November of 2017.  Died in February.  Watch was good, but when it died and they offered a 25% on a new one I was upset.   I had planned to stay long term in the fitbit world, but am now going to look else where.  Customer support was disappointing and the entire experience has left a bad taste.   I am done with Fitbit forever.   

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‎04-30-2019 12:32

‎04-30-2019 12:32

I am in the same boat.  Mine was 16 month old and it died as well.  It had errant shut down, dead screen for last 3 days and it finally died yesterday.  Agreed, 25% discount on a $300 watch seems too little remedy.  During the last 3 days I've done several factory resets, then complete setup plus several reboots when it would just black screen.  Then it finally died.

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‎06-04-2019 22:19

In response to JCHoo51

‎06-04-2019 22:19

Mine lasted 16 months (bought Jan 28, 2018) and died two days ago with no way to switch it on, restart, reset, charge, zip nada, nothing.... 

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‎06-05-2019 05:09

In response to jess1971

‎06-05-2019 05:09

I should not say this, but mine has been going strong for 2 plus years. 

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‎07-20-2019 10:25 - edited ‎07-20-2019 12:07

‎07-20-2019 10:25 - edited ‎07-20-2019 12:07

Christmas present 2017 $370 almost - screen started acting up maybe two months back so maybe 16 months? Now virtually dead - screen unreadable most of the time. Have never had any experience like the customer service. They are essentially saying that it did its duty after 365 days and they keep repeating it (the warranty period) and sending a link. They offered a 25% discount FROM FULL LIST price which equates to maybe $30 savings from Amazon's price when on sale... even so it's ANOTHER $200. For what? So I get another year and do it all again? I have a 10+ year old Garmin that still works great. If it wasn't for the advances in GPS I would still use it... bye bye Fitbit

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‎07-20-2019 11:07

‎07-20-2019 11:07

I had similar experience. 10-month old replacement Fitbit stopped fully syncing, would not reconnect to my account, although it initially “found” the device during the registration process. After a 2-button factory reset, things started well, but device bricked during firmware upgrade. Warranty period is based off original device, so 2nd replacement. Talked support up to 50% off and then the supervisor abruptly ended chat as I was asking for further escalation or at least how he would communicate my dissatisfaction.

 

I have enjoyed the Ionic, but two catastrophic failures, and one 3-button reset leaves me concerned that I’m looking at a $150 annual subscription to FitBit. Maybe that’s part of their secret business model.

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‎07-20-2019 11:55

In response to JCM801

‎07-20-2019 11:55

Mine died today, 16 months.

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‎07-20-2019 13:10

In response to Dzchaney

‎07-20-2019 13:10

I'm now suspecting the Android app update I received on July 16

 

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