Ionic, scratches on display

[acarley]

After less than 6 months of dropping $300 on an Ionic, there are several deep scratches on the watch face. The funny thing is, when I first bought the Ionic, I contacted customer service at Fitbit and asked them if they recommended using a screen protector and was told "no, nothing like that is offered or recommended". Now, mere months later, the watch face is scratched up and looks awful. Contacted customer service, and like many others, was offered a discount on a new Fitbit (meaning I can drop another $200 for another Ionic that will be scratched up in less than 6 months). No thanks... Has anyone had any better luck with this? I'm ready to switch to another fitness tracker at this point...Fitbit is quite disappointing lately...

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity 

[geminiman7]

I've had my Fitbit Ionic for 2 1/2 weeks, and already have two scratches on the face from simply lightly brushing up against a kitchen countertop while cooking, or a door frame accidentally. The screen does scratch very easily I've noticed..

[DavideFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hello @acarley and @geminiman7, it's good to see you around in the forums. I'm sorry to see that happened with the display of your Ionic devices. 

@acarley, I've been confirmed that you already have a case with the Customer Support team about this. Remember that every case is evaluated and handled differently, but you can also check the official Warranty Policy here for further details.  

@geminiman7, thank you for all the details, I've gone ahead and sent your information to the Customer Support team for further assistance. You should be getting a reply soon. 

I hope this helps. 

[acarley]

Doesn't help at all... Customer Service's response was, as I said above, to buy a new one. Which won't be happening. Not if this will just happen again.

With the amount of instances people have complained about this, one would think Fitbit would have a better way of handling this - even if it means providing (or simply recommending) a screen protector. But nope, was told I didn't need one. 

I guess if Fitbit dealt with it better, or provided any form of true customer support, they wouldn't be able to keep making money as their customers continue to replace products one after the other... 

Actually, you post DID help, @DavideFitbit - helped me confirm the thought I had yesterday that it's time to switch to a Galaxy Watch. Bye-bye Fitbit. 

[DavideFitbit]

Thanks for all the feedback @acarley, Fitbit continuously works to improve the quality of products and services, and all this information is useful to our team of developers. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. 

[SunsetRunner]

From all my complaints about Ionic, scratches are not one of them. Anyway, I wanted to add something about using screen protectors. I do lots of bouldering and in general climbing and I always wear my Ionic but I do use a screen protector. I don't think Ionic would survive long without such an accessory in my case. During bouldering, it's not only protecting the watch from damage but simply it doesn't allow it to get all covered with chalk. However, I wouldn't be using a protector all the time. I find it a bit bulky and it's reducing screen responsiveness and visibility. I understand if this is the reason why such an accessory isn't recommended and of course, there is no official accessory like that. I bought this one on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B49YX7Z/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just 9 quid but this 9 quid but worth every penny considering that it protects almost 300 quid device. There are lot more unofficial accessories and really depends on the use case.