Ionic stopped working

[jbtaco2002]

on Monday Feb 4th, my Ionic stopped syncing with my phone. i tried everything and the resolution was a factory reset on the fitbit. was working fine since, but very unusual that it just stopped talking to my Android phone. Fast Forward to today. it was at 44% battery and i'm thinking i'll top off the battery charge to get me through the work week. i check it 2 hours later expecting it to be fully charged and it's just sitting there with a black screen. tried pressing and holding buttons per instructions and it just will not turn on.

this is my 2nd Ionic, the 1st one was replaced under warranty around Aug 2018 (was a x-mas present 12/2017) after getting a "splash" of ocean water on it

why can't i get a watch that works for more than 8 months... love this thing, but at this price point, i expect so much more.

help!

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity 

[SilviaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back @itsjustkay. I appreciate the troubleshooting that you've performed with our Support team. I've double checked your post with them and they've mentioned that they advised you to try some steps and if that didn't work, you could reply back and they can continue assisting you. 

Let me know if you need further assistance. 

[Carle2005]

I hope there is more they can do. We even tried a factory reset, but the ionic would not turn on. Customer support told me there was nothing else to try and sent me a 25% off discount code to buy a new one. I don't want to spend over $100 to have a watch that only works for 13 months. 

Please give more suggestions of you have any. Customer support made it clear that we had tried everything. 

Thank you,

Carlena

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Carle2005 thanks for stopping by and for your participation in the forums!

Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience, that's why they've offered you that option after checking your warranty information. Nevertheless, I really appreciate your feedback; this is the best way to make your voice heard.

Using a discount to get back on track with the same or a different tracker, it'd be a good option for a person that is considering staying in the Fitbit family. If it is not your case, sorry you feel this is not enough since most of companies don't have options after the warranty ends.

I'd like to mention that I understand you've invested in the Fitbit Family; however, Fitbit as any other company has policies to follow through. While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.   

I'll be around! 

[OferGrosz]

I do NOT believe this is a warranty problem after what happened to my Ionic and so many others starting around February 4th update which fitbit rendered useless and left them un-repairable. Pretty sure that is why Fitbit is offering a 40% discount WITH FREE expedited shipping for a replacement. If warranty was the case then read this quote from the previous post.

"While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently"    

So why offer a discount if it is out of warranty?

I really LOVED my Ionic and the Fitbit community and do not want to leave. But at this point I am not happy and may have to go another route.

[sharenslz]

Another question -

"While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently"

Here in the UK, and I understand Europe, we are protected with a 2 year warranty, and those in the USA and rest of the world seem to get anything from 45 days to 365 days max.  Why isn't there a GLOBAL warranty to match the so called global business??

Fitbit is an American company - their heartland customers get a worse deal than those of us over the pond ??

[OferGrosz]

I LOVE your thinking on this. You have made a very good point. Thank You!

[vincent3232]

I had to hassle customer service to get a replacement for the replacement. I hate I got on this train. Now I’m getting on a plane with no watch until the replacement shows up. Why not just refund us all and stop selling the junk?

[GB5]

I have same issue. Very disappointing.

[GAonMyMind]

My Fitbit Ionic stopped working at the start of March 2019 (1year/1mo old). Purchased new chargers and tried several outlets. Just will not work any longer. Fitbit Customer Service Agent, although extremely polite and professional, could not fix issue with several solutioning attempts. I love this watch and my family has a BLAZE as well. Per CS Agent - watch is out of warranty - nothing they can do. Very unhappy. Would love a resolution from Fitbit - as there are numerous reports from Fitbit Ionic owners as to a similar issues on this community site as well as BBB. 

HELP?

[Carle2005]

I, personally, think these issues were due to some sort of update or
manufacturing defect on their end. Fitbit offers a 1 year warranty in the
US and 2 years in Europe. They could offer the same warranty in the US. I
will NOT buy another fitbit until they make this issue right and offer the
same warranty in the US.
Good luck...
Carlena

[jessbeast]

I really appreciate your story and what happened to your Ionic. I was getting very close to purchasing one because I really want GPS on my smart tracker but there are just too many claims of Ionics not being built to last. I have to admit that I'm very surprised that fitbit's customer service is turning people away whom are slightly over the warranty period. Isn't it suppose to be good customer service to extend an olive branch to your customers from time to time? Now I'm so confused and not sure what to purchase.

[GAonMyMind]

Hello,

https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/2025

https://downdetector.com/status/fitbit

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Ionic/Ionic-not-syncing-after-update/td-p/3288686

It appears that a number of your Fitbit Ionic users are having similar issues (ionic stops working) since your firmware update oin 2.4.19. Perhaps earlier update?   Any insight?  Just want my watch rockin again. Thanks.

[RussC]

We would all love a resolution but alas this company is just not bold
enough to say ops sorry and help their customers.

[Carle2005]

They did offer a small discount on a new one, but this experience has turned me off to them. If I had been rough with it, I could understand it, but the most I did while wearing it was use my eliptical. It stopped working while I was sitting at my desk, typing on a keyboard. My Ionic had a protective case and screen protector always on it. CarleSent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

I completely agree. Fitbit made a fancy looking product that ended up being
junk and we were suckered into buying it. Fool one once... As the saying
goes. Hopefully our experiences will prevent others from having to go
through this ordeal. Companies are either made or broken by the way they
stand behind their product and their (former) customers.

[GAonMyMind]

Fitbit has a wonderful opportunity here to reclaim customer trust and loyalty surrounding the Ionic. If they simply get a working product in the hands of those of us that have identified a complete "systems down issue" post the recent firmware update...the ROI could be huge.  It is a lot more cost effective to keep existing customers than it is to get  new ones. I, for one, would be happy to evangelize Fitbit again...once I have a watch that works. Am completely open to any discussions on this topic!

[Carle2005]

I am, too. It's not that I want something for nothing, but I did nothing to break the watch. I babied it. Never got it wet, didn't sleep in it, kept a protector on it. It does not have a single scratch. I would, and have for other companies, become advocates after good customer service. Things happen, I think we all understand that. Oops, fitbit put out a bad update that caused Ionics to shut off and not be able to turn back on. Not our fault. Fitbit should make it right and not expect us to buy another. I used it for barely over a year, however the life of an expensive watch like this should be longer than that. A new one should at least be prorated on the life of the watch. Sounds nice, but from the lack of caring from those I've spoken to, they wont.-- CarleSent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device

[Jules03]

My Ionic has also stopped working - I am not getting any notifications anymore. I've contacted support over 2 weeks ago, with the same message over and over - we are escalating your issue to a higher department. The last message I got was: "please know that our engineers are aware of the issue and are working diligently in having this resolved as soon as possible. I would recommend to visit our website from time to time for any updates or announcements. 

Basically, let me know that there is nothing else they can do for me. It is really unfortunate, I've been a fitbit user for 6 years and always had a great customer support experience until now.

[GAonMyMind]

With any luck, Fitbit Ionic Customer Advocates are monitoring this email stream, and addressing to make right by their customer base. Fitbit had a primary recall a few years back of their FItbit Force...am hopeful the recent critical Iconic watch failure (complete system down) will not require the same effort. Crossing figures they will comment on Monday next, and at least reach out to everyone on this Fitbit endorsed community group...to make amends.

Fitbit has an exceptional CCare team. It it s their Iconic platform (software) that needs review.

[Runtennis]

I was gifted an ionic 2 weeks ago. This was my first Fitbit. It was great to track metrics. While playing tennis yesterday, it died and has not recovered since. No amount of button pushing or other troubleshooting steps is helping. Looks like there are others facing similar issues.

[Locke2384]

My Ionic just turned off yesterday while standing around at a family party.  It appears to be a brick, no hard reset, no response.  Received as a gift from my wife 2/23/2018.  Less than a month out of warranty.  Device was not abused, just used on daily runs.  Very disappointed in the product right now.  My wife and I have purchased 4 different Fitbits for ourselves and several as gifts.  I hope fitbit is willing to extend something other than a small discount to retain customers.