Charge 3 has white lines across the display

[Kellypops]

I think there's an actual issue with my fitbit but thought I'd post in here to see if anyone else was experiencing a similar issue. 

I bought my charge 3 just under two weeks ago. Last Friday, I noticed my screen looked faded and had white lines running through it. I have tried to reset it three times as generally suggested with no such luck. 

I haven't damaged it in any way and I've continued to wear it in the shower as I wasn't concerned due to it being waterproof. The day the faded screen/lines appeared was when the battery was very low - but that's the only thing I can think of and surely a low battery should'nt lead to this? 

Anyone's help would be greatly appreciated before I have to take it back. I've tried to add a picture to this thread but can't for some reason. 

Many Thanks

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[gsusb4me]

I am having the same white lines developed on my Charge 3 that I got for Christmas 2019.  Is there a recall of this fitbit?  I have attempted the hard reset that was mentioned in this group

[sanjay99]

Hi Fitbit Community,

Just finished a conversation with the support team and am not pleased with what info I was given. 

In August 2019 my Atla HR failed and I was offered a Charge 3 as a replacement which I accepted.  If I remember correctly, the Alta HR also had lines appear across the display that I was unable to get rid of and I thought that by upgrading to the Charge I would avoid this issue again. 

About 2 months ago the lines appeared on my new Charge 3 and have gotten progressively worse to the point that the screen is unreadable.  I have tried all the support suggestions (short and long restart, changing the clock face and even clearing the data on the Charge) and nothing worked.

So I contacted the support team and explained my situation.  I was advise that they would not replace my Charge 3 as the Atla HR was now out of warranty.  Frankly, that reply makes no sense to me as they are two different products and I would expect that if Fitbit believed in reliability of their products, the Charge 3 would have come with a new warranty. 

From what I was told, that is not the case and the only option for me was to purchase a new Fitbit device at a 25% discount.  That not an acceptable offer to me as I can probably get the same discount at a retail store whenever Fitbit has it's sales.  So therefore I won't be purchasing any more Fitbit products as they are not supported and will advise my family and friends the same.  It unfortunate because when they work they are great devises.

[Raft2235]

You are totally correct. Another great device made in China! Fitbit sales should greatly go down due to the quality of their products and reliability. You are smart and going elsewhere! Stay healthy and safe!

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[Samdrummer]

They should close the factory in China and open one or more factories in the USA and make them better devices

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[terencewong85]

I got this issue yesterday, with my Charge 3 being only 16 months old. This thread is 36 pages long and the support team refuses to send a replacement, and only offered the 25% off another one of their products. A bit of a slap in the face, considering the rep even told me that their products are "designed to last."

[Raft2235]

Totally agree!!!

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[Tyka_girl]

I totally agree - I went out and got myself a new watch from the competition.

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[krash57]

My charge 3 has also developed lines on the display. It started with just one, then two which was not a big deal.  But now there are many lines and it is getting harder to read. I had a Charge 2 that I liked. But The Charge 3 was waterproof and supposedly better features and tracking. I have found it to be more difficult to navigate and less accurate in recognizing exercise and sleep. The button is recessed and much harder to depress or to feel when it is depressed. The fact that I had to use a completely different charge cable was also very annoying. I have purchased extra cables to have in my Truck and at work, if needed and a clip in nightstand charger for my Charge 2 and none of them work now with the Charge 3. I bought my Charge 3 in October 2019 for $150.00 Now I see it is selling for $50.00 less. I am very annoyed 

[mcroft77]

I have the same issue ... how can I fix this ;-(

[TracyAnn7]

I am having the same grey/white lines in my device. Is there a way to fix this myself?

[UncleChuck]

Buy a Garmin. Apparently that is what I will have to do. No viable fix noted here. Unfortunate, but I have few options. 

[BrAdams]

Having the same problem. A horizontal black line showed up a week ago when I was charging. Then today when I went to plug it in because the battery was dying the whole screen had vertical white bands and basically looks faded but I can still read the clock.

[CatChristie]

I emailed Customer Services a week ago and haven’t had a reply. I have white lines running through my screen, it doesn’t wake when you lift your wrist and it’s very slow to scroll left and right and up and down. Resets haven’t made a difference, 

I tried to send a photo but the mailbox now says undeliverable when you email them.

Help please, it’s really annoying.

[Raft2235]

You need to call Customer service and try to be nice and ask for replacement. They will try to give you a 25 % discount off a new Charge3. Try to say no I deserve a total replacement. By this time you will get frustrated and say fine I will just buy a competitor product not made in China where the company stands by the quality of their products!!! Try to stay positive and in good health! Good luck!!! Take care!

Sent from my iPhone

[Raft2235]

Amen to that!!!

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[23Wallaby]

Not that I found. I called Fitbit customer service and they sent me a new
watch. Good luck with your problem

[Mrusssell]

I called customer service was as nice as pie etc, they did nothing! Nothing will fix this issue, i have googled and called and emailed. Fitbit doesn't care..its not worth your time or money. I am never going back to them ever. Customer service is a huge factor for me..if you have good customer service and you stand behind your product then you have my buy in. Fitbit is trying to keep up and because of that their product quality has gone down and so has their customer service. They use to launch a product every 2-3 years and now they are almost every year or faster. Not good in my opinion. And now people are having these huge issues that they wont fix. Just walk away before you give them even more money and find you have nothing to show for it. 

[terencewong85]

For those that are out of the warranty period that Fitbit would be unwilling to replace your defective devices, it may be a good idea to check your credit card benefits to see if they have an extended warranty clause for any products purchased on their card. For example, mine doubles the manufacturer's warranty to a maximum of 1 year and since my Charge showed this error at the 16 month mark, my credit card will cover the loss. Hope that helps someone.

[ChilliP]

I have the same issue with my Charge 3.  Called customer service.  The customer service agent was fantastic!  She walked me through a number of steps to try to fix the issue.  The white lines were still there.  She looked up the warranty information for my device, which I purchased almost a year ago.  As it is within warranty, she processed a replacement claim and sent me an electronic form to fill out.  Within a couple minutes of filling out the electronic form, my exact replacement was processed.  I could not be happier with the customer service received, friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.  

[UncleChuck]

Which one did you buy, if I can ask?

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