Charge 3 screen too dim

[747pilot]

My Charge 3 screen is excessively dim, even with a full charge.  I've tried restarting it with no result. It will occasionally come on bright but after a few seconds it's dim again and I can't get it back. This is indoors and is still difficult to read. Outside with any amount of sunlight, it's impossible to read.

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[Gentlereiner]

Thanks so much for the info. The last time I spoke to support, I told them
if this issue was not remediated in a timely fashion, I was going to kick
this upstairs. Frankly, I'm a little tired of "humoring" the support folks
for an hour on the phone, who only have the same script to repeat every
time, when it's clear that this product has a pervasive problem. And I was
shocked to read that taking a screenshot of other customer complaints was a
requirement for warranty service. I'm glad your complaint ultimately
resulted in a satisfactory conclusion, but I'm afraid my patience with
spending an hour every time going through the same steps is at an end.

Best wishes with yours!
G Dial

[Gentlereiner]

Apparently, Fitbit now recognizes the dim screen as a "known issue", says their "engineeting staff" are working on it, and refuses to honor their warranty. Since posts on this topic date back to early 2019, and since the problem was resolved for many users by replacement, I feel like Fitbit is trying to drag this out and avoid the expense of massive warranty claims. Apparently they're not interested in keeping customers....

[Willow2019]

At least they are acknowledging there's an issue.  I did receive a new watch BTW and it works fine. There was an article in Maclean's magazine about how many people were complaining about the problems with their Fitbit Charge 2. The story ended up going on national TV and it was only then that Fitbit acknowledged there was a problem. 

I'll not not be buying another Fitbit once this one dies. I'll not do business with a company that only reacts to customer problems once they become exposed by the media. 

[Dleadley]

I can’t see the screen to swipe too settings to brighten it is there another way 

[Willow2019]

Not that I'm aware of but the on-line manual for Charge 3 should have that kind of info available to you. Alternatively you can ask your question directly to a Fitbit Tech by posting it on their chat. That is what was suggested to me.

Good Luck. 

[Diane_59]

My fit bit screen is black. Can not see it to swipe and check brightness. No what can I do

[Kauaistyle]

I have the same problem with my wife's watch.  She has tried all of the fixes but only gets scripted responses from tech support,  none of which work.  The stone walling is very frustrating and I am about ready to take our experiences to social media.  Fitbit may have stolen our money but we will make sure the public hears about the way way the company stands by its product.

I bought the watch on Amazon and those reviews carry more weight.

I fully expect a canned response by the moderator saying how sorry she is about my bad experience and to try a few things.  I wouldn't be surprised if this post is deleted.

[GrandOak]

please provide details as I am moving to Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro iny move from Fitbit and its poor support for inferior equipment.


Very Best Regards,
Del

[GrandOak]

It's obvious that Fitbit is NOT taking this major issue serious  I have started requesting a refund, but they are pushing back with their canned response which they've been using since past spring. if No pebble exchange, the  refund is only option as I move to Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit2 Pro, which already is looking to be far superior to this piece of crap Charge3 tracker bought cause I fell for name recognition thinking I was getting quality product with real support. BOY was I wrong!!!! 

[Kauaistyle]

Great idea thanks!

[Gab123456]

Charge 3 unusable outside. Too dim. Contacted company and said wait, we may have a software fix in the future. UNACCEPTABLE!!

[caprilyn]

I have called support twice now, device was under warranty but Fitbit won't replace it even thought they acknowledge it's a known issue. No ETA on the so called software update fix. I believe they just don't want to honor warranty and don't care for their customers. Bad experience.

[Kauaistyle]

Seems like they just stone wall as much as possible hoping people will give
up and buy another fitbit.

[jg9]

How did you get them to replace it? I've been contacting them and letting them know that my screen is becoming more unreadable as time passes. They keep telling me that I have to wait for the next firmware update. I asked for a replacement and they insist that I must wait. 

[Gentlereiner]

They never did replace it. I think I just complained loudly in enough different places that they offered to refund me the purchase price (I bought direct from them) just to make me go away. See the details in my earlier post. When this began, my Charge 3 was just three months old; now, six months after I purchased it, all I have is a promise that they'll issue a refund, since I sent the device back to them three weeks ago and what they've given me so far is nothinh more than a confirmation of receipt.

I filed complaints with FTC, BBB, and online. If you bought the device direct, get ugly. If you bought it through a retailer like Costco, WalMart, or Amazon and it's still in warranty, take it up with them. If enough major buyers put enough pressure on Fitbit, maybe they'll do the right thing. Apparently, they'll listen to money, but they won't listen to the customers who built their business.

[Gab123456]

They will NOT replace it

Sent from my iPad

[Gentlereiner]

Probably because it's been a known issue since the device's release, it's a design flaw not fixable by software, and eventually every unit will fail. If they had to replace every Charge 3 that failed in warranty, it would put Fitbit in an untenable financial position, and right now they're in talks to sell the company and can't afford the hit.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fitbit-m-a-exclusive-idUSKBN1W525R

They'll likely try to string this out until all the Charge 3 devices are out of warranty, leaving all of us who trusted Fitbit holding the bag.

[TheGrumps]

@Gentlereiner: We have a 2 year warranty in the EU. I am approaching the end of the 1st year. Fitbit have replaced my Charge 3 THREE times for various reasons. The 4th one now has a few missing lines on the display.

It must be the worst product I have ever bought.

[747pilot]

I didn't have any trouble with getting a replacement from FitBit. Of course, they wanted to do a lot of trouble shooting on multiple phone calls but they did replace it.

[Gentlereiner]

It looks like your issues bagan in April; did it really take them four months to decide to replace? And did they extend your warranty by the amount of time it was unusable? You seem to have gotten in under the wire; at some point this year, they began refusing to exchange, and have been telling customers that "engineering staff is working on it." I went through two months of communication with customer service and tech support via phone, chat, and email, following their script every time, only to be told to wait for the software update at some indeterminate time in the future. At a certain point, enough was enough, and the company was clearly stalling.