Charge 3 screen went blank and it won't turn on

[EPD85395]

Updated firmware. Charge 3 syncs to app showing current data. Screen is black. Changed clock face to no avail. Rebooted (at least I think I did, but couldn't see smiley face on black screen) got the vibration after about 8 seconds. Still black screen.  Green light blinking on back. Have had this Charge 3 about 4 months.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[JuanJoFitbit]

Hi @EPD85395, it's great to see you in our Fitbit Community. I'm sorry to hear that the screen of your Charge 3 went blank and it won't turn on. I totally understand how you feel about this and I appreciate the time spent trying to get this issue resolved before contacting our forums.

I'd like you to try a long restart, which has been helpful for this type of issues. To do so on your device, follow the steps listed below:

1. Connect the device to the charging cable. 
2. While the device is plugged into the charging cable, press and hold the button down for 15 seconds. 
3. The device turns on and shows a battery icon. Two vibrations occur: first a short vibration, then a medium vibration. 
4. The device turns off.
5. The device turns on and shows a progress bar and short vibrations occur. The progress bar completes. Note: A total of 7 short vibrations occur. 
6. Remove the device from the charging cable. The device shuts down.
7. Important: Plug the device into the charging cable again and see if the screen works properly

Keep me posted on the outcome.

[EPD85395]

I tried the long restart, several times. The process fails after the 15-second button hold when the device does not turn or and no battery icon shows. The two vibrations occur. The device doesn't have any appearance of being on, so it cannot be observed turning off. As the device turns on, there is not progress bar but a couple short vibrations occur followed by seven short vibrations. The device is removed from the charging cable. The device is plugged back into the charging cable again and the screen is still black.

I contacted SquareTrade Warranty Service today about the failure, explaining the sordid history I've had with this device: that this particular FitBit Charge 3 was only 2 months old; that it was a "discount replacement" that FitBit offered me for my first Charge 3 that died a similar death 16 months into it's short life. Since it had outlived the FitBit one-year warranty, I was given the opportunity to buy another at a discount, but I remembered the SquareTrade warranty I had purchased for the original Charge 3. For a $15 deductible, I received a "Replacement, New, Charge 3" on 8/12/2020. That is the Charge 3 that failed to switch screens on my morning walk yesterday. The SquareTrade rep informed me that the warranty service provided during the 2 years warranty period only applies to one replacement. I explained that FitBit devices need to replaced more than once during a 2-year warranty, so purchasing the warranty, while it sounds like a reasonable thing to do, isn't reasonable if you expect to get two years of working replacements. He went on to explain that the replacement that I got from FitBit was covered by a 45-day FitBit return policy, so I couldn't use that, either, since my Charge 3 was 2 months old.

Not one to be easily discouraged, I chatted with a FitBit customer service representative this afternoon, I went through the same long restart process with that FitBit rep and had the same results. That rep offered me a free replacement Charge 3 or 50% off another model from a select list of models. I chose the Charge 3 model and will probably get the SquareTrade insurance again, since $35 for the policy + $15 deductible is about the right price for a disposable FitBit Charge 3 that likely won't last a year. I got the order confirmation from FitBit and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of yet another FitBit Charge 3...the saga continues...