Charge 3 won't keep the correct time

[SunsetRunner]

My Charge 3 stopped keeping accurate time toward the end of December 2020. If it can't keep up with the correct time, I have no confidence the other data is accurate.  I tried to work with Customer Support to resolve the issue (Fitbit Phone Inquiry - #39172242), followed by an email exchange during which I received instructions for both a soft reboot and a cold reboot.  Neither worked.  My subsequent emails on 13 Jan and 20 Jan, in response to the Cust Spt email, notifying them that the proposed fix actions did not fix the problem have gone unanswered.  Is there anything else that can be done to fix my Charge 3?  If it can't be repaired, will Fitbit replace it?  This is my third Fitbit device.  The displays became inop on the first two and now I have this time sync issue.  I am about to "throw in the towel" and move on to a competitor's product.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @SunsetRunner, welcome to the Community Forums. We acknowledge the limitation we have on our part particularly on what you have experienced. We‘re taking into consideration your comments and sentiments with regards to our products and services.

Please note that our main purpose is to avoid negative experiences to our customers, we're always willing to help and provide troubleshooting steps. Then, if the tracker is deemed defective we review eligibility using the one year warranty option. 

Our products are indeed designed and made to last (this goes for each product component) however, there is not an infallible way to ensure that no issues will be present in the long run. Because of this, our Warranty Policy is set into providing as much coverage as we can.

I've seen you have replied to your support ticket before our Support Team would send you a response, what's happened is that every time you reply you're sending your case back to the queue so our team doesn't have the chance to see it. I'd suggest to wait until they reach out to you again, due to recent events affecting our operations, support options are limited and wait times are longer than usual what means it may take almost 7 business days to respond. I cannot create a new case for you as it will take longer, so I'd appreciate if you wait the next few days to receive a response from our team. Keep in mind that they will definitely continue working with you.

We hope your issue is solved soon. 

[NCavanagh]

I already posted a similar reply to another user, who had a failed Charge 3 - but the post was taken down.

My Charge 3 was working perfectly until about a week after warranty expired (also at the end of December 2020), then it too started to lose track of time.

Mine also finds it very hard to connect to bluetooth - it appears to connect and disconnect several times a minute, even when both devices are on the charger.

Worse... it fails to log exercise sessions at times - just acts as if they were never started and does not show any increased heartrate.

I am now looking for an alternative option... as this Charge 3 cannot even work as a watch now.

[MarreFitbit]

Hi there @NCavanagh. Thanks for sharing the details about the issue with your Charge 3. I understand how you must be feeling. 

I'd recommend following the troubleshooting steps provided here Why won't my Fitbit device sync? 

Let me know how it goes. 

[NCavanagh]

Dear Marre,

I followed the steps on the troubleshooting guide:
on my device, I went into bluetooth and removed the connection to the
Charge 3 (forget the device). I opened the Fitbit app and (after many
attempts to force a sync start) the device reconnected.
This left the Charge 3 back in the same state as before: occasional
connection through bluetooth, usually showing as Not Connected and loosing
about 5 minutes per hour.

I note that this is the same iphone in use since December 2019 (on the list
of compatible devices) and everything worked normally with the bluetooth
connection/timekeeping until end December 2020.

I have also followed other troubleshooting steps shown on the Community
posts:

- deleted the app and reinstalled;
- rebooted the Charge 3 using the long button press;
- rebooted the Charge 3 by navigating the screen;
- rebooted the iphone;
- connected iphone to charger, connected Charge 3 to charger and
repeated all of the above;
- unpaired from iphone and paired to ipad - same issues;
- set up device from scratch (losing unlogged data);

The symptoms remain the same:

- only occasional sync to the phone;
- Charge 3 cannot keep track of time (whether the app is set to all day
updates or not);
- Charge 3 sometimes decides to stop logging an exercise
session/heartrate so at the end of the session, when I go to press stop, it
is already off;

I could understand a difficulty trying to sync data uploads to the app if
there was a bluetooth issue, but I cannot understand how a wearable
(suddenly, when just out of warranty) cannot keep track of time when
disconnected from the phone. Losing 5 minutes per hour is bizarre.

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[MarreFitbit]

@NCavanagh I appreciate you had followed the tips and recommendations provided above.

At this moment, I’ve reached the limits of what I can do for you here on the public community forums. The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected. I'd suggest to share this community link (thread) so our Support Team can be aware of all the steps you've done already, this way you can also avoid repeating yourself again.