Charge 4 band attachment points breaking

[Tpkell]

Do not buy this watch!  6 months after purchasing the Charge 4 the attachment point for the wrist band broke off rendering the watch useless. It is made of cheap plastic and once it breaks you can no longer wear the watch.  The sad part to this story is that Fitbit was aware of the issue.  When we called customer service about this issue the agent stated that this was an ongoing problem and they sent out a new watch. No problem..... except for the fact that 3 months later the new watch broke at the same point. However, this time Fitbit refused to replace the watch stating they have already met the warranty requirements once by sending a replacement so they would not send another replacement.    Bottom line is that they replaced a piece of crap with a piece of crap. Fitbit did say they would give me a $35 discount on the full price of a new watch. REALLY!!!! could not get one year of use out of 2 brand new watches.  We have been somewhat loyal Fitbit customers since Fitbit hit the market.  Fitbit Surge, Ionic and Sense for me; Charge HR, 2, 3 and 4 for my wife.  Each one had their own set issues and customer service to find any resolution really sucks. That being said, for whatever reason we continued with Fitbit hoping that the accuracy and quality would improve with the next release.  If the Fitbit products lived up the narrative and lasted longer how good would that be.  The reality is that the quality only gets worse as the price gets higher.  Unfortunately, we feel it is time to depart ways Fitbit.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[Odyssey13]

Hi @Tpkell many people who had this happen purchased a protective cover band for their Charge 4. As long as the pebble works, all you need is that band which encompasses the pebble and allows you to keep using it. It's not perfect, but it does work for those who chose to get it.

[E-girl]

What watch are you going with next?  As a runner, I also had the connector part break off of the main watch.   After the 3rd attempt/ second replacement, we ended up using a strong adhesive for the last one. It works.  However even before the connector issues, it no longer accurately counts steps.  Thus I am looking for advice on a more reliable, affordable watch.  Thanks for any advice! 

[Jinty47]

I've had the same issue with my Charge4 strap connector. Previous fitbits, like you said, has had issues, but they've lasted much longer than this. I can't find when I bought it but am sure it was around 6 months ago.  Very disappointed and not sure what to do but loathe to give further business to fitbit if their quality specs are so poor now. 😢 

[Princesschole]

My band is about to break off as well. It's so disappointing. I keep buying fitbit products, but they barely last a year!! Of course I'm just out of my warranty period! I wish we could fix the connector as I would like to stay with the Charge 4 and not upgrade to the Charge 5. 

[one_river_rat]

Mine lasted a whole whopping 3 months before it broke. 

[greenmage]

I was not aware of this issue before purchasing the Fit Bit 4 - the strap gave up (vertical tear) about a month ago, bought a replacement strap. That replacement kept coming off at the watch face. Until today when it has stopped reattaching at all. Realised that one of the nubs the strap clicks on to must have broken off, and the second one broke today. Is it correct that the older models used metal parts? I'm wondering if trying to find one second hand would be a good idea. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to get in touch with customer support about it. 

[one_river_rat]

Don’t bother with customer support. They no longer want to provide “help”. Go to Amazon and search for replacement strap. You can get 3 replacements for $6.00. Just make sure you check the connection to the metal side. It should be thicker and wider. If you get the actual Fitbit one it will just break again. HTH

[Odyssey13]

@greenmage   

when there is someone available, chat is an option. Phone or Twitter works well, too.

https://myhelp.fitbit.com/s/support?language=en_US 

Support is limited by the number of representatives available at a given time and the hours of operation. Chat lines are open when they have live help.
USA: call (877) 623-4997
UK: call 0800 069 8505
INDIA: call 000 800 050 1057
IRELAND: call 01 691 7502 (country prefix: +353)
Other contact options:

USA: click

Canada: click for options

[Gloved]

I had the same problem.  I had the same useless response from Fitbit. I did successfully perform a DIY repair.  Search "Broken strap connector: Successfully repaired! DIY"

[one_river_rat]

Thank you

Sent from my iPhone

[Tosca2]

My son gave me a Sense2 for Christmas to replace the Charge 4 I had that broke the same way. as yours. They would not replace my because it was over a year old. I was offered the same $35 coupon.  Now my sense 2 has had all kind of issues and I have spent countless hours resetting it over the phone and t is only a couple months old, and I bought the insurance on it.!. They give you directions that are like jumping through hoops backwards. I wanted it basically to count steps and now I find out that they are  terribly incorrect. I actually put my broken Fitbit in my sock before this one and was amazed how my step count went down with the Sence 2! It is a shame they cost so much and are worth so little.