Charge 4 band holder broke off

[SBacheller]

I was taking my Fitbit Charge 4 off one day and the Band Holder broke off. I don't know if it is even possible to fix. I only have two pieces and after watching YouTube my spring is gone. One of the screw holes has a screw in it. How am I to fix this. My Fitbit was purchased in April 2020 and the website says there is no warranty when I tried to file a claim. Now I am back to my Fitbit Charge 2 which seems to be build better than the 4.

Can anyone help me?  

Moderator edit: format.

[Fudy]

Wondering if if it is still intact. Being more mindful when I took mine off and put it back on did not extend the life of mine. 

[hutchsa]

I had this happen to me too. Same thing take pictures and send back tracker with all accessories.  Three months later received back a tracker but that also broke same problem so I gorilla glued the band on . Worked for awhile but then the other side broke too. Now that is glued and looking for another tracker, probably  not fitbit.  Shame I have been with the since '05 but the quality just not there. Sandra Hutchins 

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for all the replies you've provided and for taking the time to share all your feedback, and welcome to the new users in the Community. 

Since this is about a hardware problem or product damage, I do recommend that you get in touch with the Customer Support team if you haven't done so already, so they can let you know how to proceed with this. 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.  

Have a good day. 

[stephtheref]

My wife's just broke like that. Fell off in the yard and I was out there ahead of the snow, looking for it.  Seems like the screws that hold the plastic piece on either stripped out or broke off.  Looking at mine, they appear corroded.  I'm going to order a tiny screw set from Amazon and see if I can fix it, but I suspect that the broken pieces are plugging the holes and there's no tool to extract those.  Disappointed.  I came back to FitBit after a hiatus because I thought the quality problems were solved. I'm not willing to pay over a hundred bucks a year for a tracker that works well, but won't stay attached to my body. 

[Fudy]

If you read the comments, you can see that many of us have akready notified support but when the product is past the warranty period, no help is available. Instead a discount is offered on a new purchase. Who wants to buy a product they know is defective? 

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I would enjoy hearing your update. My experience doing that with my first broken Charge 4  was futile. The only effective "fix" is to gorilla glue the band to the watch. I have also used gorilla duct tape but that must be removed to charge it. This is ridiculous and FitBit should do better for customers.

[DavideFitbit]

@stephtheref @Fudy I'm sorry to see that you've experienced this problem with your Charge 4.

It is particularly difficult when the device is no longer covered by the warranty, but even tough Support is eager to help with any problem you may experience with the product, they do need to adhere to the official warranty policy, this would start counting from the original date of purchase.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback; comments from users are always useful to continue to improving the quality of products and services. 

Have a good day. 

[MizCollie]

This just happened to me yesterday. In my case, the spring is still there but the whole connector is wobbly and I think some plastic edge is gone.  My Charge 4 was a Christmas present from last year and, from my husband's records, it was purchased Nov 27th 2020.  It still had the original band. I was just planning to swap it out for a different type.

My old Charge 3 is pretty much toast so I can't go back to wearing it. 

I had just started searching the forums when I found this as the top post.  I'm hoping to get info on fixing my charge 4 band connector thingy.   I really depend on this thing.  

[MRGFit]

Interesting to read that so many have had the same experience I just had.  I was sitting on my couch and noticed a piece of black plastic next to me.  I was about to ask my husband what I thought it could be and as I passed it to him with my left hand I realized my Fitbit was falling off my left wrist.  I have had my Charge 4 since June 2020.  Very disappointed that it literally just fell apart.  I was fortunate to notice it right away and see that the button with spring seemed still in tack.  I am trying to repair it figuring I don't have much to use.  Using a product made by JB Weld.  Giving it 24 hrs to cure.  Will report back if I was able to repair successfully.  

Seems like I am not alone though.  Love my Fitbit, but Fitbit folks please look into this as it should have lasted longer for me and many others.  

[Jjman]

I’m joining the broken band wagon. Seems to be a popular group. I’ve had my charge 4 since 8/2020 and love the features it provides. The other day it started feeling lose and thought I needed to change the band. As I was ready to change the band, it just fell apart. I managed to save the pieces including the little spring and tried to super glue it back together but it wouldn’t hold. This seems to be a recurring them with the charge 4. My tracker still works just fine but is useless if I can’t wear it. Please advise me how to proceed with customer service. 

[Odyssey13]

https://myhelp.fitbit.com/s/warranty 

[Fudy]

After sining into the app, click on your account picture, support, charge 4. That opens up a chat and a number to call. They don't seem to care but will likely offer you a percentage off a new one. Good luck.

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I have been told by Fitbit that they are sorry but can do nothing if the Fitbit is past the warranty period. I took this link and it said i have had no claims when fact they replaced one Fitbit for break at band connection and they denied my second claim that was made past warranty. 

[stephtheref]

I ordered a set of new, longer screws. The two tiny little plastic pitons
the screws went into broke off the housing. Before the screws arrived
(impatience is no virtue), I super glued the bracket onto the housing. I
intended to further secure it with screws, but without the spring, the band
wouldn't stay put. So I glued the band to the bracket. Screws arrived
yesterday.
I used Krazy Glue brand and so far, the band is secure. I'm sure it'll let
go again and then I'll use the screws as well. I'm pretty certain that
screws directly to the housing will create an opportunity for moisture to
get in, but it's useless otherwise.
Someone with a creative bent could make a widget to drop the tracker into,
so folks could keep wearing them, and make a killing. That person isn't
me. Best of luck. Know that the angle is a booger. Use a quick set
epoxy. I had to hold it for a couple of minutes with light pressure for it
to stick. Good news, I didn't glue it to my hand.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi everyone, thank you for your feedback and for all the information that you've provided about the inconvenience that you've been experiencing with the new Charge 4. 

It seems that many of you have already contacted the Customer Support team for further assistance with this. 

In this case, since this is related to a hardware problem or product damage, I recommend that you reach out to our Support team so they can let you know how to proceed or that you continue the communication with them of you already have a case created. 

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. 

Have a good day. 

[stephtheref]

It seems to me that the ongoing conversation after folks have contacted
customer support is that there is continuing dissatisfaction with the
support function. I think the message the company should be hearing is
that the product fails at an inordinate rate and in an unreasonable
timeline for a 'useful life.'

People are frustrated. This would be an option for a PR win, rather than
tossing off a 35% discount to those barely out of warranty. I'm not
willing to pony up the equivalent of $60/year for this technology and that
is the current FitBit ask, for all intents and purposes, for this item.

[SunsetRunner]

well said.  Opportunity to be rock stars or a big fail in the Customer service department.   Time to own it Fitbit.   

[Fudy]

The Fit Bit moderator suggests we have experienced inconvenience with the charge 4?  I recognize FitBit wants this post to fade, but owners and potential buyers deserve to know the truth about owning the Charge 4. It is defective and the company is not taking responsibility. Super gluing the band to the watch is not an acceptable solution.  I wonder if the Charge 5 has the same problem, i.e., irreparable breakage at the connection from the watch to the band during and/or shortly after warranty expires.  Community Forums exist for this type of communication. 

[Leyann66]

Hello DavideFitbit

Like the others on this thread, I too have a defective Charge 4.  Customer services is offering a 35% discount on a replacement -- can you find out why FitBit believes I should replace the Charge 4 with the same device that obviously has a design flaw (as is evident by number of unhappy customers).  If Fitbit allowed the discount to be applied to other models I may consider staying in the FitBit family -- but if not, it's time to find another company.  I have made this request to FitBit customer service and the answer is NO.

[GregKing]

Same thing happened to m Charge 4. I've had three FitBits, but this makes me want to look at some other companies.

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David, I was taking my Fitbit Charge 4 off the other day and the band holder broke off. Not the band... the part that holds the band on. I tried gluing it, but it didn't hold. I rely on my FitBit every day. Is there anything that FitBit customer service can do about this? 

[Leannek18]

Same thing happened to mine. They sent a replacement within 2 weeks. Now the band doesn't claps all the way. They sent a new band and that band doesn't clasp all the way either. They offered me a replacement but decided to take the 50% off an upgrade. My boyfriend has no issues with his charge 5. 

[Fudy]

No problem with the Charge 5 YET. Time will tell if they fixed the problem the Charge 4 has.  Interesting they offered you 50% off a replacement as most only get 35%.