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.

[Yggepllorrac]

Another case of buyer beware,  if enough of unsatisfied Fitbit users tell their story to family ,friends  and the community it won’t take long for them to realize their mistake.   Nothing hurts the bottom line more than a unsatisfied customer.  

[Spookyville]

Finally got an email a week later offering 35% off full retail. Just not good enough when its clearly a design flaw. Already jumped ship to apple and won't be looking back!

[StephOC111]

Agree with this. 

I've had two replacement straps and one replacement Charge 4 pebble.

The connector on the replacement pebble has broken in the same way as the first and it's now out of warranty.

I won't be buying a Fitbit product again. It's a waste of money and unsustainable to boot. 

[Banbkue]

My band is broken aswell just poor quality

[Ribbonrail]

I don’t blame you! I was a long time user of FitBit watches for myself and my wife. After this band incident and seeing what they were offering to rectify the problem, I became a former customer. The engineer or engineers who design the crappy watchband should be terminated.

[Yggepllorrac]

Good choice…stay active and happy!

I agree,  I was a three time purchaser of different fitbits and was satisfied with the first two but the third one really soured me…..I won’t buy another.  Hope you find another brand that meets your needs and is worth your cash.

[CelsiusDegree]

Yeah I hear you. I still carry the 4 charge in my pocket. Been with Fitbit
when they began with Fitbit 1. Loved it. But we are in days of Google now.
Good luck finding a device that meets your needs.

[JDF21ST]

Hi all, each Fitbit device lasts about 2.5 years max. End of.
Started with Charge 2 in 2017 - got to (around Nov 2019 - died - offered 50% discount.

Went for Charge 4 via well-known UK retailer offering 2 year warranty. Just as well as didn’t last….major software issue (!)

Got straight replacement with new Charge 4. This has now broken - clip on device to connect strap has broken at plastic base into which screws bind.

Charge 4 now no longer available - no surprise there, then…;-)

Sooooooo, Charge 5 or Luxe or Inspire 3.

Or raise a digit….?

The real shocker - other than poor product design - is appalling waste of resources and all these gazillions of broken devices polluting the environment, not (!) rotting in landfill….

Some of us like things to last like my beautiful wholly mechanical 21 year old Swiss chronometer. That can be serviced. Why is Repair Shop tv show so popular (asides from all the heartstrings being pulled)….?

Sell.

[Celiana]

Hi Davide, this also happened to me, the band holder just broke off. In addition one of the bands is tearing already. I already submitted a claim through the online email link but haven’t gotten any reply. Unacceptable! I bought it May 2022, just a year ago! So dissatisfied! 

[Reau]

I've just experienced the same thing; broken attachment point on the watch such that the band can't be used.  I contacted Fitbit and they have kindly offered the 35% discount, which I appreciate.  I was contemplating an upgrade anyway, as I am patently unable to read my Charge 4 when I'm outside at all.  Even in the shade.  Part of this is time-related changes in my eyes (!!!) but mainly, I can't see it at all, not even the giant time numbers.  And a bit perplexed that it auto-logs me as doing exercise when I am riding my ebike, and I get maybe 2 zone minutes, but if I forget to turn it on manually when I'm on the peloton it won't log any exercise at all, though it dutifully collects the boatloads of zone minutes during that time. 

Anyhow, overall happy with the Fitbit and the app, but this is very much a Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance problem.  In that book, the screw that holds the cover on the engine is insignificant, until you strip it and you can't take the cover off to repair the engine.  In our case, it's just a dumb little plastic piece until it's a dumb little broken plastic piece and you can no longer use your device.  I'm not a fan of things being so disposable that you throw out something that still functions as designed but you can't use it unless you duct tape it to your arm.  I will make use of the discount, but can I send a solid thumbs down on making things that don't last?  "Make it to break" is something my elders have grumbled for a while and now I'm joining the chorus!  Can we make good products great?

[RodrigoMFitbit]

Hello everyone. Welcome to all new comers!

@Reau I appreciate your feedback about this situation. I have seen in other threads (click here) alternate solutions. You might want to check them out. That may help you keep on wearing the device in addition to your upgrade. Hope this helps. Have a nice day!

[Ribbonrail]

You guys already lost my business with your cheap design. Used less than a year and you are making a token offer. I have cut my losses, even after using Fitbit for years.
I like my Apple Watch better anyway.
The only way I would ever use a FitBit watch again is if you gave me one for free. I’m not holding my breath for that to happen!

Former Customer

[Reau]

Hey RodrigoM,  

So given the sheer volume of people that have this issue, and the fact that there are very few complaints about the device itself, can we state openly here that Fitbit is losing customers (permanently, by the looks of it) because of that little crappy breakable piece and not because your functional product has a problem.  I'm not a business guru, but it seems like it might be worth it to bite the bullet a little and make a watch band that fits the Charge 4 pebble that you can send to people who are out of warranty but still well within the span of a reasonable lifetime for device use...less than the next coolest widgets to come along.   Something that holds it the appropriate place against your skin but disregards use of the attachment point.  So then instead of sending them to buy products from other companies, Fitbit makes one itself and you actually keep your customers happy enough that they don't disavow Fitbit forever, and take their friends with them?  Seems like it might balance itself out in the long run...

[Ribbonrail]

Well said!

[Yggepllorrac]

Very well said,  I think that’s an easy fix but they seem to like disgruntled customers.   Very poor customer service for sure,  maybe the company needs to take a look at their customer service dept.

Why would we go on Amazon and buys plastic band for the pod to fit in,  but with the inconvenience of taking the pod out to charge it,  I did that route trying to use the pod but it was very uncomfortable hard plastic and wasn’t worth the bother.  
I refused there 35%. and went with a different tracker.  

[Suari]

I just took mine and the band clip broke. It’s only 18 months old. Just out of warranty. I have had fitbits for years. Never had this happen before. Not happy at all

[Yggepllorrac]

Suari,   Mine wasn’t even a year old when mine broke,   Also used fitbits since I started tracking with no problem until the charge 4.  Definitely a problem with the design,  but they don’t want todo right they’re wrong and say yes we cut corners and did a cheap product ,  really makes you feel like a sucker.   Shame on them,   Looks bad for all Fitbit products when a person searches reviews before purchasing a tracker.  The old saying one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch comes to mind.

[Gamplayerx]

Where the failure occurred on my Fitbit Charge 4, it made it no longer water tight (although I didn't know that immediately). I purchased a few different band options that hold the device part itself without the band connection, but the first time it got wet, the device died completely. So not only had I spent MORE money on the darn thing, I was now left with something that didn't work at all.

[RodrigoMFitbit]

Hello everyone. Thank you very much for your feedback and comments about this. That does sound like a good idea to hlp customers keep on using this device. Thanks for sharing. 

Please note that I just mentioned other alternatives that I have seen other customers go for, given that they want to keep on using the Charge 4. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with said alternative as well.  I can safely say the situation with the band has been observed and taken into consideration towards the design of future devices. Again I appreciate your feedback. In case you will not be staying at Fitbit, we wish you all the best with your training!

[Suari]

I contacted Fitbit support last night and they have offered 50 percent off a different model or replacement. I opted for replacement so they are sending me a Charge 5. It shouldn’t have happened but I am happy with replacement.