Charge 4 broken bands

[Jackie786]

My husband’s Charge 4, purchased in June 2020, broke where the band meets the tracker. The band is intact, but the piece on the tracker that attaches to the band broke off.

i bought new bands but nothing to attach the bands to the tracker. I looked for a phone number to call for Fitbit...can’t find one. I looked for warranty information and all I can find is that the Fitbit has to be returned for warranty.

My husband is currently using electrical tape to keep it on and he does not want to return it and be without his Fitbit for who knows how long. I am frustrated as this is a defective issue and we will likely have to just buy a new one for him. 

Does anyone have some suggestions? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[dk6g]

Thanks, good luck!

[kafers]

Well I was very happy with my Fitbit charge 4 until the plastic things broke off that hold the band on and then when you contacted Fitbit oh so sorry you have no warranty but we can give you 35 % off another one as a good gesture on their part I was told. Well a good gesture on their part would have been to replace the watch that I have had for only 13 months. How about we stand behind our product and back it for you but NO. So now I have a watch that works fine that I paid 150.00 for and I cannot use it unless I want to walk around with it in my pocket.  I don't think so. So I am done with Fitbit I will replace it with something else I guess.I am just  thoroughly disgusted with the whole thing.

[XiClover]

Yup same with me 13 months also. It's a common problem that they won't fix or rectify. It's like the switch controller drift all over again. Hopefully someone sues.

Should do this because it shouldn't be happening as frequently as it is. And 35% off a new one doesn't cut it cuz the fitbit still works just can't wear it cuz the plastic piece broke.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[t_bo15]

Anyone think it’s a coincidence that we are all having similar issues? Does Fitbit make a quality product that is durable and will last more than a year?

[AlDzOtt]

Answer is basically, No! They don’t. Even if they could, they won’t!

Sent from my iPhone

[walker21223]

My Charge 4 band connector broke in December 2020.  It was still under warranty so they sent me a replacement after I sent them photos of the damage.  Today, October 2021, my replacement Charge 4 has broken again where the band connects to the fitbit but since this is the replacement fitbit and no longer under warranty, they will not replace it.  Obviously, this is a major defect in the design of this fitbit.  I really like the features of my fitbit but I am very disappointed in the design especially since it's obvious that it's a problem.

[BHartz]

Another user with the same issue. My device was purchased June 2020 and now October 2021 - a broken plastic band connector renders the otherwise functioning device unusable. I contacted customer support- was informed I am outside the warranty period and offered a coupon. Disappointed- as this seems like a product design issue and not a user problem. 

[Susanblue]

Yup.
Alas my replacement is going the same way...
When it does its a switch of company o fear as they have had lots of
opportunities at fixing this/customer service issues.
Not good PR

[Susanblue]

My replacement charge 4 is heading the same way with the sane issues:(

[HopSkotch]

It's unbelieveable how poor Fitbits are. When you visit the community pages, you're just scrolling through page after page of poor customer experience and poor quality product. I bought 2 charge 4s less than a year ago and both have had broken bands. How bad is it that under the warranty (for my region) they say you can only get a replacement band once every 4 months! That's insane. A total lack of faith in their own product. I"m trying to order a replacement band under warranty but they don't have the band in my colour. Support told me it's because they have no more, yet I can go onto the Fitbit site and buy my exact band. Total BS. I would never ever recommend anyone ever buy a fitbit product nor will I ever consider replacing the one I have once it dies - which, by what I've read, doesn't sound like it's too far away. I've never been so disappointed in a product in all my life. 

[t_bo15]

I 100% agree!

[sooz_8]

Fitbit provides poor warranty coverage.  

Purchased Charge 4 nine months ago - Fell apart.

Known issue.

The 50% offer on Inspire 2 (no thanks). 

Send me ONLY the capsule.

THAT IS NOT A FITBIT.  

The capsule is REFURBISHED and used.

So.... will probably fall apart again.

WILL NOT DO ANY OTHER OPTIONS to make this RIGHT.

Not a 50% discount on a Charge 5.  Not a refund.  Not a replacement capsule (they don't have any that aren't refurbished).  Not a voucher to purchase from one of their authorized resellers who still have stock.  NOTHING.

FITBIT is not living up to their warranty.   BAD CUSTOMER service.  Can't recommend FitBit to others and highly disappointed by the way this has been handled.

Imagine trying to meet their obligations under warranty with a USED fitbit Capsule!!  What is going on?

😡

[nihahi]

The reality is this:

1. Failure of the device connection design is a long standing, well known flaw. It has been happening since the Charge 4 was first introduced. 

2. Multiple users have had the same issue of the replacement device breaking in the exact same way, then find it is "out of warranty".

3. You'll never get a true overview of how many users have had this issue, because Moderators have repeatedly shutdown threads on this topic. Some of these threads have been over 13 "pages", spanning multiple years, so anyone coming to research as to do they want to buy a Charge 4, will not be aware of how pervasive this problem has been. 

4. Fitbit "resolved" this design flaw, by changing the design in the Charge 5, but that does nothing to resolve the issue for users who do not want to buy that device. 

[t_bo15]

Do you know what they changed with the charge 5 design to fix the know defect?

[LittleBoldLady]

Sorry, I don’t…

[nihahi]

By looking at pictures of the Charge 5, you can see that they changed the design of how the device connects to the band. I believe the material that encapsulates the device has also changed. It's irrelevant to me, as once my Charge 4 dies, I will be buying a new tracker from a different company. I want an ACCURATE and RELIABLE GPS, and I don't want to have to pay extra to be able to access all the features and feedback the device can offer. 

[LittleBoldLady]

Agreed, nihahi... however, a community solution to salvage the working device would be cool. Here's mine:

Super Glue & Heat-shrink Tubing

basically super glue and heat-shrink tubing.

[nkdunlap]

Same thing happened to mine, it is about 1 month past warranty and all they will do is give a 37% discount toward a new one.  Very disappointing because I've been happy with it except for this.  Seems to be a common problem!

[LittleBoldLady]

BEST SUGGESTION! Thank you for the lead... 

[MalayBaldheads]

the band on my Fitbit charge 4 broke at the device so cannot replace with a new band. The device is now rendered useless 

I purchased this on Amazon 11 months ago.

I can see from many posts about this that it is a manufacturing fault and well known. 
whst can be done, throw it in the bin or replacement?

 Thanks