Charge Being Discontinued

[bgkage]

Discovered that the Charge is being discontinued.

http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/Is-Alta-replacing-Charge/?q=alta+charge&l=en_US&f...

That concerns me being that I just bought one a couple of weeks ago. I've already had trouble and they are sending me a new one. Don't disappoint me, FitBit!

[HBCHG2]

Probably because they have such a fundamenal design flaw, my second on is now faulty and they appear to have changed there policy as I am having to return mine and I am saying I don't really want the same one as this has now happened twice, support was really good last time but really not happy this time.

My band has come apart and also the button has fallen off.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @bgkage , while the Charge is being discontinued (replaced by the new Alta), Fitbit will continue to support the device through the software, and support Charge users via Customer Support in the usual way.  So don't worry!  And enjoy your new Charge!

[Rudolphkj]

@Julia_G Why is the Alta replacing the Charge HR? Does the Alta have a heart rate monitor on it? This doesn't make sense? This is the best product when will it no longer be for sale?

[WendyB]

@Rudolphkj No the Alta does not have HR. But niether does the Charge. Maybe you have a Charge HR as it has HR

[Julia_G]

@Rudolphkj , the Alta is not replacing the Charge HR.  It is replacing the Charge.  So don't worry!  The Charge HR will continue to be for sale.

[Rudolphkj]

@Julia_G Thank you so much! I was very worried, I love my Charge HR! Thanks for the clarification!! Have a great day.

Thanks @WendyB... Yes I know I have the Charge HR. I had heard that the Charge HR was being discontinued and the Alta would be replaing it. Wanted to get clarification.

Moderator edit: merged reply

[Julia_G]

@Rudolphkj , glad to help!  I have got my eye on the Alta (I haven't bought it yet, but I love the way it looks more like a bracelet than a fitness tracker) but I agree -- in many ways, for me, the Charge HR is the best Fitbit.  I think it will be around for a while yet...  (I know that @WendyB would vote for the Fitbit One -- we all have our favourites...)

[WendyB]

@Rudolphkj The Charge is being discontinued and replaced by Alta

The Charge HR is not.

@Julia_G I love my Alta as much as my One. Love the reminders on it.  Have 3 different bands to. One is Pink  I just think the One is the most accurate.

[MikeS1636]

Being discontinued because of a new device or due to the fact the is does not work properly.  It is a "activity monitor", yea right.  I have had two since December 2015.  The would only hold a charge for about 30 hours, well should have stayed with that one.  The "new" one which is about 2 months old only holds a charge for about 13 hours.  So, looks like I will be looking at other devices.  Yes, fitbit has other models, but if the Charge is any indication of their quality, looks like I will be looking at a different manufacturer.

[BettyW]

After having gone through three Charges in 17 months (2 with battery issues, the last one just totally died in >3 months) this time they just gave me 25% off a new tracker. But there are few Charges left on their site due to discontinuing. 

I asked about warranty coverage if I buy the Charge size/style  I want from another site - they told me if the new Charge dies within the warranty period and they don't have any left, they would replace it with a Charge HR.

Moderator Edit: Format

[kwcatron]

They lie. Mine was replaced with an Alta not a Charge HR. I was very disappointed as Alta does not have Flights Of Stairs count.

[SantiR]

@kwcatron Welcome to the Fitbit Community! Sorry to hear about that! The good thing about the Alta are the reminders to move, the progress flower, the text, call, and calendar, and the interchangeable bands. I know it is missing the floor count, but it includes really cool features the Charge didn't had. 

See you around! 

[JaykeB]

Yes I too am concerned.

My HR hasn't synced regularly with my phone from day one. It's an S5 SGallaxy. I updated the software for the 4th time on Monday. I was told by my supplier that it's most likely the unit not the phone. However they were out of stock and could only offer my money back.

[SunsetRunner]

@JaykeB welcome aboard. Don't worry only the Charge is concerned. You should definitely contact customer support if you have been having issues with your Charge HR regularly.

Also be sure to try @SunsetRunner's advice for Syncing issues as this could solve your issues right away.

Best of luck! Cheers!

[JaykeB]

Thanks @SunsetRunner I have checked all those settings, will keep working on it. I want the Heart Rate so I will persist with this device. It doesn't worry me that much, once a week sync will be fine.

[rurob]

Bgkage, I assure you that the charge will be supported throughout your warranty. However, I can also tell you that at least four people and now myself has had issues with the band coming apart. Also after a while they have had charging issues. Unfortunately after a warranty has expired Fitbit wants to provide you with a 15% coupon to be used on their site. My problem with this is that you pay a good amount for this product to not have an alternative to only have to replace the band instead of buying a brand new one. In my opinion it is being discontinued due to the band and charging issue. I am sure they have had to replace many of these under warranty which would be a loss to them.

[bgkage]

The band on my third charge (after the first two had battery issues) is coming apart after 6 months. They are replacing with an Alta.

[JaykeB]

Bugga!

Hope you don't want Heart rate!

[SabrinaAurora]

I just found out that the Charge is being discontinued and got an Alta to replace it but I am not happy. I live in a townhouse and truly loved the floor count feature on my charge. I had to pay extra for a product that does less. I do not like the HR, especially the band. I also do not like that the Alta does not have a stopwatch feature. How hard is that to add? In conclusion I loved my charge, but it completely fell apart in only a few months. I have the Alta which is more money and had less features that I want. I do not want to shell out the extra money for the HR to only get the features I liked about my charge but have a band I dislike and the HR feature which I also dislike. Thanks Fitbit. I will most likely be looking into another company.