Feedback about Customer Service and Charge 4

[albar67]

Hello,

This is going to be a long post as I am a Loyal customer of Fitbit since 2015 with all the Charge family,

I have purchased the Charge 4 after the lunch date and since then I keep on having issues, For now, and looking at the history I had like 6 cases, while one problem was actually solved and the rest remains the same.

Back in September, I started having Synchronisation issues so I raised the issue and after a couple of months, I had an answer on this. The support confirmed the issue and wanted to send me a replacement (that was the 3rd replacement after several issues). They refused to send me a minted box, the least I can expect is that I am a client that bought the original tracker so I don't want to get a replacement in a bag, they refused to allow me to leverage the 50% promo code in order to buy a charge 5 (I was willing to pay extra just to end this nightmare). So I accepted the replacement. 

I received the replacement, in a bag of course, it has a bit of a bump on the side as if it was previously damaged. Surprisingly enough...this replacement doesn't track anything at all! no steps, no heartrate, not even exercises. I have lost the previous tracker and now I keep wearing a Fitbit tracker just to look at the time 🙂

The first time I tried contacting them nothing happened and I stayed on the line (international call) for like 20 minutes. The second time, also on an international call, I stayed on the line for 35 minutes: couldn't agree with the agent on the solution provided which is the pass again, for the 4th time, by the post office to return my tracker, wait for a replacement and we will see if that is solved.... a replacement means another refurbished one maybe just like the one I got. I have asked to have a supervisor and stayed on the line for 20 minutes and I hung up the phone (it was a Sunday and it is unacceptable honestly).

This is really unacceptable, I paid the full amount for a tracker that is not properly working for more than 6 months and agents do not want to really suggest a solution. 

Wishing to reach a Fitbit Moderator. Please advise.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[alec1136]

Hello everyone,

I really don't enjoy complaining publicly about customer service situations, but unfortunately (as of the date of this writing, 2/22/2022), Fitbit has been unable to uphold their promises to contact me to resolve the situation. So, I'm forced to post about it here to give transparency to other users and hopefully incite Fitbit to provide some sort of response and accountability.

For some background on me as a user:

• I had a Charge 4, and I was a Premium user of Fitbit with a paid subscription, which means I've been committed to using Fitbit as a customer.
• Beyond that, I also use Fitbit to provide regular reports to my doctor and personal trainer, including using their PDF exports, to monitor and improve my health. So, I am reliant on Fitbit, and not having a Fitbit for a long time adversely affects my health reporting.
• In summary, I'm a premium paying customer and user, my health is reliant on Fitbit, and as shown below, Fitbit customer service has been inadequately supporting my needs.

Here's a timeline:

• 1/24/2022 - Began the process of initiating warranty with customer service for replacement
• 1/27/2022 - Shipped out the product using Fitbit's own provided shipping label
• 2/8/2022 - Messaged Fitbit since I hadn't heard back about the replacement. Fitbit claims the item is still in transit (it's been 12 days using their shipping label), and until it arrives, they cannot process any warranty exchanges.
• 2/11/2022 - Messaged Fitbit since I still hadn't heard about the replacement. 15 days since sending, it still hasn't arrived. Escalating to supervisor to discuss how we can speed up this resolution. Was told a supervisor would email me soon.
• 2/17/2022 and 2/18/2022 - Messaged Fitbit again, still hasn't arrived at even Fitbit's warehouse using Fitbit's shipping label, over 3 weeks now. Haven't received an email from a supervisor. Asked again for escalation, was told I'd get a response in 24-48 hours.
• 2//22/2022 - Messaged Fitbit again, almost a month now, still hasn't arrived at warehouse, much less has a replacement been sent to my house. Still haven't received an email from a supervisor for 11 days now. Was told again I'd get a response in 24-48 hours. When pressed for a reason for why a supervisor hasn't been tagged to my issue, customer service agent ended the chat on me.

For weeks, I've been trying to come to a result amicably, which involved talking to a supervisor to get anything from a couple months credit for Fitbit Premium while I'm waiting for a replacement to return or getting credits towards a new device which I could buy and have ship immediately, all ideas that would have preserved the long-term relationship with Fitbit and be at close to no cost to Fitbit (in fact possibly even less cost to the company than replacing my device through the warranty).

But, a supervisor has refused to even email me to discuss these ideas that would benefit the company, me, and my medical health. I've burned more billable work hours talking to customer service and missed plenty of updates to my doctor and personal trainer than the value of buying a new tracker.

In summary: Don't try to talk to customer service (or execute your warranty) to fix your Fitbit in a reasonable way, if the tracker is important to your health monitoring. Your only reasonable chance that is worth your time and money is to buy a new device (or switch brands).

Really, really sad that I was a huge fan of Fitbit and a premium, reliant customer that goes out of my way to tell my friends to buy Fitbit, and Fitbit could have preserved that customer relationship if the supervisor just sent me one 1-minute email in the last two weeks.

-Alec

[JuanFitbit]

@alec1136 , Nice to see you here. Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your experiences with Support. 

I've notified Support and was informed that your case is being worked on and you already are in contact with our team. Please continue working with them 

I appreciate you taking the time to contact us and give provide us with your thoughts. 

See you around. 

[CL_E]

I can feel you, as I am facing similar situation. I bought a rosewood fitbit 5 months ago but the battery spoiled last week. I was told that they are unable to replace a rosewood fitbit to me and only black are available but only the black pebble is provided and I need to use the black pebble with rosewood removable band. I did not want a mismatch fitbit then I am asked to follow up on a weekly basis to see if rosewood is available.
The reason I got fitbit previously is I thought it is of good quality and reliable with warranty also. But now my fitbit battery spoiled within 5 months the warranty period but no pro-active actions is taken by fitbit to provide a proper replacement. 
it became my problem that I gotten a faulty fitbit and It is my responsibility to beg for a replacement though by right it is under warranty. Now I am unable to track my fitness also. 

[Leannek18]

Dealing with pretty much the exact situation. My Charge 4 was sent back 8 weeks ago on December 27 and still trying to find out what is going on. I just keep getting told that another department will email me and i never hear anything. Very frustrating because $140 is not cheap and i don't just give away that kind of money without expecting a working product in return. Officially done with fitbit and will let everyone else know how horrible they are. 

[Leannek18]

will they send you a black band? tell them it broke and you need a new band. mine broke twice in 8 months, its not uncommon

[CL_E]

Exactly how I feel. The price paid for a fitbit charge 4 is not cheap. And I do not expect my money to go to waste just like that in 5 months. And response I received from the customer service related to the replacement is really disappointing and frustrating. It seems that I am responsible for getting a faulty fitbit, I am responsible to beg for a proper replacement of my fitbit. 
I sincerely do not wish that what I experienced to happen to others. 

i requested for the black band also if they want to send me the black pebble. But the reply I received from the customer support is I need to check with them in a week time. So I paid for a faulty fitbit and I need to check with the fitbit customer support on weekly basis to see if they able to spare me a fitbit during warranty period? The responsibility of all that happened falls on the customer. 

[JuanFitbit]

@albar67 ,  A warm welcome to the Community! Thank you for taking the time to share your comments and feedback.

I apologize for the experience you are having. Please believe me, it's not the one we want for you. 

I've updated your case and you should get an email very soon. Please keep an eye on inbox. 

Hope this get solved soon. 

[Leannek18]

Join the club. Same issue with me. Keep telling me someone will contact me and i never hear from anyone. They don't care about us, they got their $, that's all they care about. 

[Dpto1]

I had the same terrible experience, my Fitbit charge 4 had problems within months. So far they've sent me 2 replacements, all 2nd hand refurbished products. All broke down and kept turning off within days. So I have asked for a full refund. Fitbit told me I have to return all my devices, which I did. Due to the long wait for an answer or response, I decided to obtain a new Fitbit charge 4 ( at least I know it's brand new), through my telecommunications company using my loyalty points whilst waiting for my refund. Fitbit turned around and said I also need to return my new Fitbit and recent purchase before I get any refund. How stupid is that, there's a customer service person there called Nino S who clearly doesn't know what customer service means. Fitbit please just give me my refund and stop wasting my time or everyone else's time.

[Leannek18]

why would you need to return the newly purchased one? this company makes absolutely no sense!! im tempted to get the Charge 5. My boyfriend has one, only issue is the battery life sucks.

[CL_E]

Oh my god, I pity your situation. I would not buy fitbit anymore if I do not get a proper replacement. Cause to me, basically it just prove two thing

1) the fitbit product is not reliable, faulty battery in 5 months. 
2) warranty provided is not promised. As no proper replacement are given to replace the faulty fitbit which is still under warranty. It is unreasonable to pay 100++ bucks for a fitness tracker which is useable for 5 months only. 

[JuanFitbit]

@Leannek18 , Nice to see you back. Thank you for your message and for your feedback. I verified with Support and was informed that they wrote you back and that they have received your reply. I updated your case and you should receive an answer very soon. 

Thank you for your understanding.

[Leannek18]

Nope. No one has emailed me regarding filing a claim with fed ex. They keep ignoring me  and what I say. Going on 3 weeks and haven't heard back 

[alec1136]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for all of your replies so far and for sharing your own grievances and experiences. I wanted to provide an update to continue to support the community.

Since my multiple follow-ups and this post, customer service supervisors have finally contacted me. They have agreed to send out a replacement through expedited shipping (though I have yet to receive a confirmation on when they will send it out and when it will arrive).

They have NOT agreed to any compensation, refund, or credits to go toward upgrading my product. I also requested 3 months of Fitbit Premium to make-up for the time during which I couldn't use my Fitbit (plus a little more for the poor customer service). They said they would forward me to another department who will discuss with me whether or not such an option would be feasible. But, no guarantees still.

I'll keep everyone posted...

-Alec

[alec1136]

Hello!

I'm sorry you're going through such a tough time. I'm in a similar boat (Fitbit Customer Service Non-Responsive - Fitbit Community), and I wish you the best.

Thanks,

Alec

[alec1136]

Sorry @albar67 - Fitbit forums are apparently also not user friendly - linking my post's URL merged our threads unintentionally. So, now our two threads are merged. Sorry about that.

[CL_E]

Same experience with you 😭😭😭

[Leannek18]

i am very happy that they finally did something about it. hopefully you don't mind that i referenced your experience in the customer service rep conversation i am having. i am now 8 weeks from when i shipped the pebble back and they refuse to do anything until it is received even though FEDEX said it won't be received. i just feel like i am going around and around in a big circle. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi everybody, 

Thanks for stopping by in the Community Forums and sharing your comments. 

We‘re taking into consideration your comments and sentiments in regards to our products and services.

I really appreciate the time you've spent troubleshooting your Fitbit Charge 4. As mentioned before, we've updated your cases with the information that you've provided and our team will be getting in touch with your shortly. Sorry you feel that way about these interactions and I want you to know that we provide feedback to our team taking in consideration the information you share with us.

Thanks for your understanding.