Feedback for Charge 3 quality

[pjgroeneveld]

Hi,

What's your experience with the quality of the Fitbit Charge 3, compared to what you paid for it (value for money) and expected when you bought it ?

My experience with the Carge 3 is that I bought 3 of these trackers for myself and my family, approximately 2 1/2 years ago.

2 of these died within a year (became useless due to the vertical lines problem on the display).

The third Charge 3 became useless in the second year, outside guarantee, due to the display becoming so dim that is is useless.

I tried all solutions mentioned on the forums by support, none of them worked.

From the 2 replaced trackers, one of them has died after about 1 year, due to the same "display getting so dim that it is no longer usable" problem.

The other one is currently also slowly dying, since it starts to get dim from the top left corner, slowly spreading over the complete display.

End result : 5 Fitbits all dying within 1-2 year after started using them.

All in all, I'm extremely disappointed in the Fitbit quality.

I had expected it to be a quality brand, but it clearly is not.

End result for me as a customer is that i expect this to be the first and last time that I'll buy a Fitbit or advice someone else to buy one.

Very unfortunate, since I like the look, feel and functionality of the product. 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @pjgroeneveld. Nice to see you around. 

I'm very sorry for the experience and thank you very much for taking the time to provide your feedback and for the troubleshooting steps you followed. Please note that any feedback posted in the forums is always welcome as it helps to improve our products, services and overall environment.

At this time, I'd like to let you know that if you need further assistance, you can get in touch with our Support Team and they will be able to review your case and your available options. Note that you can get in touch with them through chat or over the phone, but phone wait times have been longer than normal. Click here to get connected. 

On a side note, I'd like to let you know that replacement devices are provided for products that are within the warranty period. If your original Charge 3 is no longer under warranty a discount could be an available option but some conditions and requirements should be met. For more information about our warranty policy, I recommend visiting the following link: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/returns-and-warranty. 

[Zizi2019]

Hello,

This is my experience too. I got my Charge 3 in January 2019. Within one year, I had to get 2 replacements. The first in August 2019 and the second in November 2019. Both for the same issue of just going off and not coming on again. 2 weeks ago, I decided to go swimming with my fitbit for the first time. The first time went okay. After the second time last week, my fitbit kept going off and after restarting it a couple of times, the battery now lasts less than 24 hours and horizontal lines appear across the screen. 

I spoke with customer service and was offered a discount towards another product but tbh, I am not very confident in the devices now. I have just seen the Charge 5 available for pre-order which really appeals to me as I am not a fan of the smartwatches. However, the discount does not cover pre-order items and the luxe so my best bet is one of the smartwatches. I really do not like the colours on the versa 3 (which is kinda the ideal one for me based on the ones I can choose from). I prefer a grey-like one which is only available in the sense and versa 2. So I'm really trying to find a fitbit device that I can count on and actually like the appearance because this is going to be on my wrist all day.

I enjoyed my Charge 3 but the number of replacements and the final issue of the wasting battery just dipped the experience.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @Zizi2019. Welcome to the community forums. 

I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused and thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. I was able to see that you reached out to our Support Team and they have provided assistance and information. If you still have additional questions or inquiries, I recommend replying back to them. 

In regards with your concern about the discount, I'd like to let you know that it can't be used towards a purchase of a new device like the Charge 5, nevertheless; your feedback is very appreciated since it helps to continue working on improvements to our services and products. At this time, if you would like to learn more about our different Fitbit devices, I recommend visiting this link: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/products/find-your-fit.

I also suggest visiting our online store here. 

See you around. 

[pjgroeneveld]

Hi Zizi2019,

With regards to the battery life and the fitbit being waterproof, I did not experience any issues in those areas.
Battery life of all 5 fitbits has been consistent (approx. 1 week)

Even when the screen went blank on the trackers, they would still buzz for a week and record data in the app.

Also after swimming with the tracker, we did not experience any degradation of the functionality or battery life.

The wristbands do seem to have a quality issue. Every wristband we had with the fitbit charge 3 would break within a year.

Also not something I expected from a product produced by what I expected to be a quality brand.

[WilsonFitbit]

@pjgroeneveld Thank you for your reply. 

Your feedback and comments are very appreciated. As mentioned on a post above, please note that our team is always working to enhance your experience and your feedback is a big part of that process.

At this time, I was able to see that you reached out to our Support Team and they are currently working on your case. Please note that if you still have additional comments or inquiries, you can let them know and they will be more than glad to continue assisting you. 

[Katiechap]

I’ve got exactly the same problem. I’ve had 3 fitbits in 3 years. I’m currently on my third one which after charging to 100% the battery drains within a couple of hours. I’m just out of warranty and they won’t replace but have offered me a discount which I won’t be using.  Very disappointed as I love my Fitbit but I won’t be paying for a new one to risk it breaking again just out of warranty. I’ll be using my Apple Watch for fitness going forwards. 

[WilsonFitbit]

Hello @Katiechap. Welcome to the community forums. 

At this time, I appreciate your detailed information and thanks for taking the time to share your comments. I'm sorry for the experience, but as mentioned on a post above, replacement devices are provided for products that are within the warranty period. If your original Charge 3 is no longer under warranty a discount could be an available option but some conditions and requirements should be met. For more information about our warranty policy, I recommend visiting the following link: https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/legal/returns-and-warranty.