How do I repair a bubbling wristband?

[KevinK26]

Good evening,

Before I leap into my issue, I would like to say that my FitBit has been one of the best purchases I have made in recent memory.  I love this product so much that I ordered one for my mother and one for my father (who are technilogically impaired for the most part), and they were thrilled to have one.

That being said, I have run into problems with my personal FitBit Charge HR.  The band is detaching at the screen display (yellow), and there are these rogue "bubbles" that are gradually becoming worse (red).

Is there anything that can be done?  I'm really discouraged by this because I've only had the product for four (4) months.  I followed the proper care guide, but that only went so far.  As I stated above, I love my FitBit and I don't want to consider going with another brand.  The band tearing away and the floating air pockets are a blemish on an outstanding product -- and no one wants to wear a blemished product.  I've refrained from showing my FitBit to others because I believe this product is far above what it currently presents itself as.

Any help concerning this manner would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

- Kevin

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Jimmy_c]

@HandsomedanNZ They can tell activation from your account, agree service is great until 366th day of activation

[BuffaloBill1]

My FitBit Charge HR did the exact same thing.  Fitbit readily replaced it, the only problem is,  I'm pretty certain the replacement will do the same thing.  I know of 5 other people whose Charge HR did the exact same thing.  First the bubble,  then the band separated.  I had my first one only 5 months.  Very disappointing.  When I spend over $100.00 on something,  I'd expect it to last for at least a few years.  When this current one falls apart,  I'm going to look at Polar products.  I know a person at work that has had one for well over a year, with no problems whatsoever.

[Silvergull]

I'll be buying from Best Buy with the warranty next time. Thanks for the tip, Jimmy_c, that's a great suggestion.

I've had the SAME problem with my Charge HR. I had one replacement near the end of my 'warranty period' and then the replacement started to fall apart just months later. When I phoned Fitbit, they told me I was out of luck, but offered a 25% discount on a new tracker. I kept battling with them and eventually got a 'one time warranty extension' to get a replacement tracker.

I love Fitbit, the functionality and the app are amazing. But the trackers themselves are poor quality. And I'm not hard on my trackers at all. I'm unimpressed that the don't support their hardware. At best, you're buying a 'one year use' of a poorly made product. That's not good enough.

I had to be a total b*^tch on the phone and use my Nasty Lawyer Voice to get the replacement. For those of you struggling with this issue, that's what it takes apparently. 

After this Charge HR falls apart (which it inevitably will), I guess I'll try another model. Any suggestions? Which one falls apart the least rapidly?

[BuffaloBill1]

I've heard from friends that Polar makes dependable trackers. When my FitBit falls apart again in a couple of moths,  that's what I'm going to look at.

[KevinK26]

I upgraded to the Alta not too long ago. I like it better than the Charge HR in overall quality and design. You can swap out the bands (if you're interested in matching outfits/want your favorite color), which solves the "bubble band" problem I had earlier this year.

[KLG517]

I bought my charge hr in any are 2016, and wear it everyday. I have a demanding job and after about 4-5 months the screen had a crack on the side. They sent me a new one which I actually decided to save fit later. I'm still wearing my 1st one and I've got a huge bubble, the black plastic can be pulled if done just right, and the rubber casing by the screen can actually be pulled back. It's still going strong as far as what it's made to do so I'm still wearing it. My job is physically demanding so I'm not going to pull out the new one until this one dies.

[AlejandraFitbit]

Hello all, I hope you are doing fine.  Remember that if you are having problems with your trackers wristbands and they are under warranty, you can get in touch with our support team. I know they will be glad to help you our and provide you with a solution.

Catch you later. 

[garminbound]

I am on my fourth charge hr in a year. The first one stopped working for no reason, the second one the button started going crazy and the third one stopped charging, and the fourth one, the one I have now the heart beat monitor has stopped working. I called customer service and the offered me the 25% discount which Fitbit can stick where the sun doesn't shine. I am garmin bound. Shame I really like Fitbit, I have two zips, a charge, and the scales, but oh well. A word of advice. If you are going to sell an inferior products you might think about lowering the price. I personally think Fitbit is the con of 2016. At 150 a pop and a year warranty I am sure they could replace ten in a year and still make money hand over fist. Good bye

[MariamV]

@garminbound welcome to the forums. Thanks for your feedback and I'm truly sorry to see you go. Please be assured that all Fitbit products have been tested to be durable and long lasting so they shouldn't be going defective at an early stage. Also, note that your Charge HR is covered under Fitbit's limited 1 year warranty. If the device is outside this period then support won't be able to replace your device. Thanks a million for your understanding; and just like @AlejandraFitbit suggested I too encourage you to contact our Support Team for any further assistance.

[Jimmy_c]

The issue is the 1 year warranty is a crock. You know you can replace a few times then wash your hands of the issue. The charge is not built to last.
The warranty should cover for design faults a year from ownership. The band melting and battery not charging are repetitive issues Fitbit is aware of and appear to be doing noting about. As my earlier post I bought from Best Buy, paid $20 for 2 year cover and have had a replacement already, but the warranty restarts on replacement.

[garminbound]

I appreciate the comments but I am out of my warranty by about five months. As I said this is my fourth one in a year and a half period. And my current one will barely charge and the heartbeat sensor is no longer working. I tried super hard to be easy on the on. Five months has been the longest any one of them will last. I hardly call that long lasting and durable. I do my best to tell my friends my experiences so they do not make the same mistakes. I am not trying to be a butt hole but my hope is that people understand what they are buying and my hope that Fitbit will re-evaluate the durability standards of their products in the future. It is bad enough these are not water proof and only water resistance but the last of durable products is unsettling especially since they are not cheap. Thanks again and good luck with your products.

[ccv]

The problem of the button coming loose on the Charge HR is a very common defect - it has happened to everyone I know that has this model. Mine was replaced once, as was a colleague's. Another colleague purchased a different model after this happened to her. This is a defective design problem so if it happens to my replacement I will ask for a replacement with a different model. Which models have been problem-free?

Moderator edit: format

[nmira001]

Have the same problem. Fitbit has agreed to replace it.

They should openly accept thst it is a low quality band and have a global replacement with one that meets a higher standard. Expected better from Fitbit.

[hmsq82]

Just wanted to post here and say the following.

Having experience this issue with both my original Flex and the Charge, I was able to get multiple replacements under warranty, however as an engineer you can see these are manufacturing defects, a combination of materials, design and environment leads to this issue.

I'm going through CS again on my Fibit Charge which I've now lost count how many times it has been replaced. Having gotten a Charge 2 I can see how they eliminated this "design flaw" by having removable strap bands. If they were to suffer this issue you can easily replace them with other material straps.

The way I see it FitBit learned allot from their previous models and address this on the Charge 2, it sucks for us who own the Charge. 

Moderator edit: word choice 

[MariamV]

Hello guys! it's nice to have you on board. 

@ccv it is very unfortunate indeed that you had to go through this experience. All the feedback has been taken into account and the Charge 2 has been released with improvements, such as the exchangeable wristbands. 

@nmira001 I would definitely feel the same if I purchased an expensive fitness tracker that did not meet all of my expectations. However, our limited warranty provides replacements for trackers deemed to have a manufacturer's defect within 365 days of purchase. Sometimes depending of the region can be 730 days.

@hmsq82 thanks for you input and feedback! Our customer support team strives to keep every single Fitbit customer on track and, as part of that goal, they will seek alternatives to keep you working towards your fitness goals. This, at the moment, depends on the region where you're located when gestures of good will like discounts come in to play. 

Thank you for your understanding guys. I'll be around!  

[Grrr8scott]

Why is it that the only "vote" is a thumbs up?  I have an alternate view. 👎

[rolltide57]

Please acknowledge the Charge HR was a design flaw from the beginning and treat any sold as an auto manufacturer would do and "recall" them for a free replacement with a model that obviously has the flaw designed out of it.

Moderator edit: word choice

[Jiminator]

Once was enough for me. Mine began to delaminate after a few months, and I was hardly using it. I got a replacement and it was the same. I just gave up on it and stopped wearing mine. Then I realized, duh, running was just fine without these types of devices. Simple wrist stopwatch that never has to be charged is all I need, or better yet, run with a naked wrist, it is liberating!

[SmarterNu]

I have same problem with my charge HR.

Mine is out of warranty but clearly this band is cheap junk, unworthy of a Brand name.

I have crazy glued most of the bubbles and delamination.

This after a year of waiting for sync fixes by Fitbit.

When I shop to update my Charge HR, I certainly have Fitbit on my not recommended list.

$150 of garbage.

[nmira001]

Get rid of fitbit.

After 5 years of paying premium prices for poor quality products from
Fitbit, I bought a Letscom colour tracker for a fraction of the price which
did more than the Fitbit charge 2 and was better quality.




*Neil*
*+64 21 664-615*4 Saulbrey Grove, Lower Hutt, Wellington 5010
New Zealand