White lines on Charge 3 screen and fitbit just wants to give me 25% off a new product

[ODT]

I'm curious to see how many of you out there have encountered an issue with the display screen turning white/ having white streaks on your charge 3.  I just had this happen and a factory reset didn't correct it.  As my fitbit is 13 months and 2 weeks old, I have missed the warranty and all fitbit will offer is 25% off a new product. Customer service says its not a common issue, but I swear I saw this was a common issue of this particular fitbit.    

[FarzadF · Accepted solution]

Same exact problem. Mine too has white lines going up and down and the touchscreen is unresponsive. I purchased mine June of 2019 and they want to give me 25% discount on a device that I paid $200+ dollars. I chatted with the customer service agents, both of which ended the chat after I challenged the totally unfair 25% discount. Unacceptable. 

[ODT]

UGH that's so incredibly frustrating.  This is basically a 1 year disposable product from what I'm seeing.  😞  I had been back and forth between the fitbit or just getting and Apple watch...I guess I made the wrong choice.  

[Lynann3]

This happened to mine this morning.  Couldn't imagine what was going on, and now I see that this seems to be happening to a lot of people and Fitbit only sees it as an opportunity to sell another FitBit...with a slight discount.  I have loved my Fitbits, (this is my second one), but not if they have to be replaced every year or two.  Come on, Fitbit.  Surely you are better than this.

[Cantfindaloginn]

My charge 3 is also just over a year old and having the same problems. Is this FiBits way of forcing us to purchase upgrade? My battery life is less than half of what it used to be. Now I have to recharge qd. I should pay this info in an Amazon review.

[WalkinONE]

This has happened to me twice now. My first Charge 3 developed white horizontal lines roughly 9 months into owning it. I received a warranty replacement (after any exhausting amount of time on a customer service call, and several failed chat sessions). Now the replacement developed the lines roughly 6 months into using it. I’m sure the “customer service” scripts don’t include the steps for addressing this...I’m not even going to try. My time is more valuable than the hassle. I just hope this disposable piece of junk hangs in there long enough for the Apple Watch 6 to be released. I’m done with all the syncing issues and the increasingly poor quality of Fitbit devices. My first Fitbit was the One and it lasted forever. Actually it probably still works, but I need the sleep tracking on the Charge 3. 

[Faithd-c]

It's common to me! Second time in 17 months,  replaced 12/19, and the same thing again.  Screen is streaked, unreadable,  and barely responsive.  I can barely read the screen & the battery life is fading. I'm thoroughly disgusted. I love Fitbit's sleep tracking,  but I need a device that lasts more than a year.  

[Faithd-c]

Not only is the discount an insult, the Charge 4 isn't available for the discount!  I've had this happen to the Charge 3 TWICE in17 months! I wear a vintage analog watch, so I only want a slim tracker on my other wrist. I love the sleep tracking & fitbit FINALLY made a screen that you can read in sunlight on the Charge 4, but no discount. No way to get someone on chat. It's disgusting what they get away with. 

[Faithd-c]

Be prepared for the battery to start running out quickly on a device where you can't even read a non-responsive screen. How does Fitbit get away with this? 

[Lynann3]

What irritates me the most is that in going back over all the posts, I see that this has been an issue for over a year.  They should have done something about it by now.  I, too, need the sleep tracking. Does an Apple watch sync with a Samsung phone or does it only sync with an Apple phone?

[Faithd-c]

Nope. Apply only syncs with Apple. I think they're overpriced, but maybe they last more than six months.

[Lynann3]

It's all about marketing and making money.  If Apple watches synced with Samsung, you wouldn't need to buy an Apple phone, so no go.  If Fitbit discount could apply to a newer model Fitbit, they wouldn't make as much, so your choice is to get a discount on an inferior model you know won't last or suck it up and make them richer by buying a more expensive model with no discount!  I am fed up with businesses that make it big and abandon customer service.

[Faithd-c]

Oops. "Apple"

[Faithd-c]

I don't mind them making money. I mind them shoving an inferior, flawed product out there, knowing full well it will fail within months. This particular problem goes back years (I think it happened to my Charge 2 as well.) There is no way to reset it. They know this. 

I just received an email that I have to deal directly with Google to get a refund on Premium because - get this - "we receive no money for the Premium subscription." Seriously? Google gets 100% and Fitbit gets nothing? 

It's infuriating. 

[Lynann3]

And I don't believe that.  They wouldn't let Google sell it if they got nothing...maybe nothing new, but you know they didn't just donate them to Google.

[agpthng]

This is also happening to me they are verticle lines and makes it hard to see anything on the screen.

[agpthng]

My Charge 3 is now showing vertical white lines on the display and makes it impossible to read what the information is on the screen.  i've factory reset it several times and it's not any better.

[Faithd-c]

Very weird, right?

[Faithd-c]

I've had it happen twice. Resets don't help. If you're under warranty, they will replace,but it happened to me again after the replacement in six months. It's unconscionable that Fitbit hasn't fixed an obvious recurring flaw. I couldn't even upgrade to the Charge 4 (I'm sure issues still exist on Charge 4,too, but I was willing to try.)

Very frustrating. 

[Faithd-c]

My experience was that resets were useless. I've had the screen go black on me- resets worked for that, but not the white lines, unresponsive screen. It's maddening.