Inspire broken where band attaches.

[fallboy52]

Inspire broken at point band attaches; band won't attach.  In another forum I saw that others had the same problem.  It's not the band, it's that the band won't stay attached because a tiny piece of plastic broke off the Inspire.

[dmulka625]

This is so interesting to me as I have a Fitbit Charge 4 and that little plastic piece came of not one, but two Fitbits. Why are plastics used to keep the band attached to the Fitbit? It looks to me as this is a real problem for a lot of their devices. My second one just broke and I really use it a lot. It was the replacement for the first Charge 4 that I had for 4 months. I didn't get it back for quite some time. I like the Fitbit products but I may just be buying an Apple Watch. It might be more expensive but maybe I'd have it for a while and not have to replace it after such a short time. 

I'm not sure about the warranty on a replacement Fitbit. It's unfortunate because it's just the band connector that's broken, not the Fitbit itself. So frustrating!!

[Ianyeo]

I bought the inspire for my wife this time last year and hers now has the same issue, is it true the warranty is 2 years if bought from Amazon?

Seems a bit naff that this is such a common fault. I had 2 versas myself and both failed , one just died after swimming the other went wierd and HR monitor failed. In the end I went to Garmin.

What can we do to get this replaced?

[dmulka625]

What information that came from Fitbit is that if your product is out of
warranty, they may give you a discount. I got a 35% discount. All their
products are on sale right now. The 35% discount would be $5-$6 more but I
don't get that option to use it.

I had two Charge 4. Same thing happened on both. The design of the band got
caught on surfaces and weakened those posts which held the band on. The
posts broke off. I wonder if the Charge 5 or any other product will have
this same issue. My son says get an Apple Watch but I have an Android phone
right now so that won't work. I asked for a Charge 5. I miss my Fitbit. It
kept me on track with everything.
I hope you get something because this issue isn't right.

Deb

[bxrmom]

Thanks so much for providing this link! I was able to chat with someone and my Fitbit is still under warranty so they are sending me info on how to order a replacement!

[dmulka625]

So awesome! I'm glad I could help out.

[Mcancel]

This happened to mine too… now i have many bands but the fit plastic corners broke off and the bands won’t stay on…. Any way this can be fixed or rectified!! I use my fitbit daily.. such bommer!

[dmulka625]

I emailed Fitbit customer support and gave details about the posts breaking
off the watch and sent a photo as per their instructions. They sent me a
new Charge. I had mine only 4 months. I think the warranty is 1 year.
When it happened a second time they sent me a 35% discount toward a new
Fitbit; it was out of warranty. Unfortunately, the Charge 5 was
ineligible for this discount. I purchased the Luxe, which is smaller and
probably doesn't do as much as the Charge 4. I'm still waiting on it.
My son says to switch to an Apple watch. I have an android so it wouldn't
sync. He says you get what you pay for. We'll see.

Hope this helps some.
Deb

[WAM66]

I have the same issue as well! Is there a number to call? My inspire is just a year old. Got it for Christmas 2020! 

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Will you please forward my info as well. My inspire is just over a year old! Thank you!

[dmulka625]

You have to go into the Fitbit app and contact costumer support. Tell them
about your Fitbit and they will instruct you as to what your options are. I
hope this helps.

[kar_mc1]

Well, looking at many of the replies in this thread and others on the same subject, show that consumers are encouraging companies to make crap products with very short term planned obsolescence and which put the responsibility for quality control on the paying customer. They act like it's no big deal for an expensive device to fail within months of purchase, forcing the busy consumer to deal with contacting support, doing without the device they paid good money for over a period of weeks, etc. etc. And that's if the device fails within the shamefully short warranty period.

It reminds me of the clueless people on Amazon who show in their reviews that the item/product they received was broken, spoiled, past expiration, date, etc., but say, "Unfortunately, the seller doesn't accept returns, so I'm out x number of dollars."

Seriously???!!!  How about you contact Amazon customer support and demand a refund? IT doewsn't matter if the seller claims they con't accept returns. If your report of the problem is legit, Amazon will force the seller to accept the return and refund your money, with return fees being the seller's responsibility. 

If everyone did this, the sellers, and there are many, whose business model is based on this shoddy practice would lose money and knock it off.

Same goes with Fitbit. Stop buying from this company who has chosen to move from sturdy, metal strap connectors on their devices to plastic crap ones that are practically guaranteed to fail!!!

[dmulka625]

Nicely said. And that being said, I used the 35% coupon to buy the Luxe
Fitbit. It doesn't keep charge for even 24 hrs. Why did I do this to
myself??

You would think with the amount of people claiming the same issue, Fitbit
would make some changes; step up with these issues.

I think I'm going to return this Fitbit and look into the Android watch. I
have heard good things about it but need to do some research on it.

I depend on this device for tracking everything and I wish Fitbit products
were what they used to be.

[kar_mc1]

I bought my first Fitbit when they were a pretty new company, and it's so disappointing to see how markedly their products & customer service have gone downhill over the years. Corporate greed--I guess they figured, "Why make a lot of money when you can make a killing? Who cares how it affects our customers and the environment?" 

Arrrgghhh! Sorry. Can't help but rant about this.

Anyway, best of luck to you with the return and with your Android watch or whichever company/product you try next! 

[SunsetRunner]

Same thing happened to me and this is my 3rd Fitbit!!! Every single one had issues right at the year mark.  All my other devices are apple so I’m thinking the same thing. Fitbit is not customer supportive and a coupon for a discount just won’t cut it. They only offered me 25% off!  I’d rather spend the extra for a quality product. Fitbit should step up their game. I’m hearing great reviews from Amazons new fitness watch and their premium membership is only $3.99 vs Fitbits $9.99. I’ll hate to let go of new friends I’ve made but it’s been quite a hassle from the beginning and strike three is a sign for change. 

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If I do that I might as well give it to my daughter 

[dmulka625]

Wow!! #3? I'm not happy with the Luxe I bought. Its on the charger more
than on my wrist. I'm trying diligently to get my steps in as I'm doing a
new years challenge right now. Every step counts along with every else
being tracked.
I'm going to check into the Amazon subscription. Thanks for the info.

Deb

[SunsetRunner]

You have to fill a claim online. My first Inspire broke after 9 months. The plastic seems to desintegrate like what I see on this forum. Same thing happened after 11 months on the second Inspire replaced by Fitbit. Now, Fitbit doesn't want to replace it saying it's no longer covered by the warranty (which is 1 year).  They are offering a 35% discount, but I want a replacement. Incredible.

[SunsetRunner]

Why is it that the customers have to pay the cost for a recurring manufacturing defect? This is totally unacceptable. Let's not fall and give them more money by buying a new device.

[azetah]

I agree.  It's happened twice to me on my INspire HR.   A piece broke off on the Fitbit TrACKER where it attaches to the band.   On 2 different Fitbits.  I refuse to buy another one, especially if the watch/tracker works fine and the bands are good.   I just can't attach the bands.

I will try the children's bands where the fitbit pops in and the band attachments aren't needed - the lady above mentioned.   She gave the Amazon link to same.      After that, I will not buy another Fitbit.    Thanks for the advice on the children's bands.   They should make them for adults too.

[dlonoff]

Final Edit: I think this plastic welder just isn't strong enough, but I'm leaving the post below for reference. I think I will go with someone's suggestion of getting a case band (they make them for adults too)

I had this problem too, and my Fitbit is no longer under warranty. I tried using this plastic welder and it seems to be working: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR7J5ZX/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_A1K59QAYZ91KN03J46KN

With the band removed, I applied a few drops of the liquid plastic where the connector was broken (on the Fitbit body) and cured it using the UV light, then I sanded it down so it was flush, and put the band in and left it overnight, and it seems to be holding. I might also need to use a needle to poke a better hole for the watchband pin, since the liquid plastic kind of just filled the space in. We will see.

EDIT: A better technique seems to be to put a toothpick into the hole where the pin goes (I taped it into place), then adding a few small drops of liquid plastic on that and curing it, then pulling the toothpick out. That reserves space for the actual band pin to lock in. I'll update if I figure out a better technique. The hardened liquid plastic can be pried out and replaced if the first (or second or third...) attempts don't work.

 EDIT 2: This held for a day and then the liquid plastic didn't hold when my toddler pushed at the Fitbit. So maybe this just isn't strong enough.

[DogMom23]

This just happened to my Fitbit Inspire 2 (totally bummed). I read previous posts and saw the one about the band that actually houses the Fitbit unit. You just snap it in the band, no need to mess with pins. I just ordered a pair off of Amazon and will give it a try.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KN6GHLK/ref=cm_sw_r_fm_apa_i_JNEMK0M7Z5A1C8GJEHGY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1#

[azetah]

I did order some bands off Amazon that also house the Fitbit and
recommended by another post but they were not made that well and the buckle
on the band was plastic and has already broke.

This one seems to be made better and I will give it a try.

Thanks