Difficult time with replacing Fitbit Versa

[kkumor]

I have been a loyal fitbit customer for over 5 years, and their customer service has always been helpful, until now.  They recently changed their policies so now you have to send them your defective watch before theyll send you a replacement.   The new process is absolutely TERRIBLE!  My screen on my brand new versa is all sorts of wonky, not only did I have to call customer service 4 times today to get the replacement, now they're saying it could take up to a MONTH to get a replacement.  How is that acceptable.  Previously they have sent replacements and not even needed the original returned, now you have to return and then wait while they try to figure out what's wrong before sending you a new watch.  I wear this thing every day to track my walking (ps i'm pregnant with diabetes so i have to be vigilant about activity) and they're saying i now have to go weeks without it.  What's the point in spending all of this money if it doesn't work, and when it doesn't work you take a month to replace it?  AWFUL Customer service decisions being made at Fitbit. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[ACG]

Hello @kkumor

@Sorry to here of your unpleasant experience. 

I know that the Versa is selling like hot cakes and believe this could be one of their problems, they may have none to send you due to popular demands. 

Post your problem on here as there is a ton of experience on here that may get you up and running. 

Best of luck either way. 

[ACG]

@kkumor

Oh, I forgot to ask you. 

Why don't you start using a previous tracker that you have owned. You sound like a dedicated Fitbit brand user like some of us. 

Don't worry, it will get fixed and you'll be a happy user again. 

In any case,

Welcome aboard. 

[kkumor]

@ACG Wouldn't that be a nice luxury to have.  The only reason i got the versa is because my previous one broke, and i'm not about to spend more money to have a spare.  You really shouldn't say things when you don't know the situation that people are in.  Thanks for no help at all. 

[meresydotes]

@kkumor @ACG They have plenty to send out. They're not selling the replacement "pebbles." They just have poor customer service. I've found that, if you're outside the 45 day return period, they might send you one replacement without requiring the one you have back. But they'll still send it FedEx "SmartPost," which is anything but smart and takes 10 days from their warehouse in Indiana to me in SoCal. And a bunch of the pebbles are defective and you can't attach straps. Though they should overnight a replacement for that.

I believe it's the type of device, too. I noticed the change started with the Blaze, which was the first "smartwatch."

[janicki2005]

Yep, I am currently waiting for my replacement due to a wonky screen.

 This is my first ever fitbit, and will be my last.  It took a week to get from Illinois to Indiana with their prepaid label, and I still am waiting up to 5 business days for them to "locate" my return in warehouse before they will send a replacement pebble.

It feels like I paid 200 dollars to be a beta-tester for versa smh.

[NickG77]

You all are going through the exact issue I did.

My Versa started acting funny, They suggested a factory reset, then the screen goes "bonkers", and then we see what customer satisfaction means to them.

I just received my VERSA after a 26 day wait.

It took 10 days to ship from Atlanta to their Indiana warehouse (because for some reason it needed to spend a weekend in San Francisco???

They lost/mishandled my watch in the warehouse even after I contacted them 4 times asking about it.

Stay on them and demand a specific update status. Harass them because this inconvenience is unacceptable and there seems to be a pattern based off the comments here. They can lose your product and ill forget about you if you dont keep them engaged. Press them to do a rushed 1-2 day priority shipping given your dissatisfaction. Press them to notify you when your product has actually shipped. They will do both of the aforementioned if they know how awful this process is for you.

The worst part is if this is even a quality product? I loved it when it worked, but mine lasted 4 weeks before it went bad???I'm reading posts questioning if we can really get it wet? 

Stay on these people, Now that we are all about paying $200 for a watch, there should be an expectation of a quality product if not quality service. Is this really just a cheaply made apple watch??? I rejected the whole apple everything deal but i certainly can't sing the praises of this company.

[chugalug]

From what I can tell, everyone has had an absolutely terrible experience with this whole replacement process. I just shipped my defective Versa two days ago using the provided shipping label, so I am expecting to run into some of these issues... 

How do you get updates on the shipping of the device to the Indiana warehouse? After giving Support notice that I shipped the package, I got a response saying that another department would contact me (no updates yet).

This is a shame, because my actual interactions with the Support team over chat and email were actually pretty great! Perhaps it would be more accurate to criticize the Warranty/Returns department instead of Support...

[meresydotes]

@chugalug You should be able to open the return label and copy the tracking number (starts with a 9) into a browser and search for it to track yourself. USPS and FedEx will also send you notifications of changes in status.

[chugalug]

Thank you, @meresydotes!

This worked for me. It is the number underneath the largest bar-code (lower left of label). My package appears to have just been sitting in the Ann Arbor post office ever since I dropped it off...

[NickG77]

My personal issue with support is getting the 'runaround' over 4 conversations before they realize that the warehouse has messed up.

You need to check the tracking # on your label, confirm when the package gets to their warehouse, and then contact support to let them know your package arrived yo the warehouse. Then you need to give them their 5 days (warranty) to check it and at the end of those 5 days, call/chat them and let them know your 5 days are up and you expect your replacement to be sent. Then you need to request a message of the exact shipping return details so that you know when it is actually in the mail. You cannot count any weekends in this process as they don't ship over the weekend. This seems to be the expectation of the customer.

I just received a message explaining their warranty. My $200 watch lasted 4 weeks. This is Fit bit. I thought I was buying a product with confidence behind it. Now I feel like I've bought a product built to break down that they really don't care about handling.

We also have moderators claiming this might not be the venue to air our grievances. They are half-right because I should be warning people on other sites that review this product. I will share my experiences when people ask me about this watch.

Get Outlook for Android

[Eriklb]

---

---

LOL

[meresydotes]

I call them pebbles because that's what they call them. You can take it up with them. Not that it'll do you any good.

[janicki2005]

UPDATE: My versa that was received at their warehouse on 7/16 has still not been confirmed, and it is now 7/24.  So much for 5 business days....(it is currently 6)

There has to be something that can be done about this horrible customer service.

[NickG77]

Janicki,

Go to support either by calling or the online support. Tell them you need a status on your specific product. Tell them you need to know if it has been shipped. If they stall, tell them you know they an call the warehouse to check on your product. Tell them you'd like priority shipping since they have exceeded the time they were supposed to have it. Get answers from them, not empathy.

Get Outlook for Android

[janicki2005]

I have been emailing every day, and today I finally got a confirmation for my replacement order for "Gun Metal" versa.  I sent them back a black versa, any idea what this Gun Metal color is?

[meresydotes]

@janicki2005 Gunmetal is the dark gray color that's exclusive to the "Special Edition." There's a user on another similar thread who bought gunmetal and is receiving black. Youall should get together.

[NickG77]

The 'gun metal' description threw me off too 🙂 because I was surely going to send it back. It will be black. It should come via fedex... did they give you tracking info?

Get Outlook for Android

[janicki2005]

Got order confirmation and shows expedited 2 day shipping, no tracking yet.  Thanks for your help, I told them all the things that you advised me to say.

[SunsetRunner]

as with anything that is electronic...my solution is  to buy from a retailer, get the extended warranty,  thats just what you have to do....I can totally understand their replacement policy..they want the old one back.  I work in retail and I can tell you I have seen plenty of people try to return something out of the return policy saying that its been broken since they got it 8 months ago, then why didnt you return it then.....I am sure the people in the return or customer service dept did not wake up in the morning and say I am going to screw over so and so .............