Disappointing Replacement Process

[HoneymoonOver]

Fitbit Versa was having issues with syncing to my iPhone and it was constantly restarting on its own every day. Tried everything and nothing fixed the problem. This was only 2 or 3 weeks after I've had it.

Eventually Fitbit support said to ship the original back and they would send me a replacement. This is where the JOURNEY began.

It took FedEx almost two weeks to deliver this SmartPost package (prepaid label sent by Fitbit) from SoCal to Plainfield, Indiana. They delivered it on Monday 7/16/18. Initially Support said to give warehouse 5 business days to verify the return and ship a replacement. Today is the 5th business day, no words so I reached out again. Support said they verified my return, forwarded my case to their Shipping Department, who should reach out to me via email in a few hours to update the replacement status. Now it's after 5pm Friday, nothing from Fitbit. I contacted support via online chat again, all they did was upgrade my shipping method from Standard to Overnight, which was helpful. However, they would not confirm for me when I should expect the replacement be shipped. Their suggestion was to just do nothing and wait. Cannot provide an ETA because they had "no control" since they weren't part of the shipping department and there was no way for them to contact the shipping team for an update.

Considering this is a $200+ purchase that you expect to use everyday and is meant to be useful 24/7, I was first disappointed at the product I received. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe I was just unlucky and picked up a defective product. Then I was disappointed at the resolution Fitbit provided. Expecting the customer to wait 3-4 weeks for a replacement (after returning the original) is not the industry standard. Because of this lengthy process, Fitbit has my money, I'm without a device, and by the time I receive my replacement, I'd already be further in toward the warranty expiration date when in fact I did not have the device in hand to test it out this entire time.

I loved the device for the first 2 weeks it worked, then this whole thing turned into a very disappointing experience. I'd expect less if this was a $50 purchase but it wasn't.

[ACG]

Mine has been working flawlessly since I started using it and hope you new one operates for years to come. 

No one likes a defective product and then the run around to get a replacement. 

Were here for you if you have any problems with your replacement. 

[HoneymoonOver]

Thank you for the reply, Alan. I reached out to Support through online chat again today, which resulted in even further disappointment. It's been 3 weeks since I mailed out my return and a whole week since my return was delivered. I have yet to receive any shipping updates from Fitbit regarding my replacement device.

Apparently they had no way of contacting their shipping department and all the agent would do for me was to leave a note for the shipping team to "prioritize" my case. The agent I spoke to on Friday already did that. Since I have yet to receive any updates from their shipping department, and it's already afternoon in Plainfield, IN, leaving notes does not appear to prioritize anything.

I have two emails from Fitbit Support mentioning that the standard process would take 5 business days from the date the return is delivered for their shipping department to mail out a replacement. I pointed out to the agent that the time frame has passed and I have yet to receive any confirmation from Fitbit, despite my case being "prioritized". The agent then said "sorry", "this is the time it normally takes", and actually it takes "7-10 business days". When I pointed out the conflicting information they were giving me and asked what would the turn around time be after they left the notes to "prioritize" the case, she said no estimated time frame, they'd just follow up when they can.

I do not feel like I'm treated fairly. I've been without a product that I paid full price for for 3 weeks, and I will continue to be without it for who knows how long. And the replacement wasn't even due to my misuse, it was due the product being defective. I am strongly discouraged by the product and the service I've received and I will likely report this experience to the BBB. I feel I have been patient but what it really gets me is when their customer service cannot provide me an ETA to resolving the issue.

[Mommy2Rosie]

My Ionic was delivered to the warehouse on 7/9/18 and apparently still not been confirmed as recieved. Ive been without my tracker for a month now and no end in sight. I get no answers when reaching out to customer service. Wishing i would have went with a competitor. I expected better from Fitbit...

[medep19]

I have had similar experience with my return/replacement process. I had bought the Special Edition one with the woven band and I sent it out of 6/19/18 from IOWA. Iowa to Indiana SHOULD NOT take that long to ship. I didn't get an email until 7/3/18 saying they received it. I heard nothing. On 7/17/18 I reached out to them telling them that I have not heard anything and that I got an email saying it was received on 7/3/18. They verified that it was delivered on 7/3/18 but was not verified by their returns so they are considering it a lost. They asked for my information (Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Phone Number, and Tracker Color). I provided all information as well as letting them know that it was the Special Edition Granite Fitbit AND I provided a pic of the fitbit I sent. Received and email 2 days later (7/19/18) saying that they sent me out a black one. That is NOT the one I sent them! I paid an extra $30 for the special edition one why would they not send me back the one that I sent it. I sent an email back asking why they sent a black one instead of the granite one I sent it (on 7/19/18) and still to this day (7/23/18) have not received a response back. I had my fitbit for less than a month and it would not hold a charge for longer that a little over 24 hours, that was even after I turned off all notifications and everything. My question is why would they send me back a black fitbit when I specifically told them that I sent them and purchased the granite special edition one. I am not a happy customer right now. They have had my fitbit longer than I got to wear it.

[HoneymoonOver]

Ugh sorry to hear 😞

I too wish I had gone for something else or that I straight out returned my device instead of getting into this replacement mess. Their smartwatches have appealing features and battery life but these only matter if they actually give you a working watch 😞

[meresydotes]

Have youall called them? It sucks to call in to their support, because you spend the entire time on hold while they ask basic questions of those around them. But they seem able to push things through as needed. 

[HoneymoonOver]

I purchased the special edition as well and have the receipt to show it. I hope they send back the correct one to me (once they finally get to my case of course)... I've also been without my device longer than I had it. What makes it even worse is that in reality the warranty period isn't as long as it seems. It says 12 months (i believe) but when you go through the return/replacement process, you would lose 1-2 months easy without using the device...

[HoneymoonOver]

No I haven't called. I thought online chat would work just the same. I will give them a call now and report back if there are any updates.

[medep19]

I have not. My replacement is supposed to be here tomorrow and I am going to see which one was sent. If it is the black one and not the special edition one then I will call them. They may just use the black one as a generic response when returning.

[TaylorN81]

I've been having the same issues! I pre- ordered the special edition Versa and always had issues with it syncing. I changed my cell phone thinking that it might help and still had issues. Mine would also randomly restart. My husband got one, not special edition and about half what I paid for mine because he found one on sale, and his has always worked noticeably better than mine.

I finally reached out to support via online chat and they wanted me to video the Versa randomly restarting with a hand written code on a piece of paper in the video. I explained to them that, especially since my husband's worked fine without random restarts, I thought it was a little ridiculous.

No problem, they'll send me a return label, which I never got, and had to reach out again to get. I have checked in multiple times, because after the shipping label I received no additional communication, and received canned responses. My favorite was that they confirmed receiving my Versa on July 13th, but the next sentence was asking me to allow them 24-48 hours to confirm receipt. 

I am absolutely disappointed with the process and wishing that I had stuck with their competition instead of switching to Fitbit.

[Mommy2Rosie]

My Ionic was recieved on 7/9/18 and they asked for 5 business days to
confirm. I was ok with that. However, that was 2 weeks ago...

[Kkenehan]

May I ask what happened? Did you end up receiving the replacement?? And how long after? 

I am going through the same exact thing right now and am frustrated!! I LOVE my device and used it regularly. But it started overheating and burning my arm and then just turned off. It's been almost a month since I shipped it now and I have yet to recieve one. 

[Odyssey13]

Hi @Kkenehan  this thread is from July 2018 and the original poster didn't reply. Have you checked with customer support about the return?

[jahanvi]

Have you received your device? 

I am suffering from same problem.. I got the replacement conformation mail and it's been more than 2 weeks i haven't received any shipping update. 

I even sent mails and tried to contact but no response. I don't understand what to do.

[Duc916]

I sent my defective Versa2 back on 10/1/2020 and have been tracking it's journey.  Scheduled to arrive at Fitbit destination in San Francisco on 10/13/2020.  I'm not convinced the process has improved any over the 2 years since the original post in this thread.  I will keep this updated.  I wish there was a cross shipping solution though I do understand Fitbit needing to make sure they are receiving what is expected.