Versa Dead After Swim

[ELynnWhitehead]

I guess I'm yet another FitBit Versa user who found out the hard way that the Versa isn't as waterproof as we thought. The light on the screen is on, but according to my app, the battery is dead. I've reached out to Support and I'm just waiting on a response. Not sure what else to do, or what the response will be. Ugh! So frustrating!

[Giampi71]

Hello @ELynnWhitehead. I've moved your post under Versa section and flag your post to the moderators staff for their attention.

[ELynnWhitehead]

Thank you!

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @ELynnWhitehead, welcome to the Fitbit Community forums. Thank you for your help with this as well @Giampi71!  

@ELynnWhitehead, thank you for all the details that you've provided about the Versa no longer working after you used it to swim. 

As you already mentioned, you should be able to use the Versa to swim without any problem. I've sent your information to the Customer Support team for further assistance with this, but was informed that you already have a case created or that you already got in touch with them. You should be getting a reply soon. 

Keep me posted on the outcome. 

[GymGina]

Greetings,

After reading the user booklet, I concluded that the Versa must not be as waterproof as advertised. The booklet notes that if it does become wet, to dry it thoroughly.

https://www.fitbit.com/productcare

• Fitbit products are made to be water resistant. Fitbit Ace 2, Charge 3, Flex 2, Ionic, Inspire family and Versa family can be worn in the lake, the pool or the ocean, and Fitbit Ace can be worn in the shower. Still, it’s important to thoroughly dry your device and elastomer band and remove any debris after wear in the water to avoid skin irritation. Please note that non-elastomer accessories should not be worn in water.

The whole 'to protect your skin' part of keeping it dry made me suspicious. I take it off before doing anything that might fully saturate it.

Water resistant =/= waterproof

[ELynnWhitehead]

Thank you so much for your assistance!

That's exactly what I did though. After my pool time, I let it dry out. I didn't even wear it the next day. I also put it in rice, and still nothing. 

Moderator edit: format

[DavideFitbit]

Thank you for sharing all this information and your feedback about the product @GymGina and @ELynnWhitehead. The Versa is a  swim-proof device, but as any other electronic devices, it is always recommended to clean and dry them after these type of activities, this helps to prevent any moisture. 

@ELynnWhitehead, could you please confirm if you already received a reply from Customer Support about this as well? 

Keep me posted. 

[ELynnWhitehead]

Thanks for the assistance! Yep, spoke to customer care and they are sending me a replacement device (thank goodness).I appreciate everyone who provided assistance! This FitBit Community is super helpful!

[DavideFitbit]

Excellent, thank you for the update @ELynnWhitehead, it's good to know that you have received assistance from Support.  

[Thingirl1]

So glad you're able to get a replacement! Mine went completely dead after being in the pool yesterday (yes, I let it dry out after), but they won't replace it because it is 14 months old... 2 months out of warranty. I get warranty periods, but I still feel I am owed a replacement since it is supposed to be swim-proof. Have always been a loyal fitbit user and have purchased 5 of their devices. Now looking for other alternatives. Anyway... glad yours was still in warranty 🙂 

[ELynnWhitehead]

That stinks! I definitely think they should re-think advertising the product as water-proof or swim-proof. There have been way too many issues.

[Thingirl1]

Thanks 🙂 I totally agree. I've been with Fitbit over a course of 7 years and 5 different trackers, but I've been completely let down by this one and Fitbit's handling of it's obvious defect. 

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @Thingirl1, I'm sorry to see that you've experienced this with the Versa, you should definitely be able to swim with the watch. The Fitbit Support is always eager to help with these type of situations, but they do need to adhere to the official warranty policy. 

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and experience with this: comments from users are always useful to continue to improving the quality of products and services. 

Thank you for your feedback as well @ELynnWhitehead.  

[Thingirl1]

Thank you for your response. My problem is that I have seen enough complaints in this forum and also several other places to know that the swim-proofing on these watches fails frequently. The entire reason I upgraded from the Blaze to the Versa was the swim-proofing. If the watch does not maintain its swim-proofing over time it should not be advertised as such. If I had not gotten in the pool with my $200 watch because Fitbit said it was okay, it wouldn't have died. When you promise something can survive a swim and it does not, that is something that should go beyond warranty protection, otherwise it is false advertising. I eventually decided to take the discount I was offered and give Fibit another chance, but I am no longer a happy Fitbit user, will no longer recommend them to other people, and will likely never again purchase a Fitbit at full price because I feel like the trust has been broken. I am not asking Fitbit to admit anything, but I know that they know the swim-proofing is faulty. They need to reevaluate how they handle this failure of their product to live up to the claims they made for it, especially after only 14 months and in many cases much less than that. 

[Joshua1]

That is so weird, because I have had the exact opposite experience with fitbits being waterproof. I used to use the charge 2, which isn’t supposed to be waterproof, but I got it wet and it still worked, so I started using it in the water to see if it would break. I have gone swimming with it many many times, as well as taken it surfing for multiple hours at a time, and it still works. I recently got a Fitbit Versa, which I have had a similar experience with. I went on a hike to a pool, and lost my Fitbit in it, it was at the bottom of an 8 ft. natural pool for over 4 days, until I did the hike again. I brought goggles and found the Fitbit. It still had 50% charge, and still works perfect. 

Based on my own experience, I would assume that after 14 months, you may have damaged the device. Obviously I don’t know, but in my experience fitbits are very reliable in the water. 

[Thingirl1]

I'm glad you've been lucky. My device was in absolutely perfect condition, as I take very good care of it. Not even a scratch on the face, as I told Fitbit the many times I contacted them. Obviously not 100% the devices are defective, but if you do research you will see it is a well-known issue. I am an honest person and have been a great advocate of Fitbit for 7 years. I would not damage my Fitbit and then complain about them not replacing it. It is wrong of you to make assumptions that just because you have had a different experience that I and many others must be liars who have damaged our devices and want a replacement. 

You definitely got an exceptional Versa, as my battery rarely lasted 4 days with little-to-no use and needed to be put on the charger after 3 days most of the time. Being at 50% battery after 4 days is indeed exceptional. 

[DavideFitbit]

Hi @Thingirl1, thank you for your reply.  

I'm sorry to see that you've experienced this inconvenience while swimming with the Versa. I've seen the vast majority of users don't usually experience any difficulty to swim with the watch, but the team of the developers is aware of the numerous reports from people who have indeed found a few problems during of after this activity.  

Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding the quality and advertisement of the product, there are great area of opportunity; comments from users are always useful to continue to improving the quality of products and services. 

Thank you for sharing your experience with this as well @Joshua1.  

Let me know if you have further questions. 

[Whitneytg]

Hi David. I’m another one whose Versa died after swimming. Considering how many people have had issues with this, is Fitbit considering rebranding this as water resistant vs. waterproof with a lap function? The current design clearly isn’t working and was one of the main reasons I purchased this over other comparable models.

[DavideFitbit]

Hello @Whitneytg, welcome to the Community forums. 

Thank you for sharing this information about your Versa not responding. I've sent your information to the Customer Support team for further assistance with this, but was informed that you already have a case created or that you already got in touch with them. Keep an eye on your inbox. 

Even tough many people have reported this problem, it's not something that is affecting the majority of users. I've personally been using these devices to swim for more than a year as well and I've never experienced this behavior, however, the team of developers is aware of the numerous reports about the Versa not working after a swimming activity and they're constantly working to improve the quality and prevent this from happening. 

Let me know if you have further questions. 

[CityMoth]

I'm in the same boat. I was swimming with mine for about 20 minutes before I noticed it had died (after swimming with it about half a dozen times with no issues). I took it off, dried it, but three days later it's still dead, and I can see tiny water droplets seeping out from under the screen.

I have owned three other Fitbits; I was hoping the Versa would last, but it's now my fourth Fitbit to die before the 18-month mark. I'm giving up on Fitbits; I can't justify purchasing another device that will be trash practically as soon as the warranty runs out.