Hi all,
I have had my Fitbit versa for a little over two years, kept good care of it, and the other day, out of nowhere, the screen detached itself. Surprisingly it still works, but it is holding on by a wire - that being said, it is not wearable. There's no sign of internal or external damage.
And so, after seeing other users experience similar issues, I contacted support. They provided me with a 35% voucher to use within the next month towards a new watch, as it is outside its warranty.
I maintained the email conversation with customer service, to see if they could offer a repair or other service, as it will cost over a hundred pounds to purchase a new watch with the voucher, and it would fall in-line with Fitbits promise to "Rethinking Consumption... Improving product reparability and recyclability". But no such luck. When I expressed concern that this practice is planned obsolescence, with the product breaking soon after the warranty at no fault of the user, and thinking about moving to a different more sustainable orientated smart watch, the reply almost encouraged me to leave;
"Our doors remain open for whenever you decide to give it a try at the Fitbit ride again. Thanks for being part of the family for so long. The best of our wishes are sent from here."
My main reason for sharing this is, has anyone else experienced this? Can we demand a more sustainable approach by Fitbit? Is it unreasonable to have them offer repairs of watches which are no longer for sale? And for breaks which are not the fault of the user, but of faulty hardware, how should these been supported (warranty or otherwise)?
I really don't feel inclined to continue supporting Fitbit, because paying another £100 to have a functioning watch is just a bit ridiculous. Additionally, if the next one is also only going to last two years (or less according to other community posts), it will become an endless cycle. I really rely on the constant heart rate reading, so finding another smartwatch will be difficult, but that may be a path I have to go down if Fitbit are unable to take responsibility for faulty hardware and their own planned obsolescence.
