Versa keeps breaking... very frustrated!

[Poodley]

Im on my 4th fitbit Versa replacement in 10 months! This seems to be an inferior product, a $200 disposable item?  When my warranty is up & they will no longer send me free replacements when my Versa breaks every few months, I will definitely put my money elsewhere.
 
Fitbit should do something extra for me, other then repeatedly tell me 'We're so sorry ..." They should offer a free upgrade instead of only ofering me 50% off a replacement of the newest model, or at least a free watchband!
 
Having a working Versa has been a HUGE inconvienience! Please note that I DO NOT wear in the pool or shower, nor have I done anything that would damage the watch. 
 
Versa #1: Lasted 4 months, its display was squggly & shakey, and was opening apps by itself.
 
Replacement Versa  #2: Lasted 1 month, began blacking out but still syncing & reading pulse, then completely died & got hot on the charger.
 
Replacement versa #3: Lasted 5 months, had white lines down the left & right sides of the display with white area in the bottom right corner.
 
Replacement versa  #4 on its way.....   story to be continued........
 
Lastly,  on to the new "fitbit pemium" product. Not only have I invested over $200, spent countless hours on the phone to customer service & programming new watches, but now I'm expected to pay an additional $10 per month to use all the features ot the Fitbit "FREE" app?
 
I am beyond frustrated

[AlvaroFitbit]

@Poodley A warm welcome to our Community! Sorry for the delay in my response. 

Thank you for sharing your input about your Versa  and premium account. The account isn't necessary for you to use your Versa so you don't need to pay for it. Regarding the Versa if you have any issues you can let our Support team know about it as you already have.

I'll be around.

[kel_c_rae]

Yep! Same issue here. Bought my first Versa December 2018 and was excited about it until it slowly started malfunctioning Summer 2019. I don't swim or shower with it, I literally just wear it and charge it. By the fall, it would no longer hold a charge at all, until it died one day and never turned back on.

The entire time the charge wasn't lasting, I was in touch with FitBit Customer Service who encouraged me to basically not use any of the features the watch offers so that the battery would last. Why would I pay $200 for what essentially would have been an ugly watch? We use it for the features! Aside from that, it wasn't normal battery use, it would be a full charge in the morning, and at 10% by lunch. You couldn't use the sleep function because it had to charge all night. Very frustrating.

When it completely conked out Fall 2019, I was luckily sent a replacement. Fast forward to this Spring (six months after replacement, and less than 1.5 years after original purchase), and the new Fitbit no longer counts my steps. I walked all day and it said I had only walked 52 steps. I troubleshooted all I could on my end to no avail, then called customer service back.

Since it's 5 months past the one-year date of purchasing the original product, they sent a note: "We would like to share that all our Fitbit device have been tested stringently to ensure durability... in rare cases, devices may succumb to normal wear or other factors beyond human control... We've exhausted troubleshooting... we want to keep you part of the Fitbit family... We're unable to offer a replacement as your Fitbit falls outside warranty coverage... (Favorite part:) The good thing is the discount is valid for 30 days which will give you ample time to think about which Fitbit you'll be getting."

Haha. If they test so stringently and the cases were so rare, there wouldn't be a discussion board full of people all experiencing the same issue. My Apple Watch is due to arrive this afternoon. If I'm coming out of pocket anyway, it's only $100 more, I have a coupon so it's actually less than that, and all the functions work (like water resistance - I've read reviews - why have a swim function if you can't submerge the product?!). Apple doesn't expect me to come out of pocket for a faulty device, and from tens of thousands of reviews, it seems it actually lasts longer than a couple months. Fitbit needs to recall the Versa instead of trying to get over on the customer. There are obvious issues.

[kstarfox]

It breaks my heaet to find this... Every 3 months ive replaced my versa 2...before that i went through 2 ionics... Did the 50% off for the versa and its no better. Im about to run out of warrenty 😭😭😭

I have a new one arriving shortly, the last one was a refurb... Im done. 

[kel_c_rae]

So sorry to hear you're experiencing the same issues. I will say, it's been over a year since I made the switch, and I haven't had any troubles with the *other brand. I do need to charge it daily, whereas FB was supposed to hold a charge for a few days. However, I work a desk job, so if I want to use the overnight features, I usually just take it off when I get to my desk in the morning, and in an hour, it's fully charged again. And again, with my experience, my FB devices never held their charge, so I was having to do a daily charge anyway.

I hope your new device works optimally! But if it conks out, there are others on the market that won't be disposable. If for no other reason, it's really bad for the environment to make electronics that only last a few months! Smh. Good Luck!

[Sonjadb]

My 5th and LAST FitBit just stopped working (no longer covered under warranty).

[Kripsonite]

I have had the same problem with nearly every Fitbit I've ever had. They all break. Lots of models over the years, lots of different ways for them to fail. I'm not doing anything crazy, I don't get them wet, even when they claim to be waterproof, I've learned that is a myth,  they all break sooner or later, but mostly while they are charging. And no, I never ever charge my Fitbit any other way than plugged into a USB on my computer. The company replaces them when in warranty, but I've come to the end of my rope. 
If anybody can recommend a more durable product, I'm all ears. 

[NathanLake]

So sorry to hear, that's a horrible experience specially considering the price. My second one just broke as well, and the same happened with the first. I agree it's smart to invest in something else to be honest. 

[Tubas]

I am on my second Fitbit Versa 2 that has developed the same problem as the first one. The screen separates, that is it comes apart and this happens just after one year of purchase and use. My sister saw my Fitbit and liked it and decided to buy one too. Unfortunately, she is on her third one because the same problem happened to her previous two Versa 2 watches - the screens separated. She was lucky her warranty had not expired and she got replacements. I was not that lucky because mine happened three months after the one year warranty expired both times. 
Are these devices made to fall apart after one year so we can purchase another one. 

[Auntiefree]

I have a drawer full of replacement fitbit versas for the same reason. What annoys me the most is it’s always a “reconditioned” replacement they send…. Currently looking in to getting a different type as yet again this versa 2 is broken but I can see them doing anything about it this time.

[Shakan]

Same here... I went through 5 JunkBits (last 3 were Versa).  Finally I bought one from Costco Dec 2021 thinking I may have some luck.  It stopped working May 2023, definitely I was lucky to have this piece of junk work for more than year, 17months precisely.  Need to check with Costco if they will reimburse as they normally give additional warranty.  Never will I own this piece of junk again. I have a feeling that they time the watch through program, to die to increase the sale! Just ordered an Apple Watch.

[Auntiefree]

I got a Apple Watch and I wish I hadn’t, battery lasts a day if your lucky, it’s so inaccurate! With fit bit I was getting my 10thousand by noon with this Apple Watch I’m yet to get 10thousand for a whole day! I do not recommend them at all!