Versa screen stopped working

[Aylahmarie]

I had a Versa given to me a little over a year ago as a gift, the screen started getting a small black line going through it then one night it just shut off completely and never tuned back on after overnight charging. I notice a lot of customer have this issue so I contacted support and since holding down the buttons on the side is their only way of fixing things, that clearly didn’t work. I was told that watches in the US only have a 1 year warranty? After that 365 days of owning your watch they will no longer fix anything or replace it. You have to completely purchase a brand new watch that will probably break in another year. Who wants to spend 300$ on a watch that they’ll just have to replace in a year. Do yourself a favor and get an Apple Watch. Better customer service and not a waste of money!! My company will no longer be purchasing Fitbit for over 200 of our employees. 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject and formatting

[KPeay]

I am very upset as well. I have owned 2 different Versas, in LESS THAN 2 years... so one watch per year.  The watches both failed in the same manner for me: each one randomly just stopped swiping on the screen. I am not happy that the Fitibit Reps' "solution" is to send me a 35% discount offer so that I can go and repurchase another one... Why would I spend my money on something that is not going to be cost-effective?! It is ABSURD to think that a smart watch should only last one year! I chose Fitbit over Apple for the battery life and the cost... but funny how I would have SAVED money if I had just started with the Apple Watch from the beginning.  I know this has been a similar issue for others on the community forum posts, but I think luckily for them it happened during a time within the warranty and they were able to replace theirs.  I unfortunately am not within my warranty since the first one I was able to replace was replaced with a refurbished watch.  This is poor craftsmanship and design. I even asked about the defect / why this continues to happen, and Fitbit could not disclose what material improvements they have made or what they have done to resolve this defect over the years. 

DOES ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE KNOW WHY THE SCREEN JUST RANDOMLY STOPS SWIPING?? (And yes, I have reset the watch and restored it to factory defaults multiple times to no avail :(.  Can't fathom buying another one.) 

[SunsetRunner]

Just as an FYI, @Aylahmarie - Apple also offers only a one year warranty. You have to purchase the extended Apple Care warranty if you want more. Amazon offers a one year limited warranty on their products. This is standard in the US. Like other companies, Fitbit also offers an extended warranty.

For future purchases, you and your company may want to consider making your purchases with an AmExp card. They double the warranties on most devices. This is how I make my purchases. And before retiring, any of my purchases had to be on my corporate AmExp card. 

[Aylahmarie]

Thank you for the information about the Amex card! 

[SunsetRunner]

@Aylahmarie - Even Apple only offers a one year warranty unless you purchase an extended warranty in the US. This is standard here.