Defective of Design Sense Charger Cable - your formal response is long overdue

[white60ld]

I challenge the Fitbit Design Team to explain why the weak pins on the charging connector keep failing?

You must recognise that offering to replace the connectors under warranty DOES NOT constitute a solution to this issue. There are thousands of your customers dissatisfied with this situation, and it it is clearly damaging the reputation of your brand.

[MAH1]

Sorry but you are 1 in millions that have not suffered with the sense charger. I have have 2 senses and I have purchased more that 15 chargers. The pins are very week and after some charges they get inside and do not return to the position. The pins contact with the back of the watch is very badly designed for the function of charging contacts. So please FitBit try to review the design and please make something that works at least for 12 months and not 12 days.

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show the robust charger and you solve the problem. there is not. there is just one type for the sense and the pins are very weak.

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I have already purchased 15 . it is ridiculous these sense chargers. pins are very weak

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agree, please fitbit start doing something

[DaveJV]

Just a thought. Do the charging cables last longer if they aren't subjected to the rigours of a fast charger?

[DCam194]

100% yes! I've had Samsung and other Fitbit smartwatches before making the change to Sense and, while the old Versa charger was ok, I'm now shopping for my 4th charger cable for the Versa.  It's a god-awful design that still uses pins at a time when its competitors are all using simple smooth pads. 

[AuntBamm]

Nope. The one pin is guaranteed to retract no matter how clean, dirty, used.... it's a lemon and should fall under some sort of scam lemon law classification. ( I mean look at the facts here Fit Bit, WE ARE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING!!)

[Rich_Laue]

No @DaveJV the pin gets pushed in by the charger snapping onto to the back of the watch. 

Whenever I get a new fitbit, the first thing I do is, go to Amazon and by a couple of 3rd party chargers. One stays in the car, the other as a spare at home. I buy a two pack for $10-12 or under, and never had one fail. 

For me it has been well worth the $5-6 per charger and not having to contact fitbit 

[white60ld]

So @Rich_Laue you're actually shaming all us users for doing something wrong? And you know how to do it correctly and never had a charger fail? Please explain exactly what we are doing wrong, and how to do it correctly - otherwise please withdraw your comment.

[fifteenkey]

That's not what @Rich_Laue
<> said
at all. I think his advice is sound unless you just want to stay around
here and complain about the charger.

[Guy_]

@white60ld  - that's not what @Rich_Laue said - his advice is sound.

Furthermore you may be able to solve the issue from happening yourself, in the first place, by attaching the watch first before plugging it into the power source and removing the plug before detaching the watch. And never leave the cable plugged in.

Also always clean both watch and terminals before charging.

By doing that am still on the original charge cable, and spare one just in case, after 2 and a half years but I only charge every 5 days or so. Charging more frequently can increase the risk of a problem.

The design of the charge cable could still be improved.

[Vineyardmama]

Same here! We’ve been through two in less than a year. I’ve been a Fitbit user for years, and I know they can design a better method-or, at the very least, replace the malfunctioning product. 

[white60ld]

@Guy_  and @Rich_Laue  two of the most prolific commenters on this site are trying to defend what is POOR DESIGN by explaining that it is improper use of the product - rough handling, using it TOO OFTEN - come on guys this is a losing argument.

However with your massive reputation PLEASE will you reach out to Fitbit as I'm sure someone from the Design Team would give an answer.

[AuntBamm]

I don't think you understand.  By pointing out this ignored device flaw, any good company should acknowledge that they made an inferior product.  Purchasing multiple chargers is great HOWEVER, ALL OF THEM WILL GO BAD. When I purchase a charging cord for my phone, I expect it to last. I have a Nikon camera that is 8 or 9 years old, that charging cord is constantly being used. Guess what, it's still good. As is the Pentax charger that is **ahem** near 30 years old. And I constantly have that on charge I my car, every day. (ON an adapter that is probably older than that.) A good product should last not have yo spending money. You must have money to waste. Demand more for your money, demand quality products.  This is why we are pointing shoddy engineering. 

[AuntBamm]

I made sure ti do this with my 3rd charger that my husband purchased. It did the same thing 9 months later. I must say it lasted 2 weeks longer than the 2nd one but 3 months less than the 1st one.

[AuntBamm]

So, I called at least 4 times (I had the logs emailed to me) I recorded  3 phone calls one of which I was hung up on (and I was calm on that call) the reps only repeat that the product is guaranteed a year. I explained to several so called superiors that the with was a year old but the charger was not. They kept replying that the charged isn't the product, the watch is the product.  And when I say, "THEY" IT WAS EVERY REP. The emails sent said the same thing. So it's ignorance or fear of losing a job. I don't believe that calls and emails are reported.  Most companies use those kind of logs every month. By acknowledging the volume of complaints they either pull a product or improve a product.  But never ignoring an issue. There are better and dare I say, far more superior products on the market but I still can't get over being ripped off $200.00 bucks on a inferior design and the Fitbit designers not admitting they don't know what they are doing. 

[Rich_Laue]

@white60ld in what way am I sharing for doing something wrong, when did I say that I've never had a charge cord failure. 

I did share my answer to the aggravation and find $10 for two chargers, that haven't failed, well worth their price. 

With having a Sense, Versa, versa lite, versa 2, Versa 3, and now a Versa 4, I've not had a 3rd party cable fail 

And neither one of us are defending Fitbit, we both have mentioned that the Fitbit Charge cable is flawed. I tried to hold the two on an angle to each other, and slowly being together, yet in the last 3 years, all of my Original chargers have failed with the same pin pushed in. 

[Jdsenter]

Funny I have had a Sense, since 2021, used the same cable, just got the sucken tip. I put a small dab of solder on the tip and it now contacts the back of the watch, resurrected the cable. I have a spare, never used it, yet. But I am not sure what the trick is, but seems some fail within months some last almost two years. Design failure or obsolescence, either way the Sense 2 uses the same design.

[Marley123]

I have had TWO replacements of the charging cable within the first year, so count me in. First one in about four months, the second six months later. Absurd and SO disappointing. 

[AuntBamm]

Only within a year of purchase so, you have to purchase every-other charger from fitbit and return it in less than 12 months from the purchase date. 

[AuntBamm]

Is this the1st replacement, a replacement of a purchased replacement or is it a free replacement of another free replacement?  Just curious. 

[mfillastre]

I am one of the thousands of users who are dissatisfied. You may be one of the few lucky ones. After using Fitbit products for more than 10 years, I'm certainly not going to replace my Sense with a Fitbit when it deis. I got it in December 2021 and I've gone through more than 10 cables, all with the same problem of pins. I have bought some from Amazon and Fitbit replaced it twice. 

[Marley123]

My second replacement was a replacement of a replacement from warranty. So an official replacement.