Fitbit Sense not charging

[BrianWW]

I misplaced my Fitbit brand charger, and so went to buy another one.  The only store that had any was my local WalMart, and they had a brand called ONN.  Since they were $9.98 each, I bought two.  I went home, plugged in the charger and attached my Sense to it, as it was down to 17% charge.  The indicator on the face told me that the watch was charging.  When I came back (about 5-7 minutes later), the Sense was almost too hot to touch and the battery indicator read 0% in a red box.  I immediately took the Sense off the charger and let it cool down.  Then, I opened the second charger and plugged it into a USB port on my computer.  The watch would not charge or turn on.

I called the "support number" on the charger packaging, and was told that all I could do was to go back to the store I bought them from and speak to the store manager.  The store manager would not show, but sent out a couple of his assistants.  They suggested just exchanging the Sense (I did not buy it there; it was a Christmas present), but they don't carry that model so there was nothing they could do.  They filled out paperwork for a "warranty claim" and gave me a case number with the promise that I should hear from that company within 24 hours.

Lack of customer service or support from WalMart is not surprising, so that is not the point of this post.  The point is, my 2 1/2 month old Fitbit Sense is now dead from a cheap, defective charger.  No matter how this situation is resolved, my message to this community is:  Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, buy an ONN brand charger to use with your Fitbit product.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity. 

[BrianWW]

Well, now that I've cooled off a little bit more, I'm perfectly willing to admit that the two of you could be right.😁  In retrospect, there is no firm evidence that the ONN charger was directly responsible for the damage.  However, I think I'm also at the point Carl Sagan referenced when he said, "further knowledge . . . is not worth the discomfort of attaining it."  In other words, I'm not willing to risk possibly burning up another Fitbit to test those chargers!

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back to us and for letting us know that you'll get in touch with our team @BrianWW.

I noticed that they are already assisting you. You're very welcome.

Take care and have a nice day.

[BrianWW]

Just a quick update for everyone who is not a moderator 😁.  I contacted Fitbit last night.  They concluded that the Sense is defective, so a nod to the people on the thread who suggested that.  They've already given me a case number and return label, so I will take it down to the USPS today and get it sent off.

I want to say thanks not only to Andrea, but to everyone on this thread who offered helpful suggestions and comments.  It made what started out as a wretched experience until a much more bearable one.  It is nice to have a product forum that has fair and open commentary about even the disadvantages of some products.  I know we've all seen other forums where no criticism was allowed.  If I weren't already a dedicated Fitbit customer, the experience here would certainly have made me one.

BWW

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back to us and for the update @BrianWW. I hope you get back on track soon.

I'd like to invite you to visit our Discussions board where you can share your experiences, meet people and create new topics.

[eezeepee]

@Guy_ Interesting you have a USB meter too. I came to the same conclusion that issues I've had are definitely a physical connection issue.

Here I connected my Sense straight up without any wiping or charger manipulation. You can see it's registering only 0.075 A and 0.378W and got the "Slow charging" notification.

After a quick wipe of just the charger pins it showed 0.232A and 1.172W (Sometimes 1.2-1.3W). I didn't get the "Slow charging" notification and I was able to go from 18% to 60% in only 20 minutes.

[KThompson4]

Same thing happen to me yet I’ve only been using the original charger that the watch came with.  I tried different outlets in my home as well as cleaning the connections with an alcohol wipe. Mine too was a Christmas gift from Amazon.  Since I am outside of the return window (2-1/2 months) I am no longer eligible for exchange or return.  The watch was great while it lasted, however for the price it really should have lasted significantly longer.

[Guy_]

Hi @KThompson4  - do check your charging cable as well as cleaning in the contact holes. they are quite fragile, see How to check charge cable - Sense/Versa 3 won't charge, won't start or blank screen 

Probably best to contact Fitbit Support directly. They may be able to send you a replacement charge cable.

Also reachable via the Fitbit App, click profile photo, Help & Support, Contact Customer Support.

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks  for getting back to us and for sharing your charging method @eezeepee. 

Welcome to our community, @KThompson4. Thank you form mentioning the steps you have followed and for your comments @KThompson4. The best way to get help for this problem is to chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected.

Thanks for your advise @Guy_.