Fitbit Sense won't charge

[Razorgirl88]

So I see some other people have posted on this problem.  I ordered my Fitbit Sense on January 7, 2021, directly from Fitbit.  There were some shipping issues and I finally got it at the end of January.  Since receiving it, I have had intermittent charging issues.  Sometimes this is resolved by cleaning the connections, other times I've had to resolve it by resetting the Sense by holding down the button for 10 seconds until the Fitbit symbol shows on the face of the watch.  On a few occasions I just had to keep trying plugging it in to different sockets on my computer.  However, this time it flashed "0%" the first time I plugged it in but then never charged.  It won't reset using the button, nor will it work after cleaning the contacts or plugging it into different sockets.  I haven't even owned this 4 months yet and I'm really frustrated with this problem. I keep my software up to date and don't know what else to do.

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[CrlTomkinson]

I had to go back to chatting with the support team. They finally told me that they were still reviewing my warranty, three weeks later. After chatting back and forth, they eventually sent me emails with instructions to return my Sense, free of charge, and they will send me a new one. The catch is that they won't finish processing my return for 5-7 business days. Then, it will be an additional 5-7 days to ship the replacement, which will then take another 5 business days for me to receive it. So..... they will replace it, but it'll take probably a month for the whole process to happen. Geesh! Ah, well, at least they said they'll replace it!

[Razorgirl88]

Here's yet another follow up on this topic.  I spoke to customer support and they ended up sending me a new charging cable.  That solved the problem at least temporarily.  HOWEVER, a few weeks after receiving it, I noticed that the time my Sense stays charged was dwindling a little bit every time.  Now close to Christmas, I am having to charge it daily to keep it going.  There have actually been times when it was properly connected to the charger that I would check the charging status and instead of increasing its charge, the charge was actually going down!  For instance, I asked my cousin about it.  We checked the charge at 48% when we placed it on the charger.  Approximately 10 minutes later we checked and the charge had gone to 45% while it was actually supposed to be charging.  I've had it go from 75% to 55% while not on the charger in one hour.  The rate it uses up its charge does not seem to be a steady amount.  It's frustrating.  I need to contact support again but who has time during the holiday season?

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Razorgirl88, do clean the back of your "Sense" with warm soapy water as I suggested earlier. I find it works for me.

Cheers

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone, and welcome to our new members. @Vince81 and @Gr4ndp4 Thanks for your great help!

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback, and the steps that you've tried so far. I understand how frustrating this has been for you and I apologize to you as this isn't the type of experience that we want you to have. Every feedback shared in the forums has always helped us to improve our devices, services and overall environment. Your comments are truly appreciated and rest assured they won't go unnoticed.

@Tootsie98, @CraigHansen and @Razorgirl88 I appreciate the steps tried on your own, and for the detailed information. I see your point of view and if the steps described by @Gr4ndp4 didn't work, let me suggest getting in touch with our Support team whenever you can so they can evaluate your options and see what can be done to bring you back on track. Click here to get connected with them via chat or phone.

@APNarine and @CrlTomkinson I'm glad you've received assistance from our Support team and please keep an open communication with our team should you have any other question about your cases, or their resolution.

[Raz10]

This is totally unacceptable! I spent a fair amount of time on the phone today until the service agent got around to me checking the pin, sure enough, one of them is retracted. Now I wait for days unable to use a watch that is only 6 months old. This is obviously a design flaw if so many are having the same issue. Your company should offer some type of rebate to buy a different fitbit watch or fix the charger issue once and for all. What, every 6 months I'll have to buy a new charger cable once my warranty is up, is that fair!!!!! I'm a very unhappy long time customer!

[LizzyFitbit]

Welcome to the forums, @Raz10.

Thanks for letting me know about your Sense, and your efforts while contacting our Support team. I'm sorry you're going through this experience with the charging cable. Our team constantly works to improve our devices and services, and the input we receive from our members is a big part of the process. I appreciate your feedback and please know it wont be taken for granted.

Because you already have a case created, I've forwarded your post to our team so they can have your comments on hand and continue helping you with this matter. Please follow up with your email case should you have any further questions. 

See you around.

[DRDudz]

And the worst part of the whole experience was having to dig and dig and dig to find out something that could have been checked in a second - one of the pins is stuck. This is something they know happens frequently, so it obviously counts as a design flaw.  Fix it and fire the engineer who came up with this stupid design. 

[Carolc0]

Thanks for this thread, I was searching as to why my fitbit sense had stopped charging.  Sure enough one of the prongs has retracted.  I shall visit the shop I purchased it from tomorrow, hopefully they will supply a new charger.  Fingers crossed there are no problems with a new one.

[APNarine]

I really felt your pain here; Fitbit has lost a customer in me as well.

[APNarine]

You're welcome; good luck.

[Razorgirl88]

Thank you LizzyFitbit.  I did contact customer support per your message.  They are shipping me a replacement and told me to recycle the Sense that has the serious charging/draining battery issues.  I appreciate all the assistance I've received in this forum.

[CrlTomkinson]

Razorgirl88 I'm glad they are helping you this way! I'm stuck with trying to figure out how to get mine shipped back to Fitbit for replacement while I have covid. I already had to reopen my case since I still haven't been able to go to a Fedex location to ship my defective Sense back. Hopefully I don't have to turn around and do that again! Having a Sense that I can't use because it won't charge is really frustrating! My biggest fear is that the replacement they send once I can finally ship mine back will have the same issues. I have to *try* to charge mine at least once per day, and most times I can't get it to charge. None of the pins are stuck in the down position either. I've noticed that if I take a toothbrush to the back of my sense every time I try to charge it, I have better luck with the charger finally connecting and starting to charge.

All in all, a very frustrating experience, but like you I really appreciate all of the suggestions and offers of help in this forum.

[smarkosk]

I just wasted time with Support on this same issue.  My disappointment is difficult to describe.  Not only did they not offer to replace the cable, as they seem to have done for some, they in fact offered nothing.  Oh, except a 35% off voucher for my next Fitbit, or as I like to call my Sense now, a hand weight.  I can understand that products occasionally have design flaws.  What matters is if the company acknowledges them and offers to fix them.  Nope, I'll not be dropping another $200 - $300 on a new Fitit hand weight.  You've lost a decade long customer for life.  

[LauraB1]

I see that this thread is active again. I understand everyone’s disgust with Fitbit. It would be nice if they did too;) I bought a replacement charger from Target, the Fitbit brand, for $20 and the pins failed with it in under a month. I complained to Fitbit and they said they only stood by the products the sold from the website… They said good luck with Target… The solution that’s worked for me is a 3rd party charger from Amazon, 2 for $10.98… Both chargers have worked well for >3 mo and at $5.50/ea… there will be less aggravation if/when they fail. It at least prolongs the useful life of an expensive gadget. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone. It's good to see you here in the forums.

@DRDudz and @Carolc0 Thanks for joining this thread and letting me know about your Sense. I'm sorry you've gone through this experience. In case you haven't done so, I'd recommend contacting our Support team so they can see what can be done to help you out. They're available via chat and phone, just click here to get connected with them.

@Razorgirl88 You're welcome, and thanks to you for keeping me posted. I'm glad you're about to receive a replacement and please follow up with your case should you have any further questions.

@APNarine, @CrlTomkinson, @smarkosk and @LauraB1 Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback about this experience. Please know our Support team handles every case individually and based on our Warranty Policy. I understand your point of view and while I don't have access to your case, I'd recommend getting in touch with our Support team one more time so you can receive more details about their resolution.

See you around.

[JJexp]

exact same issue bought replacement charger cable today and opened the box to find exact same pin pushed in with the exact same fault.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi there, @JJexp.

Thanks for joining this thread and letting us know about your charging cable. I'm sorry you're going through this experience and because this shouldn't happen, I went ahead to review your details and it seems you already have a case created with our Support team. Your case is in good hands, please keep an open communication with them as I'm sure they'll continue helping you with this matter.

[NickNJ]

I was having similar problems and was getting very frustrated,  ready to throw my Sense in the garbage! But...then I tried something and it worked!! I plugged cord into computer they connected to sense. Then I put one of those potato chip bag clips on the fitbit and that did the trick! Works every time! It's a little slippery putting on the glass and bottom of charger but it does stay and charges rather quickly! Tool me several months to figure this out! Yahoo!! By the way, a wall charger works the same!

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @NickNJ. Welcome to the Community Forums.

Thanks for joining this thread and your efforts while working on this situation prior to posting. While I'm glad you got your Fitbit device charging again, I'm sorry for this inconvenience. Every feedback shared in the forums never goes unnoticed as it helps us to improve our products, services, and overall Fitbit experience, rest assured yours won't be the exception.

Because you mentioned a different model, could you confirm if you have the Fitbit Sense? If that's correct and the issues with the charging cable persists, I'd suggest contacting our Support team so they can evaluate your options and see what can be done to bring you back on track. They're available via chat and phone, just click here to get connected with them.

[ripsword]

I agree, I got a Fitbit Sense for Christmas and couple of months later it wont charge.  Terrible design, thought fitbit product would be better constructed after Google acquisition...thought wrong.