My Fitbit Sense was approximately 14 months old in July 2023, and it bricked (stuck on boot loop, only shows logo, then blank screen, etc.) I'm very, very busy and just now (December 2023) was the first time I tried contacting support because all the YouTube videos and online forum tricks (including hard/factory reset) seemed to do nothing.
I was appalled to find out today that my device is one of many Senses that bricked that month. I even found just one of several threads about this issue created with many posts at this same time. Some examples, both mention July/Aug 2023 (I'm going to keep updating this list as I find more and more)
Due to the sudden abruptness of so many users being impacted within weeks of each other, I've drawn the conclusion that this is very likely caused by a software/firmware issue introduced by Fitbit.
Does Fitbit own their mistake? No, not really. I was offered a meager 35% discount on a Fitbit device that excludes over half of their current product line (because Google Pixel watches are not covered by the 35% off), and I only have 30 days to use the discount. I was wondering how a company can get away with destroying people's personal property remotely via software/firmware updates, and then put the onerous on the customer to shell out more money for replacement.
After I was offered the pitiful 35% off a new device, I went back to the chat to voice my utter disbelief and disapproval. A small excerpt here (I removed the our names and but bold on a phrase that bothers me the most).
10:44:00 ME: Clever you can remote break people's devices right outside the warranty period
10:44:17 ME: I'm not the only one with the problem, it's clearly from Fitbit
10:44:25 Agent:.: I can understand that you think so, but it's a very small percentage of our devices that have these anomalies, but they still happen. That's why we focus on the improvement of our designs and services
10:45:09 Agent:: Anyway, I'll review again your case with my team to see if there's another option we can provide you, please be attentive to your email within the day
After reviewing my feedback, I received this response: Upon reviewing all the information gathered, we authorized to check every single option taking into account the warranty status of the device. After checking all the possible options, we concluded that giving you a 35% discount code was the best of your options since your device is no longer under our warranty.
I guess I'm writing here to see how many other people had issues with their Fitbits bricking in June, July, and August 2023. According to my Fitbit App (assuming this is correct), my device was running Firmware Version 44.128.6.12. It may have been upgrading to a version after that when it bricked, so that may not be the version that crashed it.
If anyone in the community represents Fitbit here: If I decide to purchase a new device, what guarantee is there that Fitbit will not cause it to brick again right outside the warranty period?
If I take my car to a dealership outside its warranty period for maintenance, and the dealership damages my car in the process to make it undrivable, I would not be expected to purchase a new car from them (within 30 days) and be told "keep in mind this only happens to small percentage" of cars they work on; rather, they would be required to repair or replace the damaged vehicle since they are liable for the damage. I would never return to that dealership in the future, because the lost of trust and integrity is a much bigger problem than replacing a car.
Remember Fitbit, replacing people's $200-$300 watches is a lot cheaper than allow perception to grow that Fitbit is an untrustworthy, unreliable business that expects customers to cover their shortfalls, even if it's just "a very small percentage of our devices that have these anomalies".
