Issues with Sense

[Guy_]

It would seem very little progress has been made fixing reported problems.Eg Sense Heart rate and floor count and connectivity issues. There also seems to be a deluge of problems with the older watches following firmware updates which get killed by the updates

With approx 25 million users and only an estimated 0.5 million community members is it possible that despite saying they take note of problems posted that they are merely trying to appease this 2% representation with stop gap workarounds, like reinstall the App, rather than creating a fix?

Or is it that the people who developed the Sense and original Fitbit App have been moved elsewhere and that the remaining developers are primarily working on new features or future products, rather than trying to fix all the known problems?

Does that mean they are going to release new products, and it leaves the Support team with the unenviable task of fending off irate users in the meantime?

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Odyssey13 · Accepted solution]

@Guy_  you realize these are the Community Forums and Fitbit isn't going to discuss what would be considered private on such a public forum where any competitor could read. I'm not sure exactly what it is that you're trying to do with your posts. You're questioning the business and hiring practices of Fitbit? As for your statistics, according to the website version of these forums, there are currently 1,149,707 members here.

The following came from a search: Since 2010, Fitbit has sold over 105 million devices worldwide and has close to 30 million active us...   Realizing you're an independent developer and you keep posting in the area where most of us are just users, not programmers, it just seems odd to continue and to expect an official response from the company. It also can cause confusion with members and I'm sure that's not your intent. If you have an issue with Fitbit, why are you making apps to be used with it?

[Guy_]

Thanks @Odyssey13  for your feedback and interesting update on number of users/ members.

The point was to merely inform users not to get their hopes up too much and to indicate that may be new products are being developed, so not much effort is being put into repairing existing issues.

It was open for comment otherwise rhetorical questions.

[SunsetRunner]

This has not been my experience with the Sense.

I posted some work around to the Heart Rate issues, and the most recent firmware update for me has resolved the HR issues. It's tracking zones properly now. When I'm out of breath it shows peak, when I'm sweating but just breathing heavy it shows Cardio as expected.

I will say this, my Sense came with what I believe was faulty firmware image because many things like sleep tracking, sp02, hrv, and temp wasn't working right. After removing the Sense from my account and doing a complete factory re wipe and setup those problems were fixed.

The fact this new firmware update has fixed the HR issues I had I'm absolutely ecstatic! They do listen, it just takes time sometimes to get things sorted out. Sometimes they fixes are not as straight forward as we think. I'm glad progress is being made! 

[Guy_]

Hi @Odyssey13 

Thanks for the report you posted.

Having examined it more closely I note Fitbit are making huge annual losses [190 Million in 2020 alone] while this may be partially due to Covid, but possibly more likely spreading customer dissatisfaction, as expressed in the community forum.

I'm worried that Fitbit might become extinct if this decline continues and possibly would have if Google hadn't taken them over to prop them up.

So as other have asked where does that leave the future of Fitbit, Fitbit OS, Wear OS and support for the existing products.

As already mentioned current frontline support has the unenviable task of dealing with the situation - it must be really hard for those guys trying to deal with the situation.

A best option might be to improve customer satisfaction .

[Odyssey13]

@t.parker  yes, paying customers who purchased the Fitbit products and use their app. Guest on the forums, which is why the words and images we post are monitored.

[JonDavidL]

@Guy_ I agree. I’ve loved and used Fitbit for years, but when my Versa 2 had a blank screen one day and never worked again (Fitbit did replace it), I became less enthusiastic since it seemed like a problem many people were having. Fast forward a year later. I think the Versa 3 looks great but I won’t upgrade because of what I’m reading on the forums here. The quality of the newer devices seems worse than years past. Not only all the problems people are having with the devices, but that dealing with customer service looks like a nightmare in 2021. So essentially Fitbit has lost $200 from me, a longtime user and supporter. I’m sure I’m not the only one. This is a problem for Fitbit’s bottom line, but honestly I’m not sure Google even cares. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @Odyssey13,

Thanks for your helpful posts. But isn't the main point of this Community forum that both Fitbit gets feedback from their paying customers and, at the same time, many customers get quick help with little Fitbit staff, keeping the customers happy with Fitbit products and so keep coming back to buy the new products? If it works well, everybody wins, Fitbit and its customers.

For me, actually this Community forum is one of the great features of Fitbit and, together with great customer support I got before with a Versa 2 I had to return, both had quite a weight on my decision to buy a new Fitbit product again (Sense). I agree there must be rules here but, guests or no guests, the way I see it as a quite new Community user, it has been the customers who make most of the interesting stuff on this forum and it is on Fitbit's best interest that this keeps running. And that requires some freedom of speech, in particular when related to product issues and problems, including their possible causes when Fitbit don't solve them in a timely manner and doesn't provide satisfactory explanations.

With no customers here asking questions and expressing their opinions, there wouldn't be any Community forum and Fitbit would be the major looser, I think. No real Fitbit customer wants that.

[Guy_]

@SunsetRunner  - That's absolutely right, well said.

[SunsetRunner]

@SunsetRunner 

Well said!!! 

Its the paying customers that make the Company money and there is no substitute for customer satisfaction. Plus, paying customers are the ones that keep shareholders happy through profits. 

Without customers, Fitbit would not even exist.

[Guy_]

Here are the community guidelines

[Guy_]

It seems a number of posts have been removed from this topic.

This is unfortunate because it is open to user's opinions and those searching for help and sharing understanding of issues.

Although not specifically mentioned in the Guidelines surely the point of the forum has become [de facto] a means to getting help for problems and issues where Fitbit aren't providing it.

In other words with over a million members seeking help or desperate to resolve an issue there seems to be an overall problem that is not being addressed.

By deleting people's posts that's denying them the possibility to share and inform, and largely compounding the problem by possibly making them even more irate at not being able to get their product working or their voice heard.

What possibly would make more sense is to beef up the listening and resolving of issues in order to reduce the number of people in the forum seeking help in the first place.

Having NO irate members or people needing the forum for help should perhaps be the new Fitbit goal.

If Fitbit were to reach out and inform users fully via the community forum that would help enormously to improve things.

[Odyssey13]

@Guy_  you know the guidelines by which these forums are moderated. Fitbit has always allowed people to post their disagreements, while trying to keep things productive. Not all of these people are having problems, as some areas are more light and social. People come to the forums for a variety of reasons - some to ask about buying a Fitbit, some ask how to use one and some ask about an issue. Often people who come here need a link to the user manual or to know where to buy a charger and not much more. Not everyone with a Fitbit comes to these forums, as they are more involved actively using the devices. Fitbit tries to help everyone and these are Community Forums where any and everyone can post, just as you and I do. Many times the original poster doesn't return, but it doesn't mean they weren't helped or their voice not heard. I'm not sure why you feel the need to put down the very company whose forums you use to spread the word about your clock faces. 

[BoraBobbyK]

"Not everyone with a Fitbit comes to these forums, as they are more involved actively using the devices."

That would be true if the device worked as intended. But because it doesn't, we are not able to be involved actively using the product.

Thank you for your post Guy, I agree with everything you said.

[SunsetRunner]

Another point, since a user is actively using a device, the user will also experience issues that may have been reported in this forum or new issues that a user would strive to find a resolution through these forum posts. 

The very first post on this thread is to bring forward the progress, or lack thereof, in addressing issues reported by users. 

Clearly, these issues continue to show themselves yet the thread has been marked with a best answer. 

What is the answer to these on-going issues? Marking the thread as being answered may be misleading to users/guests of this forum.

[Minnick1148]

Thanks for the information, I will try to figure it out for more. Keep sharing such informative post keep suggesting such post. 

Moderator edit: content 

[Odyssey13]

@SunsetRunner  you can learn more about best answer here - click. Fitbit does address these issues, as you can see Moderators post in the various threads. 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone and welcome to our new members.

Thank you for the thorough feedback about the Fitbit Sense and I'm sorry for the difficulties you've experienced. Our team constantly works to improve our products and their features to make Fitbit more useful for you, and the input we received from our members is of great help. Rest assured your comments haven't gone unnoticed and will be passed along.

I wanted to inform you that I'm going to close this thread from further comments as we'd like to keep threads on topic or tailed to a specific topic to avoid confusion. If you have any other question, I'd encourage you to start a new thread to receive help from the Community. Note that you can always visit our Help Site where you can find information about our products and features, as well as troubleshooting steps.