Sense HR not fixed even with replacement

[CmballardNE]

There are other threads which claim to address the Sense HR during exercise issue. When I called in November to get a replacement I was assured the issue has been resolved. I now see that it was not and the "new" -- actually seems to be a refurbished one (has an activation date from 2020)-- has the same issue. Why was I lied to?

I am a premium subscriber. If the Sense issue was not fixed I would have bought something else. I did buy an Inspire as it took about a month to get my "New" Sense, so I can use that for now -- but I also wanted the O2 tracking. Unless you can somehow make things right with the Sense, be honest with me -- maybe reimburse me for the Inspire -- or do something else to show you care about me as a customer I will not renew my premium membership. I will find a comparable smart watch and go with another app for the premium services I use.

Here is the post from FitBit saying they know the Sense issue is NOT FIXED. When I traded mine in within the warranty period (in November) I was assured the issue was resolved. Customer Service lied. Why would you lie? You would rather have an unhappy customer and possibly lose them instead of coming up with an agreeable solution?

12-14-2021 18:50

Hi everyone.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights about the Sense. Our team is aware of the issues with the heart rate not being accurate, but may not be able to provide a fix in the immediate future. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and keep our team informed of the impact to you and other members. I apologize for the experience that you've had with your watch, please know your feedback hasn't gone unnoticed and we'll keep working to improve our products.

To prevent any confusion, I'm going to close this thread from further comments. However, if you have a different question, I'd encourage you to start a new thread to receive help from the Community.

[TommyIzzo]

@CmballardNE I was mostly told a replacement would not fix the issue. I did have one support person offering a replacement as I was checking back weekly for an update. When I questioned if a replacement would indeed be any better, I was told no by someone else in emails. 

IMO, Fitbit hasn't officially announced there is a problem. You can still get chat support telling you about wearing it properly or it's better technology. 

Even someone new here with few posts will be giving links to how heart rate works, rather than told it's a known issue. I think there are a lot of people happy with the product, and there aren't enough complainers to make Fitbit nervous about this. 

[CmballardNE]

And..... the email I sent via the email chain for my replacement got me a bounce back which said they had closed that issue and I should contact support. Now I have to wait for them to email me with my new case number from my phone call today. No one on the phone can ever help.

[TommyIzzo]

@CmballardNE As Fitbit hasn't officially acknowledged there is an issue, I'd believe you got a support person that wasn't aware, rather than were lied to. But maybe you're right. Possibly they ALL really know about it?

[CmballardNE]

The entire internet knows about it. How can they not? They have scripted answers for troubleshooting and if you are within warranty they tell you someone will get a hold of you within the hour (ends up being next day via email).

[CmballardNE]

The post from @LizzyFitbit which states the following is proof they know it is an issue.

12-14-2021 18:50

Hi everyone.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights about the Sense. Our team is aware of the issues with the heart rate not being accurate, but may not be able to provide a fix in the immediate future. We'll continue to monitor the situation, and keep our team informed of the impact to you and other members. I apologize for the experience that you've had with your watch, please know your feedback hasn't gone unnoticed and we'll keep working to improve our products.

To prevent any confusion, I'm going to close this thread from further comments. However, if you have a different question, I'd encourage you to start a new thread to receive help from the Community.

[TommyIzzo]

I haven't seen it that wide spread. Most of the retailers seem to have 4 or 5 star customer ratings. Where do you see the entire internet knows about it? 

[TommyIzzo]

@CmballardNE I always got pretty instant results with chat support. Hope you are able to be happy in the end. I got what I wanted, but not through Fitbit.

[TommyIzzo]

@CmballardNE  Perhaps you are right. Maybe I was a bit naive thinking not all support techs are aware of it. They are going off scripts and if you accept you're not wearing properly, you might go away, right? 

[SunsetRunner]

My concern is if they can fix the issue?  They may not have a fix in the immediate future because perhaps it is a hardware, and not a software/firmware, problem.  Not confirming what the issue is may be their way of having their customers hold out hope for a brighter future, when in reality, only the Sense 2, with corrected hardware, is the solution.

[TommyIzzo]

Thanks for the links!

[CmballardNE]

That looks like what is happening. They string us along with troubleshooting and if we are within warranty they can send an replacement. My experience with the Sense has been that if you do a reset it works for a while and then eventually gets haywire again during exercise. Why not just be honest about it so I can get a device that does what I need and does it accurately? That is what I do not understand. Instead they now have a customer who wants out. They could have said "we know and we cannot fix it, would you like X instead?"

The Versa seems to have all the features I want. As I wanted to keep tracking while I was waiting for my "New" Sense I bought an Inspire (also figuring if I ever need a back up I'd have it) -- had I known the Sense issue was NOT resolved I would have done something else (like bought a Versa as I want the SpO2 monitoring) and would not be upset now.

[SunsetRunner]

Based on posts from other users here, I believe the Versa 3 is using the same HR sensor (PurePulse) as the sense, and experiencing similar HR behavior.  There are several people on the board more knowledgeable than me on the subject, but it would appear the new PurePulse technology isn't refined for consumer use.

[TommyIzzo]

I had the Versa 3. You'd want the Versa 2 if there was an option. Both the Sense and Versa 3 had Fitbits new "pure pulse 2" technology, which was advertised as more accurate that the original pure pulse that older models have. The Versa 2 is still available, but I only got one because I was able to get a refund on the Versa 3. 

Thing is, how was this product released? Their testers aren't workout people?

[CmballardNE]

Thank you for the info @SunsetRunner 

Any suggestions on something that will accurately measure HR, sleep, HRV, SpO2? The Inspire I got does all but SpO2.

[CmballardNE]

Thank you for the info @TommyIzzo
The Versa 2 will do Sleep, HR, SPo2 and is accurate with HR?

[TommyIzzo]

@CmballardNE Yes it will. Set mine up last night and was very pleased with stair climber and spinning workout heart rate, as well as weights today. The Versa 2 is a couple years old and does not have zone minutes out of the box. I should get the update within 2 days though. SP02 and sleep already work.

[Bruce_S]

I just wanted to say that I have owned a Sense for six months and I am happy with it. I have checked Sense heart rate numerous times against my blood pressure monitor and my independent heart rate app on my phone. Agreement is always good. This is not to diminish your unhappiness but rather to inform that not every Sense user has the same problems. 

[UnguruBulan]

@CmballardNE Customer Service lied to you when said the HR issue is fixed most likely because the rep randomly assigned to you had no idea what was he/she talking about. There seems to be a disconnect between the various customer-facing Fitbit people

[CmballardNE]

For anyone interested, @Bruce_S  @UnguruBulan @SunsetRunner  @TommyIzzo  here is another acknowledgment from Fitbit that they know this is an issue. They sent me a replacement Sense in December and assured me the issue had been fixed, which is not true. They will not be taking other action to assist me. Regardless of their return policy, they could choose to provide me a working alternative and make me a happy customer again. Yes, I have done the troubleshooting and still, during a high intensity workout and a steady state workout, the HR drops randomly to "below zone." I was able to check with my Inspire and a blood pressure cuff (also registers pulse) and no, my HR is not doing that. I appreciate all of your replies and suggestions, at this point unless I purchase another device that does what I need, I do not see a way to resolve this. The replacement they sent me has the same problem.

This is the content of an email sent to me:

We definitely hear feedback on this matter and we'll be happy to address your concerns.

About the issue with the heart rate tracking during exercises, we'd like to share that this is an ongoing issue all of our teams are aware of, and we're working hard to get it fixed. Rest assured your particular case is reported as well as others that may have the same issue; our staff is doing their best. Please keep an eye on any updates for both the Fitbit device and the Fitbit app.

As for your other concern, please note that per our Fitbit warranty replacement policy: "Fitbit will, at its option and to the extent permitted by law, either (1) repair the Product at no charge, using new or refurbished replacement parts or (2) replace the Product with a New Product or Refurbished Product." Depending on available inventory, we sometimes issue either new products or factory-certified refurbished products as warranty replacements. These are typically products that were returned to Fitbit unused for reasons like wrong size and wrong color.

We do not have an exchange program, therefore, we can't switch your Sense for a different model.

As an extra step, we suggest following the troubleshooting provided in our previous email and monitoring the heart rate tracking for a few days.

We would hope for your utmost understanding.

If you have any other questions, see help.fitbit.com

Sincerely,

Liliam P and the Fitbit Team