Sense stopped working after swimming in salt water

[prk_ranger]

It is advertised that salt water swimming is safe for the Fitbit sense.  After swimming in the ocean for the first time with my Fitbit sense it no longer works. I cleaned all of the sensors after being in the water and it does not charge or turn on.  I called Fitbit support to see what my options where and was told there is nothing they can do because my Sense is out of 1 year limited warranty period.

Has anyone had this issue and what can I do to fix my Fitbit sense?

I am extremely frustrated by Fitbits way of "helping" solve the issue.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[DramaQueenDiva]

I haven't but my sister has, and not with her Fitbit....with her cell phone.

Long story short she dropped her phone in the lake and didn't realize it until hours later. We dried it out in white rice and you would never have known about her accident!

Try drying out the watch in white rice. Rice is a starch, which means it's likely to dry out the water.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @prk_ranger welcome to the community. I swim daily with my "Sense" (in an indoor swimming pool) and have not experienced any fatal failure. It is possible your device just needs charging. There are a few issues to look into that may help. Firstly check out this article Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging?  . Note the links and that it might take a couple of hours on charge to get up to 100%) I experience charging issues from time to time and find the best first step is to wash your "Sense" in warm soapy water (it is recommended you use rubbing alcohol), pay particular attention to the 4 little pits on the back, I use a cotton bud with a twisting action to make sure they are clean. The second thing to look at is the charging cable end with the 4 little spring-loaded pins. These pins should all be proud of the mating surface and "free", be very gentle with them if you need to give one a wiggle with your finger. If you have a faulty charging cable you will find a replacement available on Amazon.

I hope this is helpful.

Cheers

[prk_ranger]

I tried leaving it in rice for two days.  It did not work. 

Thank you

[prk_ranger]

I scrubbed all the areas you mentioned and left it in rice for two days.  After taking out of the rice I put it on charge and left it there for a day.  After taking it off the charger it was really hot to the touch and It still is not turning on.

Thank you

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @prk_ranger, You should not be experiencing these symptoms with your "Sense" after a swim. I suggest you talk to "Customer Support" here, and use the chat facility or phone for a prompt response.

Cheers

[boroheli]

Hi there! I paddled in very shallow salt water - less than 2 meters - and it stopped working. I dried it out and tried charging but nothing happened. The back of the Sense then popped off. I'm also out of warranty. Totally frustrated with such bad support - especially when we've followed the care instructions. I dont wear it in the shower and have never swam with it before now. My Sense is only 18 months old. And it's an expensive device!!

[chaga]

I know you posted this a while ago. I wanted to chime in with my frustration too. I walked into a saltwater pool while wearing my Sense on vacation a few days ago. It was fried instantly. The fitbit logo appeared, the screen went dark while still in the pool, and it never turned on again. I contacted support and because it was purchased exactly 13 months ago, it's out of warranty and they won't replace it. I cancelled my Premium subscription and I'm switching to a different product. I LOVED my Sense and I'm devastated that it's gone, but I'm not spending $300 on a replacement device when this one didn't do what Fitbit says it can do.

[prk_ranger]

I know this is months late.  As mentioned in my original post and not to sound rude, but I spoke to Customer Support many times.  The first time they referred me to claims where the outcome was to give me a discount code to buy a new Fitbit.  I spoke to customer support the next day saying a discount code is not an acceptable way of handling an issue of false advertising a very expensive device.  The last time I spoke to customer support was to cancel my premium membership which I loved using.  Long story short, Customer Support basically said sorry out of warranty, cant help. 

[prk_ranger]

I did the same thing as you.  I took mine off for showers and for swimming.  I am not sure how old mine was but according to Fitbit it was out of warranty so I guess it was over a year old.  That is another thing Fitbit could do to help customers if they have not done so already is have a section in the app to look at when your warranty is almost up.  

[chaga]

I cancelled my subscription and deleted the app as well. I'm done with Fitbit after this. It was a really expensive device which as you said is false advertising. I just purchased a Galaxy Watch 4 and I'm really happy with it so far. I have an android phone so it works well. I don't know if this helps you, but I got this tip from a Reddit thread about this issue -- although I was just out of Fitbit's warranty, the credit card we purchased the device on actually offers extended warranties for products purchased with that card. It's a Chase card but apparently most credit cards have this as a kind of hidden benefit. Ours adds up to 3 total years of warranty protection for any device that has less than a 3 year warranty! I just submitted the claim for the full purchase price. It sounds like others have basically gotten a full refund using this strategy. 

[prk_ranger]

I agree with you.  I loved my sense and even recommend it to friends because the success I was had while using it.  It bothers me that i am seeing that this was not just a me issue but a larger issue at hand which should be handled better than "sorry its out of warranty".  

[boroheli]

This is amazing info, thank you for sharing about the credit card warranty. I’m definitely going to check that out. Thank you!

[chaga]

Update: it worked!! Chase just processed my request and disbursed most of the full cost ($265 out of $300 paid) of the device!! I think they got this number from the current price of a Sense + tax. I'm really happy about it and hope it works for your card too. 

Also did you notice it's dropped in price $60 now since last year too? I think they know it's crap. 

[Scooterboo]

I have had this happen with 2 fitbit watches.  Both times, I literally got in the salt water and then realized I had my watch still on. Both times, the watches were done for immediately. 😭

[robinjamesshort]

I had exactly the same issue and the exact same reply from Fitbit 

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi everyone, and welcome to our new members.

Thanks for letting us know about your Sense and the steps tried on your own. I'm sorry you've had this experience with your watch. We're constantly working to improve our devices and the input we receive from our members is a big part of the process.

To keep threads on topic or tailed to a specific topic, I'm going to close this thread. If your Sense isn't charging correctly, I'd recommend trying the troubleshooting tips described in this help article. If the issue persists you can always get in touch with our Support team so they can provide you with further assistance. Please click here to get connected with them via chat or phone.