Another Band Thread

[nola_rob]

Like so many here, my band is starting to fail. My understanding is if your Surge is less than 1 year old, that is covered by warranty. If it is older, then Fitbit will offer a 25% discount. Further, if you get a warranty replacement, then when that second device fails Fitbit will not give you another one. I'd bet that most Surges will not last 2 years and probably none of us will be wearing it in 3 years.

IMO the 25% discount for out-of-warranty failures is an affront. Like I pointed out responding to someone else here, the true cost of the Surge isn't what we paid, rather it is: price + (price/1.25).....basically, you are paying for it more than once. Thus, the true cost of ownership (if you choose to play their game - which I wont), is more likely $450 to own a Surge for 2 years. Not everyone will have this problem, but too many are.

I've reviewed this forum and it appears that a new band discussion is popping up almost every day or so. It's to the point that I think the only reason to discuss bands anymore is to warn off others before they buy, as I am certain Fitbit is aware of the issue.  Today I emailed Best Buy customer service and asked them to pull this device from their product offerings (explained the problem and invited them to come here and read). I explained that it is a disservice to Best Buy's customers to sell a product that is so deeply flawed. My thinking is that if a large retailer like Best Buy exerted pressure on Fitbit, then Fitbit might redesign the device. I really like my Surge, but some here have had bands fail in 4 months - that is just absurd.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi @nola_rob

Have moved this thread from the Surge to the Share Your Story section to increase the chance of getting a solution.

Your post will get more attention here.

Having used a Surge for a year + and no signs of wear & tear yet. Unfortunately the bands can break within or outside of warranty.

When out of warranty, Fitbit Support has to honor their rules.. and currently *only* can give a discount..

They released the Fitbit Alta & Blaze a while ago which have exchangeable bands. The Blaze has a more secure wristband like the Surge.

[nola_rob]

Mystique,

Thanks for the response.

In another discussion I asked if Fitbit would replace my Surge with a Blaze.  The Blaze is less expensive, but it looks like it has the features I want.  If the band can be replaced (even if I buy a couple of spares), I'll be happy.

[USAF-Larry · Accepted solution]

I am sorry to hear you've had problems with your tracker.  I doubt that people posting in these forums about failed trackers offers much of a warning for people to buy a FitBit device, since most people on these forums already owns one or more FitBit's. I also seriously doubt that Best Buy, or any other reatailer will quit selling the FitBit devices due to some faulty trackers.  I'm sure their profit margin from the devices makes them profitable to see regardless of the few defective devices.  Best Buy even sells a 3-year extended warranty for these trackers for less than $20, which makes the purchase very consumer freindly.  FitBit will replace faulty trackers for one year from the date of original purchase, regardless of the number of failed trackers you receive during that one year, and if you buy the 3-year extended warranty through the retailer you will get replacement devices for the additional 2 years.

[nola_rob]

Attention to detail Airman.  I did not suggest Best Buy stop carry Fitbit products, just the Surge. Why? Because the Surge band is poorly designed and many will fail within a year to two, and the vast majority not survive three years.  Contrary to what you said, there are far too many people having problems with the Surge band that these are not "isolated incidents"; rather it is a design flaw. Admittedly, the dollars involved with Surges to Best Buy's bottom line is immaterial; however, if a particular product is failing far too often then perhaps retailers should drop to foster goodwill with their customers. In my case the device has failed within warranty, so extended warranty does not apply; however, extended warranties are a yield obscenly high profit margins for retailers and should not be necessary for something as mundane as a band. The Blaze looks promising and the band is replacable, so I hope that they allow me to move to one when I get with customer servcie. Bands simply should be more robust, but if they are going to make it where the device cannot be fixed for want of a replacement band, then that is a ripoff.  I suppose I could agree that if you fail to purchase an extended warranty, then shame on you, but are you so passive that in light of so many Surges failing, and after a year of being aware Fitbit has not solved the problem you wouldn't be the least bit motivated to push back or stand up for yourself? Probably not and that is why you are USAF-Larry and not USMC-Larry. Ductus Exemplo

[PoppoLips]

My band for the Fitbit Surge lasted less than 2 years. This is unacceptable!!!!  I called Customer Service and they said they could do nothing except offer another one for 25% off.  If this is not fixed, why should anyone buy their product!!!!

[USAF-Larry]

It had a 1 year warranty, and lasted almost 2 years, @PoppoLips? Offering a discount on a replacement tracker sounds like a reasonable way handle the failure of the device.

[PoppoLips]

Bands should last more than 2 years....all they have to do is make it so
the band can be replaceable!!

[nola_rob]

USAF-Larry,

Are you on their payroll? So the 25% discount sounds reasonable to you does it? I suppose that boils down to whether one should reasonable expect that Fitbit's top-of-the-line Surge should last at least two years. Obviously you find it acceptable and think that the 25% discount is them doing you a favor (I'll point out that it is about the same as what they offer for select products for their Father's Day sales, so it's really not all that special for most aggrieved customers). As far as bragging that the device made it almost 2 years, I've two G-Shocks that are over 5 years old and subjected to harsher use and the bands are holding strong. I've got a Seiko Diver's watch that I picked up in 1991 at the MCX aboard Quantico and the watch is still ticking, but I've replaced the bands probably 7 times in those 25 years. The point is that the band is replaceable. It isn't bad enough that the Surge is made with an extrodinarily fragile band that is failing for far too many customers oftentimes in a matter of months; no, it is the company's design  decision and repair policy that the bands cannot be replaced even if the customer offers to pay for the repair. Of course, it is your perogative to bend over and take it with a smile, most of the rest of us are pretty pissed. Use you "brain housing group" Airman, the 25% discount merely means the true cost of ownership for two years is over $400 for most people, which's is reaching the "rare air" of the Apple watch (which in contrast the vast majority will absolutely, positively last for greater than 2 years.

[GershonSurge]

My Surge band started to crack around a screw after eight months and Fitbit replaced it without fanfare. Is this a failure or is it cosmetic? I really don't know as nobody has reported the time it takes the band to break so the watch falls off. Is it any different than wear on old watches with leather bands? I don't know.

I'd read about the band issue before I bought my Surge, but I figured those who didn't have problems didn't join a thread about problems.

Granted, I would expect a watch this expensive to last longer. It seems like it's not a difficult problem to recognize and fix. Maybe just putting superglue in the cracks would be enough to keep them from running for those that have problems with an out of warranty watch.

It took me about eight months to explore the benefits of the Surge. For running, it's not as good as the Nike app on my phone that gives voice summaries every quarter mile or whatever distance I set. It also has the option to automatically pause when I stop. So, I wouldn't say the Surge is the best running watch. However, I do heart rate training, and the Surge is good enough for the way I use it.

The advantage comes throughout the day. The calorie counting function is consistant enough although it is likely not completely accurate. When I do something like painting the garage door yesterday, I start a treadmill run or a workout and it times my work and gives a reasonable calorie estimate. Thanks to the motivation from this function, I lost 11 pounds last month instead of my usual four or five. Throughout the day, I often give myself a 200 calorie challenge while doing housework or yardwork. This is worth something. 

It's not just the watch we are paying for, it's the dashboard and this forum. Automatic logging has to be worth something. 

Everything I've mentioned so far is a feature. The real value is in the benefits. The question is if I have to pay for another Surge after say 18 months, will it be worth the expected benefit of better health and possibly a longer life. In my case, the answer is yes. There are other ways of achieving the same thing, but they aren't as easy.

Still, Fitbit has to stay in business and a reputation for bands that break within a year or two will ruin their business. I could never recommend a Fitbit worn on the wrist without emphasizing the band problems. The fall from top to bottom can happen quickly. Look at what happened to Dell when their customer service went kaput. If I were CEO, I'd give the design team the task of designing a band that would last indefinitely and cost less money. At least make it replacable at a reasonable price.

It seems like many people own two or three Fitbits. This can change quickly if another company builds a sturdier device with similar features. 

[PoppoLips]

USAF Larry is "right on". Fitbit MUST make the band replaceable like other competitors. This is a shame!!!

Everyone needs to stop buying their product until this is fixed!!!

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi everyone! A warm welcome for those who are new in the forums!

Our team is doing their best to develop more durable materials and if you notice something that is not working as it should, you can feel free to get in touch with our Support Team and they will be happy to get you back on track and in most cases, we capture defective units to study them and prevent this from happening in the future.

If  you're still under your 365 day warranty, you can feel free to get in touch with the Support Team and they will be happy to help you out and in the case you're already out of warranty, they will be offering a 25% discount applicable to all trackers.

Some of our newer trackers as the Blaze and the Alta are designed for the bands to be changable so this shouldn't be much of a problem if you'd like to take advantage of any of them.

[Superdave60]

So how about you give me a extra band for a fitbit Blaze with the 25% discount. Replacing the watch 3 times during the year warranty, on a $247.00 watch is rediculous. 

[SolangeE]

Hello, @Superdave60! It is nice to see you here. I'm sorry to hear about your situation with your Fitbit. You can confirm all your warranty options with our Fitbit Support team. I really recommend you talk to them directly.

Let us know what they say! 

[Superdave60]

Are you serious? They sent me here. 

[PoppoLips]

Nola Band Thread,

I applaud your efforts to get this issue resolved. It seems a simple solution to make the band interchangeable. Good luck...I'm right behind you!!!

[Griswold]

The band IS interchangeable,  it's just that Fitbit chooses not to sell you one.  They are available from Amazon.com amongst other places complete with screwdriver required for removal and fitting.

[PoppoLips]

How is it interchangeable on the Surge...its all one piece???

[Chris1963]

It's not all one piece, it unscrews and detaches via the hex screws on the reverse. 

[Griswold]

There's much on YouTube as to how to do it.  Here's one example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8nb6Or1L0k

HTH