Fitbit Issues

[wildtwins]

I will start off by saying I've been a Fitbit owner since they first came onto the market.  I love the innovation, the app development and the forward-thinking of the company.  But...  I'm thinking of switching brands, which is unfortunate.  I have the Surge HR right now.  I've had to have it replaced three times now because of the well-known issues with the material on the band "bubbling" and separating from the plastic.  This same problem was present in other versions of their trackers.  The current replacement I have right now, has gone 4 months and is now bubbling, like the rest and Fitbit will not replace it and will only offer me a 25% discount on my next order.  This is completely unacceptable and is not a company that I want to support.  If you have a flaw in your engineering you should own it.  Getting 4 months use out of a brand new product is not acceptable.  Not to mention, offering a 25% discount for me to buy ANOTHER flawed device is ridiculous.  Maybe I would be willing to purchase a replacement product if you could establish that the issue has been fixed.

[VF31AE3]

@wildtwins The Surge has been discontinued and replaced by the Ionic. However. If the band is your Surge's only issue you can find replacements on Amazon and E-bay. YouTube has "how to" videos if you're interested in using the Surge until it "really dies". Just a thought.

[wildtwins]

Thanks for the reply.  I do understand that it's been discontinued and that I can fix it on my own.  It's just horrible customer service to be "OK" with the device only lasting around 4 months, acknowledging the defect, and then only offering a 25% discount on another product.  These devices are marketing to active people and should last longer.  If they fail at that, then their whole business model fails.  And if they can't treat customers with care, then they will quickly lose market share, because they aren't the only option any more.

[piedwagtail91]

I agree, they should face up to their mistakes and own them. When this latest surge fails i'm looking elsewhere. I've had enough of faulty watches.

[wildtwins]

I ordered my Samsung Gear 2 today.  Not at the same level, in my opinion, as what Fitbit can provide in way of functionality around Fitness goals, but I am sick of fighting them every 4 months because my Fitbit is broken or bubbling.  Very sad!

[Molly66]

I just bought a Surge last year, why would I be sold this Fitbit if it has been discontinued?

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi guys, thanks a lot of keep adding your comments to this thread! 

I'd like to clarify that Fitbit hasn't release any information about discontinuing existing trackers. To avoid any confusion or getting exited about early releases please confirm any information in our Fitbit.com official page. Thanks for your feedback, please let me know if I can further assist you!

See you around! 

[Lisayoung]

I bought mine yesterday and just read it has been discontinued??!! Havi g issues already.. Gutted

[CrlyFry]

Same here...I'm on my third one and it's worse than ever and fitbit is only offering me 25% off, why so i can buy something that will be discontinued in a year!! I am fed up and looking into other brands.  

[wildtwins]

Like I said in the original post:  I love the innovation and technology that Fitbit brings to the market and it was really hard for me to switch to another product.  But, if they can't support their customers and make hardware that lasts for more than 4 months, I want nothing to do with them.  I got my new Galaxy Gear watch on Friday and absolutely love it.  

P.S. in the beginning, Fitbit was very customer friendly and did whatever it took to resolve issues.  I even returned my first Fitbit (4 years ago) with no questions asked.  But as they became bigger and more popular, they lost sight of that customer focus.  Pretty sad.  

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for you honest comments @Lisayoung, @CrlyFry and @wildtwins!

This has not gone unnoticed and be sure that I will pass this along. We provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall Fitbit experience based on what you share here.

@Lisayoung As mentioned before Fitbit has no official information about Fitbit Surge is been discontinued. I'll be more than glad to help you with any issue you might having with your Surge, can you please give more details about the issue. 

I'll be around! 

[Lisayoung]

Hi... thank you so much for your response to my issues with surge. I am gutted it wasn't working properly ie not syncing and deleting data etc and I have taken it back to the shop and asked for a refund. I will be using my old flex until I get my new device (garmin). So frustrated and lost faith in fitbit sorry.... 

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks a lot for your honest response! Sorry about the issues you're having with your Surge and to know that you won't be stepping with us. But I appreciate your feedback. In case that you need anything else regarding your Fitbit Flex, let us know!

See you around! 

[Molly66]

My Surge was awesome in the beginning but then it began to need charging every other day, stopped receiving text msg.'s and has never tracked different exercises, in fact some days it barely counts steps .So when I read the Surge had been discontinued it didn't totally surprise me, on the contrary it sort of made sense I was having issues. With that said if it isn't being discontinued it certainly is not worth what I paid.

I will use this until it dies which shouldn't be to far in the future and in the meantime I will be researching other trackers. 

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @Molly66! thanks for posting your input here! Welcome to the Forums! 

I'd like to clarify that although this tracker has been a very popular product for us, Fitbit Surge will be replaced by our newest device, Fitbit Ionic, in October. We’ll continue to support Surge from a software standpoint, along with any questions you might have during your use of the product. And if you're having issues with it and solutions on the community are not working with yours, next step would be get in touch with our Support Team; I can request a new case for you if you need it.

I'll be around for any other question that you might have. Take care! 

[wildtwins]

Molly,

I really do appreciate your attention to this post.  It's very nice to see.

But, the Surge product clearly has major issues that were never addressed.  To those of us that have been dealing with it for over a year, it's very disappointing.  The last thing we want to hear is a pitch for the new product that is replacing the Surge.  To me, that just says "yeah, the Surge was a major failure, but you should buy our new tracker.".  To someone like me, who has had 3 replacements, the last thing I want to hear is "spend more money on our products".

[shipo]

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@wildtwins wrote:

Molly,

I really do appreciate your attention to this post.  It's very nice to see.

But, the Surge product clearly has major issues that were never addressed.  To those of us that have been dealing with it for over a year, it's very disappointing.  The last thing we want to hear is a pitch for the new product that is replacing the Surge.  To me, that just says "yeah, the Surge was a major failure, but you should buy our new tracker.".  To someone like me, who has had 3 replacements, the last thing I want to hear is "spend more money on our products".

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I'm kind of in your same boat, sort of...

I too have had a Surge for quite some time and have had it replaced more than once.  My take is the Fitbit folks have opted to build a better mousetrap instead of spending lots of resources fixing the Surge.  For my part, I'm betting they learned a lot based upon their Surge experience and feedback, and am more than willing to upgrade to the Ionic.

[Bradders71]

Continue supporting the software! 

So where is the WhatsApp messaging facility we have been promised for 2 or more years? 

[wildtwins]

I have been using Fitbit since they had allergy issues with their wristband material.  Stuck with it, because I loved the innovation.  But now that the Surge has been such a horrible product and they choose not to stand behind it, why would I support a company like that.

In the long run, they are losing market share and heading in the wrong direction, because they lost focus of supporting their customers and innovating.  

[Bradders71]

I had mine replaced within days due to cracks appearing around the screw area of the wrist strap. Jesus, is there anyone that hasn't returned one! 

One faulty item that should have had more time spent on it before being released.