Fitbit Surge - Is Fitbit Surge being discontinued?

[MP1322]

I was told by a salesperson at Best Buy that the Surge was being discontinued and not ordered by them anymore. Is this true?

Moderator edit: Clarified subject.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi everybody! Thanks for your feedback! It's really helpful for us. Your voice is being heard. We're actively reviewing your responses and providing feedback to our product development team. 

Thanks for your understanding!

[AG108]

As a committed customer of Fitbit, you should provide us with replacement
to your new product Iconic, or provide us us the replacement of new surge,

Regards,

Atul
Singapore

[BusheyTrader]

Well YojanFitbit,  I only seem to be heard when I refuse the derisory offers from Fitbit and my issue is escalated.

My first Surge's integral strap disintegrated after 14 months and was replaced under warranty.  My replacement Surge's integral battery died after 9 months.  If either of these items were serviceable they could have been repaired, not replaced.  Just for fun, whilst not being worn, the chequered surface of the last Surge's strap has bubblied and peeled off.

At first I was offered 25% off an alternative  tracker (not Ionic) then offered 50%, and now a free of charge replacement tracker after it was "escalated to San Francisco".  I've chosen a Blaze as it has practically the same functionality as the Surge and doesn't have the suicidal integral strap of the Surge.  

Upon reflection, it's probably a good thing that a replacement Surge is unavailable as it would probably die after a year like the others. I'll see if the Blaze lasts longer.

[bw21]

Remember the good 'ol days when you could buy something and keep it for as long as you want?  Looks like Fitbit is taking the same approach as Intuit, Apple, Adobe, the airline industry and many others, where they "force" you to spend more money every 2 or 3 years by "not supporting" previous versions or "slowing it down" or "adding fees" to basic services.... always looking to get another dime out of you somehow, someway.   Didn't used to be this way, but the thought is let's survive the generation, and then people won't complain because it will soon become the "norm".  It's BS, corporate America,  and it has to stop!   

What happened to the days when "ethics" was a part of business practices???

[bill328]

bw21

I have to agree, it's all about the all mighty dollar.
I have bailed on fitbit and will be trying Samsung Gear. If this is not
any better then I will go back to the old way, of just exercising and
seeing results at the end of each month. The tracers are a good
motivation, but when the hassle out weights the enjoyment, just ain't
worth it.


Bill

--
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

[Julia_G]

Hi, @bw21, Fitbit will continue to support the Surge for as long as people still have them, so there are no worries there -- you can continue to use your device as long as it lasts.  There is no question of slowing it down or adding fees either.  The only thing "discontinued" means is that they won't add any improvements or updates (unless a security issue is discovered).

[Sparkycanuck]

Really surprised to hear that Fitbit would discontinue the product that is highest rated among fitness trackers with consumer reports.  Was looking forward to replacing my defective Charge 2 with the Surge, but now I'll have to shop around.  The Ionic is really pricey!

[shipo]

---

@Sparkycanuckwrote:

Really surprised to hear that Fitbit would discontinue the product that is highest rated among fitness trackers with consumer reports.  Was looking forward to replacing my defective Charge 2 with the Surge, but now I'll have to shop around.  The Ionic is really pricey!

---

Compared to the Ionic, the Surge is positively stone age; with the exception of the always on screen of the Surge, the Ionic is literally better in every way, that and it has a LOT more features and apps.

[bw21]

At an exceptional price too.  I don't think the fact that it is a better product, is the issue.  It's the fact that Fitbit forces you to buy something else.  The Surge was out, what, maybe a year?  A year and a half?  And already it's outdated??  Next year the Ionic will be "outdated" and everyone who bought that, will have to go buy another product?

[shipo]

---

@bw21wrote:

At an exceptional price too.  I don't think the fact that it is a better product, is the issue.  It's the fact that Fitbit forces you to buy something else.  The Surge was out, what, maybe a year?  A year and a half?  And already it's outdated??  Next year the Ionic will be "outdated" and everyone who bought that, will have to go buy another product?

---

A few points:

• During most of the Surge's life-cycle it retailed for only $50 less than the Ionic does now; yes, after production ceased the price was dropped to clear old stock.
• The Surge hit the market in October of 2014, almost exactly three years before the Ionic made its debut in October of 2017.
• When released the Surge was pretty competitive, but technology marches on and it was pretty much antiquated within a year after release.
• The Surge was not a robust design; the bands would prematurely wear out, bubble, crack, or simply fall off.  The tracker body itself was horrible from the perspective of a fitness tracker if for no other reason than if the owner would work out too frequently in a warm environment, the resultant body sweat would contaminate the internals of the device and, if not taken out of service for some number of weeks to dry out, the moisture would ultimately ruin the device.
• I wore a Surge from early 2015 through October of 2017, my body chemistry ruined not one, not two, but three of them, and I couldn't wait until something came along to replace it.
• Even on one of my most fanciful days, I would never-EVER have predicted someone would wax nostalgic about the Surge.  Trust me, you, me, and most of all, Fitbit, is better off with that turkey off the market.

[bw21]

"Trust me, you, me, and most of all, Fitbit, is better off with that turkey off the market."

I'm better off if I want to plop down another $300 for a product (which has the same band which keeps breaking, BTW).  What about the $250 I paid for something which is no longer relevant a year later?  So let's tally this up... $550 for something which will be outdated in another year. 

[Sparkycanuck]

Outdated is one thing. My charge 2 lasted 13 months... one month beyond warranty and the screen is so dim I can't read it. Ionic is too rich for my blood... may be just drop it altogether...



Sent from my Bell Samsung device over Canada's largest network.

[BusheyTrader]

I met a new colleague today and he is on his 8th, yes 8th Fitbit Charge under the UK warranty.  

my replaced under warranty Blaze has managed about 3 months without failing so far.  The only niggle so far is not being able to see battery status without linking up to the iPads.

[peterUK]

To be fair to Fitbit they did eventually replace the last of a long line of duff Surges with a Blaze free of charge.That was back in late October and I have used it constantly since then. What a difference in design, build and performance. I don't mind its lack of GPS as I never used that anyway. It looks like Fitbit has learned the lessons of the failed Surges and really ought to bite the bullet and offer those stranded with those devices a better solution than just a discount on a replacement. This is about longterm goodwill and word of mouth. I am now back to recommending their devices, having been about a day away from migrating permanently to other brand. 

[shipo]

---

@bw21wrote:

"Trust me, you, me, and most of all, Fitbit, is better off with that turkey off the market."

I'm better off if I want to plop down another $300 for a product (which has the same band which keeps breaking, BTW).  What about the $250 I paid for something which is no longer relevant a year later?  So let's tally this up... $550 for something which will be outdated in another year. 

---

If you are comparing the Surge to the Ionic, there are no similarities in the bands; none.  The Surge band is bonded to the case of the tracker, the Ionic band is a replaceable snap on/snap off band.  As for being outdated in another year, such is life, technology is moving along at a very rapid pace; if you keep waiting until tomorrow to buy the "best" you'll die before you ever buy something.

The fact is, the Ionic is, with the exception of the "always on screen", an improvement over the Surge in literally every possible metric one can mention.  Yes it costs a whopping $50 more than the Surge, but given the vast improvement over its predecessor coupled with its much more robust design, the extra money is well spent.

[bill328]

I went through two Surg, a Blaze and a Charge 2. All but the Charge 2 had issues, but by then my family purchased a Gear 2. What a difference.
I have lost respect for Fitbit.

[YojanaFitbit]

Thank you all for the thorough feedback for the Fitbit environment, customer service, platform and devices.

Your comments have not gone unnoticed and be sure that I will pass this along. We don't want to create frustration in our customers since Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and support on your  daily workouts. Please know that we provide feedback to our team based on community posts and we are always working on improving our devices and overall environment based on what you share here.

As mentioned before, we’ll continue to support Surge from a software standpoint, along with any questions you might have during your use of the product. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope we can continue to provide you with Fitbit devices you love and help you reach your goals.

In case that you have questions about your warranty options, please let me know so I can request a new case to our Support Team, so they can give you a hand with that.

Thank you for your understanding.