The Heart Rate monitor on my replacement Surge stopped working. I went through customer service and was told that because it was more that 365 days since my original purchase, they would not be replacing my Surge. Here is the detail:
I bought my original Surge in January 2015. In September 2015 the band started peeling off from the tracker. I kept wearing it until I stumbled upon this forum and saw a lot of people were having the exact same problem. I wrote to Fitbit support in January 2016 and got my Surge replaced without any hassles. I thought, well, there is a quality issue but at least they are good about owning up to it and replacing the product.
One thing led to another and I did not end up switching to my new Surge until this August. Two weeks ago I noticed the Heart Rate monitor stopped working. I tried the restart, I also swithced the Heart Rate from auto to off, then on, and then to auto. Each time I did that, the Heart Rate monitor started working and soon after stopped again. Somewhat annoyed that I'd have to get it replaced again, I wrote to customer support. There were three rounds of back and forth e-mails where they wanted me to go through their troubleshooting routine (which I did), then asked me for the color and size of my Surge, and finally my address. As I was expecting an e-mail telling me my replacement Surge was on its way, they sent me an e-mail saying because it was past 365 days since the original purchase and past 30 days of the replacement, the warranty didn't apply. Because I was an active member of the Fitbit Commuinty they offered me a 25% discount on a new Fitbit, if I chose to order one in the next 30 days. I replied back saying this was unacceptable and asked for a replacement indicating that in my opinion the only reason the customers experiencing all these quality issues are not escalating these issues is the good customer service offering replacements without hassle. Once the replacement is not in play, we are faced with a company selling a high priced product that breaks down too frequently.
I received another e-mail saying they used to offer replacements beyond the warranty period in the past but being a global company now they have to act accordingly. I'm copying that e-mail below.
I paid $250 for my Surge. I like it and wear it all the time. I also expect it to work properly and when there is a defect, I expect the company to apologize for the inconvenience it is causing me and to promptly replace the product. Not to offer me a discount to buy another of their products and leave me with a defective product that does not work. I'm hoping that the replacement was declined by mistake by an inexperienced customer support person and the Fitbit Customer service people monitoring this forum will be able to help correct this. Even the fact that I have to go through this is not acceptable!
I will update here whether this gets corrected or not. In the meantime, all new and potential customers beware that you are likely to get stuck with a non-working product once your warranty period runs out.
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Here is the final e-mail I received from Fitbit Customer Service:
Hi Kemal,
Our limited warranty provides replacements for trackers deemed to have a manufacturer's defect within 365 days of purchase. Because your tracker didn't meet these warranty conditions, we offered a courtesy discount of 25% good towards the purchase of any tracker. The warranty for replacement trackers last 30 days.
We strive for excellent customer service and in the past often replaced trackers that were not covered under warranty. Though customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we now enforce our warranty consistently.
If you become interested in the 25% discount at any time, we'll provide it right away.
If you come across with any other question or have concerns, please contact us. We will be happy to further assist you.
Sincerely,
Andrea LB. and the Fitbit Team
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