Multiple issues with surge

[ChrisWaiting]

I bought a surge approximately a year and 4 months ago. Since the 1 year warranty expired, I began having some issues with the tracker and the charging cable. First it was the cable. It doesn't alway make a connection with the tracker. Sometime it charges, some times it doesn't. The watch shows that it is charging and then I can hear it vibrate a few times and I noticed the charging symbol will disappear. This tells me that it isn't making the proper connection. Now the battery won't stay charged for very long. Next issue I'd with syncing. I have to re sync sometimes 2 or more times a day. Sometimes I can't swipe between screens. And now the most recent issue is when I'm outside in the hot sun, the tracker shuts off and sometimes displays some type of warning symbol,as if it is overheating. This didn't happen last summe when I was out for my walks in the sun, why now? So, the tracker is out of warranty which leads me to my question. How long is this thing supposed to last? 1 year and 4 months and the only thing support has offered me( no explanation of course) is they will give me 25% off the purchase of a new surge. Why would I spend more money on something if it doesn't last more than 1 year + ?. The problem I have is that 1 year and 6 months ago I wanted to purchase a charge hr in xl and they were back ordered and I waited 3 months. I gave in and bought the surge in xl because I wanted to start tracking my fitness and didn't want to wait any longer. So instead of spending $150.00 I spent $250.00 on something that didn't last as long as I imagine it should. What should I do next, try a new brand?

[RobertoME]

Hi there @ChrisWaiting, good to see you around in our Community.  I really sorry to hear this and let me tell you I have a Surge too and I have experienced the same problem with the charging cable but after a long time. Beyond that still is working the only thing I do is leaving the tracker in a flat surface while is charging; of course this is not a solution but more as a workaround.

A few factors can cause your battery is not having a proper connection:

Dirty charging contacts—Try cleaning them using a toothpick or toothbrush to clean the charging contacts; do not scrape them with anything metal because this can damage the plating and result in corrosion.

Note that a low batter charge can give you issue at the moment to sync or battery life charge. 

Regarding the issue with hot temperature, its a possibility, as this can happen also with humid ambient too. Although if the temperature is not that high or it was not happening before, perhaps you can try with a restart. Sometimes is just an error in the internal software of the tracker. For additional instructions to restart your Surge, take a look at one of my oldest posts here.

I can understand your frustration because I think warranty policies can narrow many possibilities sometimes. However I also believe and  understand as well why warranty policies are needed. Our customer support team strive to keep every single Fitbit customer on track and as part of that position They will motivate the search for alternatives to reinforce a healthy lifestyle. Is at this moment when such gestures like discounts come in to play. I know is not a big discount ,but is an alternative when the options has narrow. I'm not gonna tell you that you buy another Fitbit tracker as this decision is completely yours. Although I would like you to stay and if you decide to, note this discount can be apply to any other tracker type, so you have the option to get a different model at a lower price if you loose the trust in the Fitbit Surge.

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.

See you around and I appreciate your feedback.