Multiple problems with Firbit Surge

[stevemoore99]

I've had my surge now for about 14 or 15 months.

From the start, it has had problems in that if I vigorously exercised, the device would get moisture under the faceplate. The fogged display then will slowly clear up over a few days.

The next issue was the faceplate. I don't know just how to describe it, but it looks as if it is crazed or cracked (except it isn't a crack). The device has never been hit and if you look at it in the right light and at the right angle, it is clear the case is not cracked. I can only guess this is something on the underside of the faceplate and probably ia result of the frequent moisture incursion.

Next, I've noticed now for a number of months the device was requiring more and more frequent recharges. It has now gotten to the point the thing will not even run for 24 hours between charges. I should note I've not used the GPS function in the watch now for many months, it just uses too much power and results in a dead battery. I've also changed the setup so the backlight is set to off... It STILL dies in less than 24 hours!

So in summary, this "device" is nothing but a piece of junk which I would NOT recommend to anyone.

[jonkjon]

I don't know that I would say that it's a piece of junk entirely but I will say that the Surge has lots of issues. I purchased one for my wife about the same time you did and while hers has only had a mild issue with fogging, the battery life has always been questionable. It also has a terrible power conection. That has been her gripe with it ever since she got it. I have had to purchase several new power cables in an effort to try and find a way to reliably make a decent connection. Most recently, in the morning and off and on throughout the day, the device has just started repeatedly vibrating about every second or so until it is removed from the charger. It's always plugged into a powered usb port on her computer.A quick interenet search will show this is apparently a widespread issue with many surge users. Supposedly, this is a battery issue that can't be fixed. Unless the device is still under warranty, you'll have to shell out more cash. The remedy offered is a discount towards another fitbit. I personally believe this is a major problem either with the power design, defective batteries or a firmware problem. Fitbit has problems and to correct them they really need to step up their support of their customers. They can start by extending the warranty for early adopters and fix the devices. Otherwise, the surge is going to be a very short lived device.  Either way, my wife being a serious runner, simply doesn't trust her surge for races any longer and, more importantly, has lost her faith in fitbit. 

[ellungo]

I'm wearing a replacement Surge due to the original fogging up...now my replacement is losing its charge overnight and it won't synch unless I power the watch off...I hate to be a complainer but in hind sight, I don't think I would buy a fitness watch again...$150 isn't that expensive when it comes to a fitness watch but all I really do is count steps...problem is, when you buy a cheaper version the step count seems to be inaccurate...I will give fitbit credit though, when it was time to replace the original one they did it right away but I'm tired of having to deal with these issues...it's exhausting...

[Maureen]

Orig message deleted. Cust Serv stepped up again!!

[SunsetRunner]

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@Maureen wrote:

, to a battery that won't last for the length of a marathon, 

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depends on time 

i did a walking marathon in 6h40, and the battery and GPS were fine.

of course, if you need 12h to do a marathon, it will not work.

Fitbit Surge is an activity tracker, not a device for very serious sportmen/sportwomen