Surge Display Screen Shattered/Damaged?

[fletcherRVA]

I have had my fitbit Surge for a little over a year and have nothing but great things to say for the device.  I woke up one morning and the internal display screen had horizontal and vertical cracks throughout the whole thing (see attached photos).  Very bizarre, not sure what would have caused this, and I was not wearing the unit at the time this happened.  

The touchscreen works fine without any problems and the visible cracks/shatters cannot be felt as they are internal and beneath the protective outer screen.  

I am reaching out to the fitbit community because I love this device, I love the company, and I love the community, but I would love to figure out why/how this happened and what can be done to fix this issue.  And I have already contacted customer support and the tracker is out of warrenty and I do not have the income to purchase an entirely new unit at the moment.

All information, support, and advice is welcome! I should be around to continue the conversation.

[Tynecider]

My Surge has exactly the same symptoms as others who have reported them.

I believe the point everyone is making is that, despite their Surges being out of guarantee/warranty, the fault appears to be a flaw in Fitbit's design of the Surge.  The shattering which is evident in so many instances especially without any abuse, dropping, etc., should not be happening. 

Surely, it is incumbent of Fitbit to rectify each and every case?

I've noticed some have migrated to Apple despite the hike in prices.  I should think there will be further migrations should Fitbit not provide the solution (free) to their loyal supporters and users of their equipment.

[VaTech75]

Tyne 

i don’t disagree with anything you say. I certainly have no love for FitBit as a company based on the Surge experience. Perhaps there is enough sales and customer satisfaction of their other models to keep them in business. Makes no difference to me. I’m only letting people know it’s not true that the watches cannot be repaired. FitBit does a great disservice to their former Surge customers by making those kind of statements over and over again. For that reason, and that the watch was obviously released without proper longevity evaluation under normal environmental conditions, I don’t disparage anyone wanting to switch brands. It’s their choice. Conversely, I do not wish to be considered some sort of FitBit company fan simply because I choose to keep my Surges working. 

[Tynecider]

Hi VaTech75,



I understand you completely.



Thanks for your help in the forum – a lot of people will have benefited from your recommendation of repair.  ☺



Regards,

Tynecider

[Richok]

Totally agree.
If a design fault is found there should be a product recall and replacement.
Anyone with a surge still should know it will get internal damage if it gets wet by swimming or sweat and then is charged. So maybe putting it in a bag of rice will prevent the damage?
Rich

Richard Kirby
Please excuse any Typos and predictive text from my phone.

[Jdtrav]

Yes, I tried the bag of rice trick, twice, it did not work, and it was not
wet. Fitbit does not want to repair them, because they want you to buy a
newer version. I don't like the newer versions, I like and have chargers,
bands and such for the surge I have. I sent mine into Joes GE, which
someone from this site recommended to me, they were GREAT!! After many
errors/issues on my part. They sent me a pre-paid envelope to send it in to
them. They, somehow fixed the crackled screen, and whatever was wrong with
the charging connection and cleaned it up so nice. Total charge $50 (plus
tax)

I HIGHLY recommend them to fix not only crackled screens but they fix about
any electronic!

[Jdtrav]

Exactly, again, I strongly recommend the JoesGE repair option

[Jdtrav]

Exactly, if you are liking you Surge, I recommend JoesGC service, they did
such a great job and customer service, I was blow away, they are super

[Jdtrav]

You are so very welcome, I sure appreciated the recommendation, it was from
this site, so glad I was able to get the correct info and was able to send
it in

[vett74us]

Why does the company not give any fixes for this problem it happened to mine also

[VaTech75]

If FitBit cared to answer that question, it would have appeared long ago. We can only assume they chose not to support the Surge from a hardware/technical standpoint. 

[Jdtrav]

because they want you to upgrade the their newest one.  then when you do that, the next new one and so on.  they were great help when I first got mine, I had difficulties with it, user error for sure

happy holidays all

[Jdtrav]

I basically just answered this, because they want you to buy the newer one, then the newer one, etc.

[Schitvillian]

Yeah, they are deeply flawed. I won’t be buying another Fitbit...ever.

[Mjaneprice]

It seems that the issue I'm having with my screen for no reason at all is a common fault. I can't use my surge as the screen is cracked with small marks and Fitbit don't want to know as out of warranty..... shameful 

[Jdtrav]

OMG, the same exact thing happened to me! Don't despair, help is close by.

When this happened to me, I reached out to others and they referred me to
(drum roll please)



www.Joes GE.com

201 8985637



They sent me a prepaid padded envelope, I sent it in and not only did they
fix the screen, they cleaned it up, good as new!!

It has worked fine ever since. If I can remember correctly it took 1-2
weeks. This cost a total of $65 and for me it was well worth it!



Hope this helps, it was great to get this info and I am happy to pass it on.
Please let them know I referred you.

I talked to Ben S. Again, supper happy, they are great people!!



Judy Travis

[Mjaneprice]

Thanks but I am based in the UK. I can't believe the Fitbit can't organise repairs, especially as it looks like this is a common problem. Will look at a Garmin instead

Best Wishes

Mandy

[Akaha]

My Surch screen cracked just like that. Altogether build quality v poor. Surely you dont expect an expensive device loke this to die after a year or so? Do the right yhing, Fitbit. Offer replacement.