Surge band broke

[Lipscombe]

This is just a FYI for anybody considering purchasing a Surge ...

The Surge worked well enough, the HR monitor kind of flaky while exercising, but overall, I have been satisified.

I purchases my Surge just over a year ago.  Within the first year, the band went and FitBit sent me another watch.  Now, the band is gone again, and since I am recently out of warranty, the only solution is for me to purchase another FitBit.  They did offer a little discount.

My concern is, I paid over $300 for a watch that lasts just over a year and then need to buy another one. 

I am posting this should anybody be considering purchasing a Surge, be advised that your product will only be good for a year and a bit.  Then you will have to purchase another one.

As for me, I am off to look at the Apple Watches and Garmins.

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[EdsonFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community @Lipscombe. I'm sorry to hear that you are leaving Fitbit and regret that your Surge wristband got damaged. Thanks for your feedback about Fitbit products. We are constantly working to improve the Fitbit experience and appreciate all the comments from users. I would like to mention many Fitbit users have had their Fitbit trackers for several years without experiencing any problem.

You are welcome to keep visiting the Community at any time. 

Keep up the super stepping. 

[Emiliefair]

I am trying to get help with mine right now and not having any luck. Every support method I try they send me to someone else. I am pretty sure I will have to give up. I have had many different fitbits since October 2010 and I have recommended them to my family and friends. I have a challenge group I start every workweek and another every weekend. I try to help people on the fitbit facebook groups. I have been nothing but a cheerleader for this company. I convinced my personal trainer to buy one and he has been asking me which one he should buy for his wife, a volleyball coach. But there are more and more options in fitness trackers and if I have to spend $250 every 14 months, I can't stick with fitbit. I can't afford $20 a month on a fitness tracker. It has to last. I don't lose them, I am careful with them. The one time I did lose one, I drove to Target at 9pm to replace it. I bought the first fitbit the DAY it came out. I bought the surge the first day it was available. I need some loyalty back from a company I have been nothing but loyal to. That should count for something. 

[warna56]

I too have had a Surge that has lasted only 10 months. I bought this in Frabce while on holidays last year. I bought it because the band on the Charge I had split in half. It was the second Charge that had done this. My wife has had at least two Charges and the current one is beginning to split. I have just submitted an emaill to fitbit so will see what they have to say.

I must say I started fitness tracking using a Jawbone 24 and it was the same. 

I will wait for the response from fitbit but I too will be looking at Garmin. As you styated, for $300AU you would expect to get more than 10 months out of it.

[Emiliefair]

They just told me they won't replace it even though it is only seven months old. They were very rude and the lady basically accused me of trying to steal from Fitbit. I'm so sad. I loved this company. I really did.

[EdsonFitbit]

@Emiliefair @warna56 Thanks for joining us. @Emiliefair I'm very sorry to hear about the inconveniences you experienced. Thank you for being part of Fitbit for so long. I've forwarded your case to the quality department to provide the proper feedback. This is not the way we treat Fitbit users. I would recommend creating a case with Customer Support. They will evaluate your case and provide further assistance. If you haven't received a response on the next days please send me a private message to accelerate the response.

@warna56 I'm pretty sure the support team will reach out to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.

Catch you later. 

[warna56]

Hi Emilliefair,

They have asked for the following informatioin which I have provided

- Product color and size

- Your full name - Preferred shipping address

- Phone number - A picture showing the damage with a handwritten note that contains your case number (XXXXXXXX)

Why a hand written note in this electronic age I don't know.

[warna56]

So they have told me a replacement is being processed. Why mine and not yours?? How do they figure that out.

[Rich_Laue]

My guess is that a hand written note would prove your not just sending a photo that was found on the internet.

[CarlosMo]

Welcome everybody! As @Rich_Laue mentioned, the hand written note is to prove that the tracker is legitimate.  Thanks for your patience during the replacement process. 

[CataCh]

Same happens with the fit bit Charge the band broke in just 6 months...I am looking for new models and brands. Any suggestions?

[RjSpokane]

how does a handwritten note prove the tracker was legitimate??? that is crazy!! if they want to make sure it is legitimate than send me a box, I will put it in there an you can have the broken one back instead of it sitting in my drawer with the other 3 that are broken.  

Better yet just take mine, fix the band and send it back to me you don't even need to replace the watch because it is in perfect condition. 

[SunsetRunner]

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@RjSpokane wrote:

yeh I would like to see the stats on that, I would bet that there is a higher percentage of faulty bands than good bands on the surge. Terrible made band, 

---

false

people having good bands don't complain.

so, you don't have the right numbers

[Marcy]

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@Lipscombe wrote:

As for me, I am off to look at the Apple Watches and Garmins.

---

Did you rule out Pebble? 

[RjSpokane]

correct but I believe that you will find the bands will split and break just like all these other ones because of how it was made. Now unless they have change the process of making them than great but for mine it was normal wear and nothing harsh and they still split from the watch.

[samseed101]

Same thing happened to me. Within a few months, the band was ripping apart. I got a replacement for free, which had hte same issue. By the time my third band went out on me, I decided to completely give up. I grabbed a Samsung Galaxy S2 and haven't had a single issue.

I don't know what the problem is with these, but they appear to be VERY cheaply made and this seems to be a well documented, yet unaddressed, issue. I love the data that fitbit tracks, but this was a bit too much money to waste on a product with such a short life. 

[Lipscombe]

Thanks for the suggestion … I did not really consider Pebble. I did settle on a Garmin VivoActive HR. A coworker has a Garmin (earlier model) but it has been working well for him and is holding up great. He praises it, so I decided to give Garmin a try.

VivoActiveHR I found locked onto GPS a lot faster than the Surge, and I like the configurability with the ability to download apps, watch faces, etc. I notice the Garmin Active, although it includes a lot of activities like running, walking, etc, it does not include a Ellipse machine activity like the Surge did. The band is replaceable on the Garmin, not on the Surge. I know other FitBit models have replaceable bands.

The Garmin connect software to sync with the phone is no where as refined as the FitBit software was. I will miss that for sure. FitBit let me set hybrid measurements (statue for height weight, but metric for distance and speed), while the Garmin does not allow you to do this, which is a negative for me and many Canadians.

So, switching to Garmin I gained some and lost some. Customer service is a very important factor in my company loyalty, and the Surge that I paid so much money for obviously has design flaws that left me out in the cold in a very short amount of time.

[SunsetRunner]

I tried out the garmin vivoactive hr but just couldn't use it. It felt cheap compared to my surge and too cluttered with stuff. Put my surge straight back on and felt much better.

That said I too have had problems with my surge. My current one only lasts 2 days on battery. I have a case open with support but how many times can a devise get replaced before it becomes a farce?

[6foot9_41]

Add me to the group that it is falling apart.  Purchased Feb of 2015.  Had an issue and got a replacement.  This tracker is less than a year old but the warranty goes off of the original purchase date according to customer service.  So I can get 25% off a tracker that won't last a year.  I am very dissapointed.  This is my second Fitbit and both of my kids have one.  I guess it will be my last because I can't afford a new $250 tracker every 8 months!

[AikiPen]

Ditto, mine started to fail at 13 months and a day. I know because I got it on my birthday. On the other hand my 3 year old One is doing just fine. I love my Surge but I'm not willing to buy into Surge-as-subscription. I have not called them because I would only be eligable for the 25% off of a new one which would fail in 13 months and then I could buy a new one etc. Very disappointed, I am thinking about the Blaze but I'm also looking at other options.