I have had two issues with my Fitbit Surge recently after one of the recent software updates:
1. Charge drains out fast (4-5 hrs after fully charged). I contacted Fitbit support about this for which they sent me trouble shooting instructions. I also noticed that it counted 22K steps when I left it charging overnight but I thought it was a one off thing and mentioned it in my support request, but didn't pay any other attention to it. The reply from Fitbit seemed to be completely about battery. Part of it is below:
'Upon we checked in our system, we found that your Surge last sync was on 2016-8-27 17:55:15 with 50% battery status. In order for us to further assist you, and check your Surge's battery status, could you please be so kind following the steps below to do a battery test.
1. Charge your Fitbit Surge fully.
2. Wear it and sync it constantly.
3. Once the Tracker has fully drained (0%) please let us know.
4. Sync your Surge before contact us, to update your battery status.
Also we would like you check the next information to make sure you’re charging the battery correctly by verifying that:
1. Your tracker is not being charged in a wall output without a UL certified charger. - The charging cable is plugged into a working USB port.
2. The end plugged into the tracker fits securely.
3. While charging, a battery image appears on the display.
4. If you continue having issues charging your tracker please try to connect your charging cable in another USB port.'
Troubleshooting didnot help but I could use my tracker daily as long as I charged it daily. But during the next couple of days the incorrect tracking really caught my eye.
2. I woke up one night with the fitbit vibrating on my desk. It was counting steps while being charged by the standard cable the cable (no fan turned on/no alarms set). It counted ~20K steps again. I submitted a help request for this issue in a second ticket for which I got the following response:
Upon contacting Fitbit, part of their first reponse was this:
'Thank you so much for taking the time to troubleshoot the tracker, we greatly appreciate your efforts. Let's work together on your Fitbit Surge battery issue to find out a solution, rest assured we want you back on track.
Upon reviewing our system, we found that in this kind of issues your tracker needs to be replaced, in order to that your product's warranty needs to be checked, to move to the next step.'
...upon which I sent them all the info (I got my product as a gift over an year ago, and have used it regularly since to track my activitiy, and I frankly love it). The next response from them was this:
'Thank you for providing us with the details we requested to investigate the warranty status of your Fitbit Surge.
Upon reviewing our system and the details you provided, we determined that your Fitbit Surge is no longer covered by our one-year limited warranty period and is not eligible for a complimentary replacement.
However, to keep you as a valuable member of our Fitbit family, we want to offer you a 25% discount for the purchase of any tracker fromfitbit.com/store. Including our recently released models, the Fitbit Alta, Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2. Which have been specifically designed, following the feedback, and features requests, made by our customers.
If you would like a discount promo code, we would send you an email, containing a link to our Web Store, Where the discount will be applied at checkout.'
So Fitbit wants to sell me a new tracker for their sensing system to be malfunctioning. I don't know if the battery issue is related to sensor issue but they seem to think so and want to me buy a new product. I understand if the battery lose storage capacity (batteries deplete over time, even rechargable ones) and I have to replace it but I can still use my fitbit if that were just the issue. With the wrong sensor issue I am doubtful of all my activitiy and cannot wear my tracker confidently. Has anyone had any issues such as this where the issue seems to be of the inherent hardware that is the backbone of the product but no replacement offer has been made?
Thank you.
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Best Answer
I understand how you feel about this inconvenience, 'cause due to this issue with the Fitbit itself the only resolution they could offer is a 25% discount toward a new product, following the Fitbit warranty policies. 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.
