Surge - engineering design

[Hergules]

I sent this message to all my running and cycling friends.... Don't buy a FitBit. Ok, that's the main message of this post, but allow me explain (and vent a little). Got a top-of-the-line FitBit Surge for my birthday. Wristband failed in 5 months. Guess what... wristband isn't replaceable. Customer Service replaced the entire watch. What a waste... a 5 year piece of electronics married to a cheap 5 month life-expectancy wristband. I asked for a different model... one that's serviceable... no can do.... Of course the 2nd Surge's wristband subsequently failed and FitBit's solution is now to offer a whooping 20-25% discount on my next purchase.
So FitBit has a MAJOR engineering design flaw... a non-serviceable, low quality wristband attached to its most expensive piece of hardware AND the company won't stand behind its product. So I say to all... Get yourself a Garmin instead, but Don't Buy A FitBit. There... I feel much better now.

Moderator edit: Updated subject for clarity.

[dibby]

I completely agree, it is a shoddy design and material selection.

The band is replaceable, they're available on ebay and not that difficult to do yourself. The problem is Fitbit won't repair them for you. Some people get a replacement on warranty, some people get money off buying a new watch. I'm on my 3rd watch and when the warranty replacements stop coming, I'm off to buy a Garmin too. They're a but more money but far more sturdy, you pays your money you takes your choice.

[ravichso]

Agree. Its product value is unquestionable ( for me, at the very least) - making me keen to hit my goals every day. But its product quality is unbelievably poor - I had mine replaced free of cost 5 times in 1 year . All of them would fail to synch after a period of 2 to 3 months of use. The fifth one has lasted me for more than a year but now its battery has started swelling and its a matter of time before it becomes unusable. Their customer support cannot be faulted - responded with courtesy every time and replaced the Surge within the warranty period. 

I am in two minds now - do I replace the Surge paying a whopping $330 in India for one year or switch to Garmin ? I even tried the Apple Watch for a while when the Fitbit was not available - but did not quite like the (fitness specific )software . Shame , really for I really like their software 

[Hergules]

FYI... FitBit's Customer Service keeps telling me that there isn't a replacement band available...  Why wouldn't they just say there are 3rd party replacements available?  I think it's because they'd rather you use the 25% discount to buy another FitBit product rather than repairing something that generates no incremental revenue....  short-term strategy = short-term survival

[Todas]

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@dibby wrote:

I completely agree, it is a shoddy design and material selection.

The band is replaceable, they're available on ebay and not that difficult to do yourself. The problem is Fitbit won't repair them for you. Some people get a replacement on warranty, some people get money off buying a new watch. I'm on my 3rd watch and when the warranty replacements stop coming, I'm off to buy a Garmin too. They're a but more money but far more sturdy, you pays your money you takes your choice.

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I am on my third Surge replacement it hasn't lasted more than 6 months. They offer a terrible replacement deal where the only equivalent is an extra £200! in addition to the measly £100 off. Terrible con and they should admit the design is flawed and replace with another watch that is equivalent and actually works.

[Hergules]

Exactly!

Moderator edit: removed personal information

[dushanthi]

this is completely true .. i got fail two fitbit surge with in a one and half year.. and one of my friend also faced the same issue. suggest garmin 

[Sreedhar_58]

I am struggling with the same issue. The Fitbit Surge strap was not installed properly and my watch face got moisture in it. Unfortunately, the one year warranty has expired and Fitbit offered me a 25% discount for a new device. Very disappointed as it is the second time the strap has failed me over the last 2 years. It is hard to walk away from Fitbit because all my data is in the fitbit app...  Any suggestions on a lower price alternative with a built-in GPS capability....

[jansenf]

Absolutely agree. After several times used Surge, it became a toy now.

[YojanaFitbit]

It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community @Sreedhar_58 and @jansenf! 

Sorry for the issues with your Surge. Thanks for the feedback, it's very important to us to have your thoughts in regards our product and your customer support interactions. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience. 

I know that some of you maybe questioning about the quality of Fitbit but, I assure you that we test our Fitbit before releasing them to the market and we expect the highest quality in our products and services. Each scenario is different, but I think that you can use the option available according to your warranty information. 

@jansenf I've noticed that you don't have a case open with us, so I've requested them to check your options to see if we can do something for you. Please wait for a follow up email.

See you around.