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Surge wristband - My experience

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I noticed last week that the wristband had failed near the screws on my Surge. This was bought in January 2015 so a little over 3 years ago. I don’t frequent the forum so wasn’t aware that this was an ongoing and known issue. I’m in the UK so my Fitbit comes with a 2 year limited warranty. I contacted Fitbit directly to ask for a solution to repair or replace the wristband. I received a pretty prompt response and an offer of 25% off any new tracker as it’s apparently not possible to swap out for a new wristband and Fitbit don’t have repair facilities in Europe. I rejected this offer a) because I wouldn’t expect a £200 + device to fail so soon and b) why would I shell out a similar amount of money with the risk of it happening again in a couple of years?. I then turned to the forums and it’s clear that when I bought this tracker back in January 2015 it was already a known issue to Fitbit with it being a manufacturing/design flaw. As this was a known issue, and instead of recalling defective devices Fitbit continued to sell them, I looked into the UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 and my rights. I quoted back to Fitbit that they had supplied a device which was not fit for purpose, regardless of the length and coverages of their warranty. I guess for Fitbit the risk of people claiming worked out cheaper than a recall, and I’m sure that not every device is affected. It’s pretty clear that customer support offer the 25% discount first in the hope of some take up. In my case, and after refusing their offer, they promptly replied offering me a replacement Surge which I received today. I was told that I would only receive the tracker not the charge cable or dongle, I then began to wonder whether I would be receiving a refurbished device. What I received was a new device in retail packaging complete with accessories. I hope this experience might be of some help to others, stand your ground and know your rights. I can’t fault Fitbit in their handling of this.

 

Moderator edit: Subject for clarity

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16 REPLIES 16

Hi, the same problem happened to my surge which i got from amazon , they replaced it for me ..again the same thing happened so i was still within my warrenty so i got onto fitbit ..They offered me 50%off a dif tracker or a replacement.  So i took replacement, they have now i total sent me 4 non working trackers. Just got the 4th today . To say im fuming is an understatement . I dont know what to do now because i do not want another one ..😠

 

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Go to Amazon. Search Surge wristbands. There are many vendors selling wrist bands for $10-$25. Most proveide tools to install the bands. Only catch is that you have to use the existing screws on tyour Surge. New ones are not provided and are hard to locate.

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Oh god ive had the same problems. Ive just received my third replacement. This one arrived in a box as new where the others just arrived in bags so i was optimistic. Sadly this one is just stuck on the exercise screen. I really love my fitbit and do want another one but very despondant now. 

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Thanks...they are sending me a different type ..but i have 4 non working
surges . Seems a shame .
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@ladybugg1111 I put this up as a solution to advise people not to just accept the first offer from Fitbit and that they should replace the device even if the official warranty has expired. Pointing out that counterfeit products can be bought isn’t a solution. Counterfeit products not only hurt the developer and the consumer. You have no idea what it’s  made of or in what conditions it was made. You could be exposing yourself to hazardous chemicals and worse, supporting child or slave labour.

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Hi everybody! Thank you for your participation in the forums.

 

We really appreciate your comments. Fitbit is always trying to provide great products and customer experience, that's why they offered you that option since the Surge is out of warranty. Each scenario is different, but if they didn't offer you a different option; must be because they don't have it. Nevertheless, I really appreciate your feedback; this is the best way to make your voice heard.

 

Using a discount to get back on track with the same or a different tracker, it'd be a good option for a person that is considering staying in the Fitbit family. If it is not your case, sorry you feel this is enough but this is an option that Fitbit gives as something extra, since most of companies don't have options after the warranty ends. I understand you've invested in the Fitbit Family; however, Fitbit as any other company have policies to follow through.  While customer satisfaction remains our number one goal, the demands of running a global business require that we enforce our warranty consistently.   

 

One more thing to mention is that you can always read the Returns and Warranty policies from Fitbit so you can have a better understanding of the response our Support Team provided. For more details about your specific case, please let me know so I can contact our team.

 

Thank you for your understanding. 

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Thanks for your reply. I was in my warranty.. but theyve sorted it now with
a replacement that actually works this time . So hopefully thats it ..
thanks
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0 Votes

Has anyone put on a replacement band?  Wondering how hard it is...but I have to do something before my band completely separates.

Thanks

 

Moderator edit: Format

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Hi @Dervf and @Gabtam! It's great to see you here in the forums, thanks for sharing. Woman Happy

 

@Dervf So glad to hear that you were able sort this out, I hope this works for you! Finger cross.

 

@Gabtam Welcome to the Fitbit family, here in the Forums we're always trying to give you helpful options. I know it is okay to have options but in this case I'd consider checking your warranty options since Fitbit doesn't cover non Fitbit products. In order to further assist you, I've gone ahead and escalated your case to our Support Team. 

 

Keep me posted. Smiley Happy

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@Gabtam I fitted a 3rd party strap - see post https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Surge/Wristband-broken/td-p/2411488

 

Good luck

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Thank you!

Sent from my iPhone
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That's a good result, at 3 years old. Amazed your strap lasted that long though. Mine started cracking at about 1 year old. I guess FitBit have a large stock of unsold Surges that they are able to use as warranty replacements at the moment.

 

The bottom strap is easy to DIY replace, the top one is a little more fiddly because the GPS antenna is built into it. Loads of guides online, just google fitbit surge band replacement.

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Thank you!

Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks for your participation @SunsetRunner and @b-mike. Your comments are really appreciated.

 

@Gabtam Let me know if you have any question about your process. 

 

See you around. 

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@Gabtam YouTube has video's on how to replace the band. Good luck.

Fixed wing aircraft (F-4J, F-4S), Fighter Squadrons: VF-171, VF-31, VF-103.
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Hi @VF31AE3! thanks for your participation, nice to see you here. Smiley Happy

 

@Gabtam Just as a friendly reminder, check your warranty options first before trying any other option.

 

Happy stepping both of you!

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