Lost my Zip

[Carolraleigh]

I lost my Fitbit and I was told by several people that Fitbit was generous about just replacing them, they all were just provided new units. So I did a live chat with Fitbit today and they refused to replace it, they said they are now more "stringently" enforcing their policy of not replacing them. They offered me a 25% discount, only usable at the online sift it store, which, when applied to the $59.95 price tag, makes it $44, which is more than I originally paid for my unit at Walmart, which was $35! Yes, that was a thanksgiving day special, but still.... I am quite aggravated and dissatisfied, as I know so many people who got replacements, I suspect they want to me to go buy a flex, which I will definitely not be doing.

Moderator edit: edited title for clarity & format

[SteveH]

I think they do still offer replacements but only within the terms of the warranty ( www.fitbit.com/returns )

Outside the warranty they offer the 25% discount as a goodwill gesture.

As you stated they have previously replaced some units outside warranty on a case-by-case basis but I don't believe this happens now.

[WendyB]

It had to change some time. I think its great they offered you a discount.

[SteveH]

I agree. It's strange that the withdrawal of their previous generosity has such a negative impact - even when they continue to be generous with the discount.

[PureEvil]

@Carolraleigh,

Welcome to the community!

I had a friend of mine vent about how Fitbit would not replace his son's lost Fitbit Charge.  So when I asked him some questions to that may help him find it, I found that:

• He had gotten it from craigslist.
• He had never even registered it.  Just strapped it on and tracked his steps on the display.
• He had never tried to find it.  Yes, there are many suggestions that may help you find it.

So effectively, he wanted Fitbit to replace a device that he had no record of ever buying (or using since it was never registered).  What is stopping anyone from calling Fitbit telling them the very same story and getting a brand new device?

What strikes me about your (very first) post in the forum is that it centered around Fitbit's change in their policy...  Not once did you ask if there were viable ways to help you find your lost Fitbit, for instance:

• Is it still syncing?  If so it may still be in your house (it's certainly at least near a computer with a dongle).
• I recently found the 'Gadgets' app on Windows Phone which will tell you when and where your phone last synced with your Fitbit (and will even give you directions back to that location).
• Depending on your platform there may be other tools, I believe that there's a bluetooth finder app on Android.

Sadly there are a class of folks who, knowing Fitbit's generous replacement policy, were lackadaisical about finding their lost Fitbit, and no, I'm not necessarily saying that you are among them...  All I'm saying is that I've seen it before.

Having said all that, perhaps we can give you some hints that may help you find your Fitbit.

Also, if you had purchased it with an American Express they have a 90 day accidental damage/theft replacement policy.

I hope this helps.

[Carolraleigh]

No, this does not help. I am not a moron. Yes I registered my device. Yes, I tried to track it and look for it. Yes I looked to see if it was syncing. No I did not provide the details of that in my post, because that was not the focus of my post. My focus was the unfairness from one customer to the next, and their lack of advertisment of a change in a procedure (which effects the policy to which they directed me). Yes it was generous of them to replace others' lost devices and I do not begrudge them that. I am simply trying to make others aware of this change, and yes, vent a little. Watch your tone, for you are aptly-handled!

[PureEvil]

@Carolraleigh,

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you did not register your device nor that you didn't look for it.  I assume that you did.  Nor did I call you a moron.

Was there a change in policy on the extent of their generosity?  Absolutely.  While I can understand your frustration, I would not frame it as "unfairness from one customer to the next".  The key to this conversation is whether one should expect a replacement device.  It was never part of their policy that upon losing/damaging a device, you'd unconditionally get a replacement.  Yes, many lucky people did.  You weren't treated unfairly; you were not slighted.  They were treated generously.  It's not bad for you; it was good for them.  There is a difference.

I can attest to the fact, that after my Ultra malfunctioned (out of warranty) they did not simply send me a new device, but offered me a discount on a new one.  I found this to be generous and happily took it.

All that said, despite the fact that I am very familiar with the devices, I'm constantly learning new things from folks here in the forum, and the way that starts is by asking questions.  I understand that not everyone learns the same way, but that was simply my observation.

For instance, I only recently learned of the 'Gadgets' feature on my phone, it looks like this:

Knowing precisely when and where it was last connected to your phone, may help you track it down.

Looking at your activity graph (when and how many steps) for the day you lost it, may also help...  "My steps stop at 1:30pm, I was at Walmart at the time, close to when I checked out".

If your last sync was during a time when you weren't moving a lot, then you may have been sitting down for lunch at Subway...  etc.

Like I mentioned before...  Many credit cards cover the loss of a recent purchase, check their fine print.

[Carolraleigh]

Do you really have nothing better to do than point out to me what you think i need to do to fix this? Do you respond to everyone's posts with such thinly veiled passive-aggression? Do you think it's your place to tell me how to handle this? Do you represent Fitbit? Because nothing you've said has been helpful in any way. How do you know what I have and haven't tried to do to manage this situation? At what point did I ask for suggestions? Are you not even reading my posts? Because everything you've said is off-topic and beside the point. I never posted "how do I fix this?" There are plenty of other posts that address that issue and I already read them. I posted, "this was my experience." Apparently that's some kind of problem for you because you seem to feel the need to be condescending and self-righteous. why do you think I don't know how to look at the activity graph, or see if my credit card will cover it? What makes you think I didn't already do that? Why would you assume these things? There's only one explanation: you are presumptuous in general and I find that to be a despicable quality.

[PureEvil]

@Carolraleigh,

Wow, let's take a step back for a minute...  Without tainting any statements with presumptions; just stating the facts:

• You lost your Fitbit.
• Fitbit is not replacing it free of charge.

Now, even if you chose to read it that way, I never actually uttered (nor did I imply or even imagine):

• You are a moron.
• You never tried to find it.
• You don't know how to read your activity graph.

I did however say (you can look at the message above):

"All that said, despite the fact that I am very familiar with the devices, I'm constantly learning new things from folks here in the forum, and the way that starts is by asking questions."

While I understand that this post wasn't about trying to find your Fitbit, it was about venting about their being more restrained with their generosity...  I was hoping that I may help.

Ultimately, what I really want to do is to help you find your Fitbit.  Even if you imagined trying to correlate your activity with the last time of your sync, there may be other folks who read the forum (like you on the other threads) that may benefit from the post even if you already knew.

My making suggestions about what you may try is not a function of my assumptions about how smart you are or what kinds of things you have tried to find your Fitbit.  However, lacking any information (you never made a 'I lost my Fitbit' post), I can't possibly know what you have tried.  If I mentioned something you had tried (but neglected to mention), you can either ignore it or simply respond with "I tried that, but it didn't help".  I'm sorry that you chose to read it as an insult.

For instance, when I had suggested in the past that folks may check the fine print on their credit card, it turned out to be helpful to another user; it didn't occur to them.  He didn't read it as, "Are you making suggestions that I have tried because you think I'm lazy or a moron?".

Because ultimately, what I really want to do is to help you find your Fitbit.

[ErickFitbit]

@Carolraleigh Sorry to hear about your lost Zip. Per our warranty page: "To obtain warranty service, you must deliver the Product, in either its original packaging or packaging providing an equal degree of protection, to the address specified by Fitbit."

@Carolraleigh@PureEvil Let's make sure to keep the conversation on the Community respectful for everyone involved while continuing to abide by the Community Guidelines. We're all here to help each other out and continue to be, well, a Community.

[Spuds63]

I have lost 4 Fitbit Zips, one of which (#4) was a freebie to replace # 3 which just started acting wonky!)
I'd like to see a new Find My Fitbit app. I downloaded another app to help locate Bluetooth devices but it just could've locate my Zip.
So, against my better judgement, I bought a Charge HR which, after two months, hasn't yet disappeared! But I still prefer the cheaper Zip!

[HelenaFitbit]

It's great to see you on the forums @Spuds63! While I'm really sorry to read about your lost Zips, it's great to know you have now adopted a new member into your life. I'm sure you are going to love your Charge HR. 

In regards to the Find my Fitbit suggestion, you can certainly vote for this on our Feature Requests board; this is the best way to get your ideas across our development team. 

Let me know if you have any questions, happy stepping!

[katebrass]

My daughter's was stolen on an airline flight and Fitbit replaced it within the warranty period.  She just received the replacement yesterday. What a great company! Thanks, Fitbit.

[LucyAP]

Nice to see you here @katebrass! So good to hear that your daughter is back on track.  Thanks for sharing your feedback this helps Fitbit to keep improving their products and services. 

Also, I'd like to encourage you to join us at Discussions board, there you can be inspired, find some tips to get moving, eat well, manage weight, sleep better, live mindfully and more! Give it a look! 🙂 

[marksbit]

Not sure how or why people expect to get things for free. I think it's amazing that they offer you any sort of discount for your negligence. If you are worried about losing things, maybe you should get it insured next time!