Mad at Fitbit

[Texas Proud]

So, about 1 1/2 years ago I bought fitbits for my daughter, my wife and me... daughter got a Charge and DW and I got a Charge HR....


About 9 months in my daughter says "Dad, my fitbit band broke".... sure enough, it had ripped along the side... so I was working on getting info on what to do and before I could see if it could be fixed the band broke in two. Called Fitbit and they replaced it was a similar one for free. It was not the same as they had stopped making them and did not have an exact match.


A couple of months ago my DW complained that the charger cord would not stay in her fitbit (BTW, the Charge and Charge HR have DIFFERENT charging cords for some strange reason)... Well, a piece of the plastic that holds in the charger cord broke.... called fitbit and they said 'too bad, it is not under warranty'.... I told DW I could glue it back together, but she insisted I buy the new Charge HR 2 (which is MUCH better than the old one).... So, in just over 1 year 2 of the 3 broke!!!!


WELL, we come to today and we are now 3 for 3!!! Yes, mine broke just like my DWs... except that mine was the whole back including the button to cycle through.... I am sure that fitbit will do nothing.... I just finished gluing it back together and will wait to see if it works.... it did not want to seat properly and I fear the button will be glued and will not work....


So, to sum up... bought 3 around the same time... all 3 have broken... got one as a replacement, but not exactly the same... bought a replacement for a total of 5!!! DD does not wear hers that much as she is scared it will break.... DW wears hers all the time, but it is only a few months old....

Just to add a bit more complaints... my 'screen' (which is small) is all scratched up.... it has not held up to normal wear and tear IMO...


I would NOT recommend people to buy fitbit... these are expensive and should not be throw away items.... I am over $500 into these and the results are failing....

 

[W2R]

What a coincidence! The day before yesterday, I found my Fitbit One which I had lost on January 14th. Turns out it was clipped to a t-shirt that I seldom wear, and after being washed and dried, sat in a basket of clean t-shirts for six months.

Being an optimist, I charged it overnight. And guess what? It WORKS and even remembered my name.

By now I have a new computer, so I downloaded the software and I'm all set.

 

[JoeWras]

I was an early adopter before they went public and loved it. Since they went public, I've seen a change, and not for the better.

Long story short: I now have a TomTom with which I am more pleased than my old fitbit.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Fitbit had legendary customer service with a liberal replacement policy. Now they offer a paid extended warranty. I still love my newest one but will probably get the least expensive Apple watch when this one bites the dust.

 

[Amethyst]

Still using my $18 Omron 3-axis pedometer which also tells time...Four and a half years, changed the battery 4 times.

 

[Cobra9777]

I wear a Fitbit Flex that I've had since 2014. It died at month-11 and was replaced under warranty, although I think it was my fault for going swimming with it several times. The replacement is still going strong. I wear it 24 hours a day and really like reviewing the weekly progress report. I bought a 3-pack of additional bands (all different colors) on Amazon for about $7.

My only issue now is that it regularly stops syncing with my Android phone. I have to charge both devices, reboot both devices, toggle bluetooth on/off a couple times, and it will suddenly start syncing again.

I also wear an Android smartwatch (Moto 360), but I've found the Fitbit to be more accurate at counting steps and I don't wear the watch all the time.

 

[explanade]

I don't know about chargers but some of the bands are available from third parties.

You can search on Amazon for your model.

I also have a One but that neoprene carrier always tears after awhlle. I bought a third party one but it's not as good.

I may go Apple Watch instead, though I like the way Fitbit presents the data much better.

 

[Texas Proud]

I don't know about chargers but some of the bands are available from third parties.

You can search on Amazon for your model.

I also have a One but that neoprene carrier always tears after awhlle. I bought a third party one but it's not as good.

I may go Apple Watch instead, though I like the way Fitbit presents the data much better.

The older ones that I bought did not have a replaceable band... when my daughters broke I was thinking I could just get a band and be good... the 'smart' part still worked....

My DWs new one has a much better screen (also much larger) and you can change the band... so far so good...

 

[Mo Money]

Fitbit = junk. Their updates absolutely stunk. Tossed mine.

 

[Texas Proud]

OH, forgot to mention....

One of my sisters gave me an Aria scale that is supposed to sync with your computer and transfer the data to your dashboard...

Well, I cannot get it to sync!!! I have sent an email to fitbit who sent me back a long list of 'fixes'.... I went through all of them and nothing!!!

I made sure that I had the right channel and a good signal etc... had the scale 6 inches from my wifi and still it would not sync...

So, another piece of crap from fitbit....

DD is using the scale as it still works as a scale, just not update to the computer...


I also had the problem with it syncing with my tablet... I finally got tired of it not doing it and deleted the app....

Considering that the stock price started around $30 and went up to $50 and is now $5 in a 2 year period leads me to believe that I am not the only one that has a problem with them...

 

[aja8888]

I lost the first one as the clip must have slipped off (Fitbit one). The second one got funky (not responsive) so Fitbit replaced it. I gave it to granddaughter as it fell off onto the road when I was using it. Let her lose it. I just gave up keeping track of stuff and us the bathroom scale as a guide. Novel?

 

[JoeWras]

Fitbit = junk. Their updates absolutely stunk. Tossed mine.

Oh, you mean like the firmware update that would hang the device? Yep. Been there. The forums said, "keep trying." I got mine to update somewhere around the 13th try.

 

[Texas Proud]

Oh, you mean like the firmware update that would hang the device? Yep. Been there. The forums said, "keep trying." I got mine to update somewhere around the 13th try.

LOL.... forgot about that one... mine did OK but DWs did not...

 

[explanade]

If you have iPhone or iPad, you can sync data from Fitbit to Apple Health app and from that, to other third party devices and apps.

There is an app called Power Sync which will send data both ways between Fitbit and Apple Health. It's free but you can upgrade for $2 for auto syncing, otherwise you have to open it periodically to sync.

So I got a Weight Gurus Bluetooth scale from Bed Bath and Beyond and the app for that sends data to Apple Health, which then sends data to Fitbit via Power Sync.

Also have the same setup for an iHealth blood pressure monitor.

So my weight and blood pressure shows up in my Fitbit dash panel.

 

[Texas Proud]

interesting.... it does appear that Fitbit is going the way of GoPro... down...

I was looking at their SEC filings and there are a good number of sales by the executives... over 17 million shares.... looks like they are trying to cash out...


Also, they are doing an exchange for employees who have under water stock options so they can get RSUs.... another good way to screw the investor...


When I worked at mega and my options were under water there was a big. 'ho hum'..... nothing was done... it is not like I had that many options but at the high it was worth a few thousand...

 

[gerntz]

What's a fitbit?

 

[explanade]

Well they may have taken significant stock compensation to work there at below market wages.

To keep them working, they may have to do that.

 

[Aerides]

The Charge HR I have... started to split at the sides about 9 months in. So I got one of these sleeve/covers to put over the main area and keeps it together:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GSQELLS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lately, I'm finding that the battery dies after 24 hours, so I've got it charging nightly. The Charge 2 HR is supposed to be a much better unit (now $129 on amazon, also at Costco...) so I might get that when my Charge really dies.

I like the concept. Now that I realize it's pretty much an annual expense, I'll just plan for it, and be happy when they last longer.

 

[Texas Proud]

The Charge HR I have... started to split at the sides about 9 months in. So I got one of these sleeve/covers to put over the main area and keeps it together:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GSQELLS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lately, I'm finding that the battery dies after 24 hours, so I've got it charging nightly. The Charge 2 HR is supposed to be a much better unit (now $129 on amazon, also at Costco...) so I might get that when my Charge really dies.

I like the concept. Now that I realize it's pretty much an annual expense, I'll just plan for it, and be happy when they last longer.

LOL.. that is exactly what happened to DWs and mine.... I just used epoxy glue and it is good to go so far (just a few hours).... but the side sticks out ever so slightly so I do not know if it is a long term fix...


I will say that the new one looks SO much better than the original... bought one for DW and she loves it.... it even has a much better clip for the charge cord... we will see if the quality is as bad as the original or did they actually make it better...

 

[explanade]

Yeah they really should use micro USB ports for charting rather than come up with a unique charger for each of their devices.

Really smacks of trying to get additional revenues through unreliable chargers.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Fitbit = junk. Their updates absolutely stunk. Tossed mine.

To sum up a long story: DW and I had fitbits Zip and One. Almost every one quit on us. Incredibly poor quality. Good return policy. I now have a 3D- TriSport that suits my needs well at a fraction of the cost.

 

[jollystomper]

It seems that the band problem is "planned obsolescence", to get you to buy a new Fitbit every 18 months-2 years. I guess they figure if they provided stronger/replaceable bands, that would hurt sales....

I have a charge HR whose band came apart after 8 months, Fitbit replaced it. The new one's band came apart 7 months later, Fitbit of course said sorry, out of warranty since it is over a year from original purpose.

With a sleeve plus careful gluing (there are a lot of videos on YouTube on how to repair broken bands), it is put back together. However, the HR function works about 2/3rd of the time. The rest of the functions are fine, so I'll keep using it.

I can only think the non-standard charger cord was another attempt at "forcing" one to buy replacement charger cables from them... fortunately there are third parties cords available that are cheap and work fine.

 

[Jerry1]

I had one of their basic models when work bought it for me. It didn't take long to break and I threw it away and never got another one. I wore it long enough to know that unless I make a concerted effort to walk, I don't get in many steps. A normal day of going to work, walking around during the day and coming home was usually under 3000 steps. If a golf (with a cart), I get in over 10,000 steps. Therefore, I don't need a machine to tell me that I typically don't walk (move) enough.

I think the process of checking on their activity is motivating - good for you and I wish you the best. It just doesn't work for me.

 

[FlaGator]

Not wanting to set anyone off, but what do these, and similar products, help you do?

I've used a scale and tried to be mindful of my intake and overall activity level and adjust one or both when the scale starts lying to me . Have friends that wear them daily, and they talk about their "steps", but haven't had to occasion to ask how they have helped them.

Sincerely want to know I'm missing some useful guidance or info.

Sorry if this too sharp a diversion from the topic....

 

[Koolau]

What's a fitbit?

Yeah, I had to look it up. Don't want one. YMMV