4th poor quality fitbit in a row. Now poor customer service. (Thanks Google!)
I try to write only positive reviews when I get a great product I like, but I had to write this to let others know what to expect when you buy a Fitbit. I started wearing a Fitbit back in 2018 when my health-conscious daughter bought each of us in the family a Fitbit so we could track our steps and she could harass us about our lack of healthy activities. My 1st Fitbit Charge 2 lasted just about 3 weeks past the 1 year warranty period. Called customer service and they surprisingly and readily sent me a new one. Great! The new one did a little better and lasted 18 months. Although wary of Fitbit's quality, to keep family unity, and based on their great customer experience, I bought a new Charge 3, which also lasted about 18 months. I thought I was done paying premium prices for Chinese made merchandise that doesn't last. So, I bought a bought a $25 knockoff (also made in China because US made electronics don't exist- I searched), and while the knockoff's user interfaces aren't as good, it's reliability has been better than the Fitbit and it's still working fine 18 months later. In August of 2022, my wife bought me a new Fitbit Charge 5, so I graciously accepted it and started wearing it (don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right). It was ok. A little glitchy and needed rebooting every month or two but worked fine for almost a year, until it didn't (after 360 days exactly). This time customer service was also helpful and confirmed that it was faulty and needed to be replaced and referred it to the warranty dept. The warranty department then sent an email saying they are refusing to honor the warranty, not based on the date of purchase, but on the fact that I bought it on Amazon (apparently from a very reputable, but still 3rd party seller) and not shipped directly from an Amazon warehouse directly. That is deceptive and unfair. Fitbit made the product, advertises the warranty and should stand behind it. I called customer service back, but no amount of appealing to reason or asking to speak to a manager was of any use. Google bought Fitbit for $2.1 billion in 2021 and it seems things have gone downhill since then. It seems to me that Google is trying to get some of that $$$ back by denying legitimate warranty requests. Maybe they will get the rest back by selling more personal information for advertising, or finding an even cheaper Asian factory to make the products in. (Sorry for that little personal editorial). Either way, be aware, these are very short-lived products you will be spending your hard earned money on. There are much better options out there. My son abandoned his Fitbit early on and has been using a Samsung smartwatch which has lasted at least 4 years and is still going strong. Buyer beware of Fitbit, especially now!
Pros: Fitbits are generally pretty user friendly and have intuitive, useful phone apps
Fitbits provide fairly extensive and useful health metrics and information
(Good customer service prior to acquisition by Google)
Cons: Extremely poor longevity and lifespan (average lifespan 1.25 years)
Can be glitchy and need rebooting every month or two within that short lifespan
Poor customer service/ refuse to honor warranty on the most recent Charge 5 that became
Non-operational in less than a year (360 days to be exact)

I have had my Fitbit Luxe watch with prime now for 2 years. On June of 2022 my Fitbit started sending messages to my iPhone referencing I had possible AFIB. Not knowing what AFIB was I blew it off until 5 months ago when I started to read the reports on my phone showing me the time frame of the AFIB accrued the heart Heart beats per minute and how long each episode lasted.

I advised my GP doctor he suggested I see a cardiologist ASAP to determine if I did or didn't have AFIB. I did find a cardio specialist showed him my iPhone Fitbit luxe reports he stated watches are good but need to put a heart monitor on you to be sure this is what your experiencing.

After 14 days of wearing monitor and my return visit to my cardio specialist tge monitor showed high rate of AFIB mostly during times I was sleeping. Cardio specialist sent me to cardio specialist that dealt solely with the repairing of AFIB.

After this specialist examined my monitors report and amount of time in AFIB he suggested medication being taken, Eliquis was not going to cure my condition only a procedure would be 86% sure of doing so. As of this pass Wednesday I underwent AFIB surgery to repair my heart condition. It's a good thing I did take my condition of AFIB seriously as my cardiologist who performed the procedure found another heart issue that he also repaired.

I thank my Luxe Fitbit Watch with my knowing I was in need of a serious condition needing my attention through professional medical care if not AFIB can lead to stroke do to blood clots in the hearts chambers that can travel to the brain. Fact AFIB more than likely won't cause you a heart attack but can if not addressed cause you a stroke. Thank you FitBit for possibly saving me from a serious health issue.

Just had this experience.
Fibit is no longer compatible wih Windows.
She suggests OTHER devices.
Congenial apologies to avoid support.
No longer able to transfer music from computer to watch. Here is the transcript.
Read it and switch!

Veronica will be with you shortly. Thanks for being a Fitbit customer!
One moment please...
Thanks for waiting. Please provide as many details as you can so we can get you back on track.
10:44 am

Hi! I'm Veronica from Fitbit customer support. Tell me, how can I be of your assistance today?
10:45 am
Fitbit web login wont work with Fitbit app on pc
10:45 am

I will be more than glad to assist you with this issue regarding your Fitbit app on pc.
To start please let me know your country of residence.
10:45 am
Thanks for contacting Fitbit. Choose from the options below to get started.
OK, I'll connect you with an advocate who can help you with.
OK, I'll connect you with an advocate who can help you with... / All other devices
Thanks for being a Fitbit customer! Someone will be with you shortly.
Veronica will be with you shortly. Thanks for being a Fitbit customer!
Canada
10:46 am

Thank you for letting me know that information.
Please allow me a minute while I search on my system for some information to give you the best resolution.
Thank you very much for your patience.
In this case, you will not be able to access because the Fitbit app is no longer compatible with Windows.
That is the reason why you cannot access the account from the pc app, however you should not have any issue with other device to log into Fitbit app.
10:49 am
Other device?
10:49 am

Yes, like a cellphone or an ipad.
10:49 am
How do i load music from my pc to my phone then?
10:50 am

In this case, that feature to transfer music is no longer available because it was through the computer.
Are we still connected?
10:53 am
Excellent incentive to try your competition! Yes?
10:53 am

We're constantly striving to improve Google and Fitbit products and services, and we appreciate all of the input we receive from our customers. The best place to make your voice heard is the Feature Suggestion board on our community (community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/idb-p/features).
10:54 am
I have much better options to voice my opinions. If I have to get rid of my versa2. What incentive does fitbit provide?
10:55 am

You can let us know your opinion about the change in the feature to improve in that.
By the way you will receive a quick survey once you click on "End Chat", to let us know how I did with my support, and separately, how Fitbit managed it. You can as well provide here your feedback.
Could you let me know if perhaps you have any additional questions? I'll be happy to help.
10:56 am
What do you recommend. Apple watch - Samsung or OTHER devices?
10:57 am
You are free to choose the device that you want to use, remember that we will we always here for you and we would like to know your opinions to improve our devices.
10:59 am
BRUTAL. Your competition thanks you for this level of support!

Regards
George (former FITBIT customer)

My third Fitbit died just like the other two. Customer service is a joke and extremely insulting. First Fitbit, a Charge 3, screen died right around the end of the warranty. Didn't really impress me so I shopped for a new model. Was going to go with anything but a Fitbit. Should have listened to myself. Unfortunately I saw the Versa 2 had a nice sale price at Target, and thought I'd upgrade and give it a try. Approximately 6-8 months later the screen died. This time I contacted Customer Service and they replaced it. You don't get a new one, you get a refurbished one, and the warranty on it is what you had remaining on your first purchase. It never really ran correctly, text alerts were spotty, and syncing with the app was a nightmare. Sure thing, a month or so after the warranty ended, the screen went crazy. Backlight came on full brightness and I could no longer use it. I contacted Customer Service again and was informed it was out of warranty. Was told that they cared about me and wanted to keep me in the Fitbit family, so in a separate email they would send me a discount to use on the Fitbit site. I waited three days for them to finally respond. I was offered a 35% discount only valid for 30 days and only on their website, and not valid with any other offer. I had flirted with the thought of maybe upgrading again to a Sense. Went to the website and saw it was on sale from $299 to $199. I thought maybe with the discount and the sale price, it might be worth giving Fitbit one more try. I went through everything to purchase it, and put in the promo code they sent me. Imagine my surprise when my total was MORE EXPENSIVE than the sale price! I double checked my order and sure enough it was almost $40 more to use the promo code I was sent (because they CARE about me and want to keep me in the family)! I immediately responded to Customer Service and asked what the deal was. First they told me to make sure I didn't add anything extra that would drive up the price. I told them I had only ordered just one Sense, and the code was entered correctly, and still the price was markedly higher than the sale price. They then informed me that the discount was not applicable on the sale price. I told them that this is my third Fitbit that died in relatively the same amount of time and the same reason, and I'm not going keep throwing money at Fitbit and hope and pray that I get a Fitbit that would work longer than 8 months give or take. These watches cost a little bit of money to buy a new one every year due to it malfunctioning. If I could use the promo code on the sale price I would buy it immediately. I was basically told they will not honor the code on the sale price. I was incensed. I've been a customer for almost three years and have had all three Fitbits malfunction. Was basically told oh well, that's the way it is. Horrible Customer Service and a horrible glitchy product. I'm considering a class action suit after doing more research and finding that there are a LOT of dissatisfied customers out there with issues eerily similar to mine. It's painfully obvious that they don't care that they put out subpar products and don't stand behind anything. Spend a little more and check out a Garmin or Apple Watch.

Shipping far late, no discount. Shipping far late, no discount. Shipping far late, no discount. Shipping far late, no discount.

Let me start off by saying, I absolutely LOVED my Versa Fitbit. I have been a loyal customer for years. The customer service I have received in the past 48 hours has been nothing short of atrocious! I am officially moving on from Fitbit. Their customer service SUCKS! Don't waste your money on their "Protection Plans" which cover NOTHING even if you bought it! They must have some serious lawyers to be able to pull off this kind of stint. Read the protection plan on what's not covered: Example: 1) Fitbit isn't held responsible if you open up the box after it was shipped to you and it doesn't work "damage caused by transit, delivery or redelivery" 2) "Not responsible for natural flaws or inherent design or manufacturer's defects" 3) Doesn't work but has a "No problems found diagnosis" (interesting). Aren't those exactly what SHOULD be covered?!

Don't waste your money! Mine broke down without cause. Honestly, I'm incredibly responsible and take care of all my technology, especially when I rely so heavily upon it. I take immaculate care of mine as I require it daily. Live Chat agent are moronic and utterly useless. They start off putting you through the rigamarole of when did you purchase it? Do you still have the receipt Do you have the protection plan? All information they already have when you give them your email address but they make you do the work for it. Took an extra 30 minutes wasting time until I told him to look up when it was activated. In just under an hour Live Chat his solution was to have me clean the contacts and plug it into a different outlet. Obviously strategies I've already tried prior to contacting them. Oy! Told me to use the Community Forum. Which again, I already had, and why would I use the community board when I'm on chat with what should be a professional in Fitbit gear. They then advised me to contact Fitbit support via email, naturally infuriating me more but I still did bc what else are my options. Know what happened?! Email auto replied to me stating, "While we're no longer offering support by email, if you don't see what you're looking for or need additional support, you can always chat with us online or give us a call. Click here to get connected."Is that even a joke?! How were the agents on Live Chat unaware of that? Oh, more than likely they were and just used it to get me off the line. The next Live Chat rep I caught BSing me TWICE! After telling her I sent an email as told to by the last rep and that it came back as a service not offered, she later told me to wait for my formal email complaint to process. HELLO! The "formal complaint" that WASN'T processed bc they aren't doing email support?! She said she'd make sure it was put in the notes. She didn't offer how the next step worked. Just that it was "in the notes." Whelp, I've worked customer service, putting something in the notes section doesn't do squat unless it's made a priority and flagged. To which I had to emphasize with her. Literally, felt like I had to spell it out for her.

I have a medical condition and HEAVILY rely on my VERSA for it. To which her response was: "Our devices are made for fitness purposes, not medical ends." *insert eye roll and facepalm*
I use my Fitbit for my health, alarms for medications, fitness apps for my heart health and so on. She condescendingly "reminded" me that it's a fitness app.
My DOCTOR is the one who suggested using it or Apple Watch for the reasons above. It's not a GD tracker that's going to give me medical advice, I use it to MAINTAIN my health for my conditions. Jesus. Simple connection of dots and she couldn't process that.

I have been loyal for years and the treatment I received after 2 Live Chats (a third one disconnected 20 minutes in) are astounding. I ended up calling and speaking with Customer Service. I understand that none of this is obviously their fault which I made clear that my frustration was directed at FitBit itself, not her. Each agent refused repeatedly to connect me with a supervisor, manager or higher administrator to whom I could speak with personally. Finally I told her I expected contact by the end of the day with a comparable discount rather than the standard 25% off they seem to be giving EVERYONE. I did receive an email back by nightfall, no change in their stance. 25% off a new one of 40% off a Versa Lite (which presumably hasn't sold well and they're using that discount as a motivator- I was offered this before with Live Chat as well. I don't want the Lite as I need a durable one not some chintzy bauble that's going to break on day 2 and not be covered).

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! I spent over $100/year to have it for less than 2 years! FIND SOMETHING THAT WILL WORK, IS OF QUALITY AND IMPLORES GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE! I am so DISGUSTED with Fitbit and will be moving on. Apple Watch just gained a new customer. Peace Fitbit, hope you go under.

I have had a my first Charge 2 since June 2018, I had to re-install the app on and off during this period due to syncing issues. I was using it in conjunction with my Samsung J6. I have given 2 stars to be fair as originally everything seemed to work okay. I had to purchase a new phone in September this year of which I now have a Samsung Galaxy A40. All was well initially with being able to view my achievements on the phone app and then late October it decided not to work consistently. Since then I have had nothing but issues of no data being recorded or syncing issues. I was sent a replacement Charge 2 but even after a full charge the Charge 2 itself was dead, no green indicator lights on back, Fitbit told me it was because I had not updated - after numerous attempts of trying to update all attempts failed, it simply would not update. So Fitbit sent me another Charge 2 Device, this one seemed initially okay with recording all data and working in conjunction with the phone app. However, the app is still prompting me to update and it simply won't. I have tried all the trouble shooting but still it won't update. Two days ago it stopped showing me my sleep record on the phone app and took over a day before a successful sync. I keep uninstalling, reinstalling, turning off phone, turning bluetooth off and on again, resetting Charge 2 device but same old issues. Fitbit have told me today they are willing to send a further device FOC, this will be the 4th one, or I can upgrade for half price! However, there is an issue, apparently my phone is not compatible to any Fitbit device (although I was told they are working on this but couldn't tell me a time scale!). Their knee-jerk reaction to an issue is to send a replacement or offer an upgrade which in itself must be costly and not environmentally friendly as they are shipping out from the Netherlands. So my question to Fitbit was why offer me a replacement or an upgrade when I am going to have the same issues. I have not seen on any advertising or sales sites whereas it is made obvious to check your phone is compatible to the Fitbit device before purchasing. I have been told to go back to the original seller Amazon with my complaint so all in all Fitbit are not taking responsibility. By offering a replacement I am just going to have the same issues as I have had with the previous devices and I am not willing to pay for an upgrade when it is not guaranteed whether I will have the same issues with the compatibility. So I would suggest anyone purchasing to go onto the Fitbit website and check for compatibility of your phone with Fitbit rather than waste your money. Such a shame as I really liked it when it worked but it has proved to be inconsistent. I would like to hear from anyone who has managed to get through these issues - is there something that I have not tried?

I bought a Fitbit Surge several years back and I am a heavy user of the watch. Ideally, based on the features of the Surge the device should be worn most days and nights (steps, sleep cycle and fitness) However this is the 2nd replacement and the same issues come up over and over again. Screen scrolling gets sticky, syncing disappears/no longer works, rendering the fitness aspect somewhat useless, battery life is non-existent, band bubbles up and then when you call the customer service attempts to review all the FAQs then comes up with a "hardware" issue and then customer service offers you a 25% discount on a new device. However, this is pretty much the same discount I can get at any retailer. So FitBit is not interested in heavy users who are loyal to the technology.

I would suggest that Fitbit never intended this device to last more than a year and that people get bored or don't really use it that often (some faulty market research conducted by wet behind the ears, marketing graduate), so I guess FitBit assumed that like Apple; people keep wanting to buy up to the next version. Well, that is not the case in this particular industry, nor are the APPs the end all cure all. As customers we buy for functionality, looks, and long term reliability and FitBit lacks that on many levels. A device is not all about the engineering but also about customer service, functionality, reliability. I dare say the QA/QC process at FitBit is lacking and that they need an overhaul in the company downstream management with a focus on not improving the bottom-line for their lackluster stock performance but more importantly coming out with a reliable product so that the stock performance then matches the characteristics of the products they sell.

Unfortunately or Fortunately, I am now going through transition to the Apple Watch, which offers many of the same features, but also includes better styling, better QA/QC (better reliability), for a slightly higher price point but I also get water resistance which for us Fitness types can be important.

FitBit will go to the wayside like so many other lackluster technologies of Silicon Valley unless they are determined to make a go of it in real time vs. padding the pockets of rich investors and leadership.

Based on the other messages on this site about FitBit the same issues keep cropping up and it is to their deleterious impact that so many will migrate to Apple after having the FitBit experience. Lemmings and DoDos are the wave of the future for FitBit if they don't correct their cultural void and impact on customer service, marketing and engineering.

RECIEVED MY FIT BIT SMARTWATCH FOR CHRISTMAS. ONLY HAD IT FOR 2 MONTHS AND IT JUST SHUT OFF AND WILL NO LONGER POWER ON.

Dear Fitbit, Im breaking up with you!
I thought we were friends, I thought we were partners, me for you, and you for me. But then it happened, not once, but twice. You gave up on me.
The first time, I thought it was my fault, maybe I had done something to drive you away, even though you kept sending vibes like, its me, not you, I just cant seem to hold myself together. (which was true, you literally fell apart). After talking to someone in your creators house, they decided to send me a replacement, a newer and shinier version of you. It was great at first, like falling in love with you (only a prettier you) all over again.
Then it happened, your new self also fell apart on me, even sooner than you did the first time. What is with your family and its breakdowns? What went on in your house growing up? What did your parents feed you? Im guessing it wasnt fruits and veggies because neither you nor your replacement could handle the overwhelming task of sitting on my wrist without coming unglued.
Im not sure where to go from here. You were the one who convinced me that skinny jeans were good, and stretch pants bad. Guess what Im wearing now Fitbit? Yeah, you guessed it, elastic waists and oversized shirts. I no longer have anyone telling me, hello, get moving, you can do it. Without your words of motivation, I have no reason to continue my fitness sojourn. How am I supposed to know how much water I drank in a day, or how many calories are gleefully knitting more fat cells on my hips? Without your electronic knowledge, I have absolutely no way of knowing when to step away from the cheesy potatoes, I just carry the dish and a spoon everywhere I go; Long lines at the store? No problem, I have my potatoes and as far as I know, they are calorie free!
Now, lets talk about sleep! Once upon a time when someone asked me how my night went, I could whip out my handy-dandy Fitbit app, open the sleep page and say see for yourself. Now what? How am I supposed to answer such a complicated question without you? Sure, I could try interpretive dance and hope they understand, but I still cant tell them how many times I rolled over, or even if I slept at all. All I can do is make up a number and hope they dont challenge me on itI have NO proof!
Remember the workweek hustle? I do. Not just because I won every one of them that I participated in, (tee-hee) but because it gave me a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to roll over, look at my husband and say winner, winner, winner, me, me, me. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to see one of your kind still clinging on to his wrist while I have to hide my own naked one in shame? We used to have something really special, me and my husband. It was like magic each night as we would lay there side by side, him softly whispering to me, I got all my steps, then wed pull out our phones and quietly tell each other about our calorie intakes and miles walked. You dying on me, twice, dearest Fitbit took all that away. Now we just lay there with nothing to say. But sometimes, late at night, Ill catch him looking at his wrist, and I just know hes thinking of the good old days when we would hit 10K together.
I still love you Fitbit, but for my own sanity, I have to let you go.
Getting bigger by the day, Denise