Broken Fitbits (and do replacement products come with guarantees?)

[Salvadore]

Any manufacturer’s warranty offered is in addition to, not a replacement of, your statutory consumer rights.

The question is whether the Fitbit (assuming it has been treated properly) should reasonably have lasted longer than 18 months. You’ve had two experiences that tell you they have a limited lifespan.

If you believe you’ve been shortchanged, you could try your luck with the small claims court.

 

[coolaboola]

The big 46mm Samsung. Had a Garmin before it also would last a good few days.

I'm curious which Samsung 46mm that is ... the newer models (Galaxy 4 and 5) have battery life ratings of about 40 hours (or less).

On paper that's a lot less than my Ticwatch E3. Though it my Ticwatch appears to have over-promised and under-delivered: promising up to 3 days battery, delivering less than 2 days (and that's not with always-on display)

 

[AlbacoreA]

It's an old one.

Samsung Galaxy Watch - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

With watches it depends how hard you're using it. If you reduce the use of battery heavy features you can extend its life. Simple things like how complex and colourful the watch face is make a difference.

Coming from a Garmin I wanted better smart features and a decent battery in always on mode. But I do turn things on/off depending on situation. I like simple analogue watch faces which probably helps. I used to use (and still do) a medium sized G-Shock so the larger size wasn't an issue.

We've also got a Galaxy 4 in the family. Not heard any complaints about battery life there either. But people adjust their habits to suit their devices.

I'd consider something like the garmin solar instinct 2 if battery life was primary.

 

[coolaboola]

Thanks!

An oldie but goldie! The original Samsung Galaxy 46mm has a substantial battery of 472 mAh. That's better than the 361 mAh offered in the Samsung Galaxy 4 and even the 410 mAh of the Galaxy 5. (My Ticwatch E3 has a 380 mAh battery)

 

[AlbacoreA]

Unless you are regularly away from a charger its not that much of an issue.

 

[24601]

I've had 2 fitbits fail and one recalled. They offered a fairly decent voucher for the recall last year so I decided I'd get one last Fitbit. This was about 11 months ago and the Versa 3 I got as a replacement lasted about 8 months before it started giving issues. They are terribly unreliable. To be fair Fitbit replaced the 1st one without much hassle and replaced the replacement for that when that failed even though it was just outside the original warranty. Won't be getting another one.

 

[AlbacoreA]

We have 3, all still working.

I would say no issues. But one of them I think the Versa Lite would lose connection to the phone, then take the patience of a saint to reconnect then resynch. It would always there an update which would take hours to install. In the 3 yrs it been in the family its done this maybe 3 or 4 times. Bluetooth and notifications were tricky to set up. But just on that device not the other two.

I though they were too basic for the price. So I never used one myself personally. The Samsung is a vastly more capable device. Even if it doesn't have all the fitbit community fluff.

 

[andrew2000ad]

I've had another Fitbit fail, within warranty, and done the cycle of going through Fitbit support.
Failed seal at the back of a watch leading to water damage this time - a new one for me, it's usually the front seal.

Went through support chat, got the usual troubleshooting etc. They didn't make a decision, but said that they had sent my case to warranty team, and they would be in touch be email.
The email basically said I'm outside of warranty, the offer is a 30% discount on next Fitbit.

I was inside warranty - within 2 years - but outside the 1 year you get outside the EU. I think despite confirming I was in Ireland to support chat, they considered me in a different country. The website auto-routes you to en-us in more than a few places.
Getting back on to Chat support fixed it eventually, replying to their email repeatedly did not.

Got a refurbished newer device replacement this time, but not looking forward to the next battle if they only engage over chat where there is no transcript/record on customer side.

 

[lff12]

I've had another Fitbit fail, within warranty, and done the cycle of going through Fitbit support.
Failed seal at the back of a watch leading to water damage this time - a new one for me, it's usually the front seal.

Went through support chat, got the usual troubleshooting etc. They didn't make a decision, but said that they had sent my case to warranty team, and they would be in touch be email.
The email basically said I'm outside of warranty, the offer is a 30% discount on next Fitbit.

I was inside warranty - within 2 years - but outside the 1 year you get outside the EU. I think despite confirming I was in Ireland to support chat, they considered me in a different country. The website auto-routes you to en-us in more than a few places.
Getting back on to Chat support fixed it eventually, replying to their email repeatedly did not.

Got a refurbished newer device replacement this time, but not looking forward to the next battle if they only engage over chat where there is no transcript/record on customer side.

I did buy the Sense upgrade with the discount from the Ionic recall, and had to have it replaced due to battery issues. Haven't had issues since tho. I did have the original Fitbit Charge and it was iffy about syncing. Other than the recall and the battery issue, I've been using their stuff for years. Previously I used the Microsoft Band which was probably the best fitness watch I had.