Fitbit Charge HR Band peeling

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ronw

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Topic # 189067 16-Dec-2015 07:49

I have had my Fitbit Charge HR for six months and the band is starting to bubble and peel away from the fitbit. A quick search of Internet it seems to be a common problem.
Have tried to contact Fitbit NZ via website email but it will only send email to USA or India??? Anyone else having this problem and is there a solution or do I just go back to supplier.

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freitasm

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Reply # 1451268 16-Dec-2015 07:55

You can go back to supplier but from my experience Fitbit support is very good.

I bought a Fitbit (one of many we have here) from Amazon. It stopped charging after a few months. I contacted support and provided a copy of the Amazon invoice - they shipped a new Fitbit replacement straight away. The interesting bit is that even though it was the US support, the new one came out of a distributor in Auckland.

Give it a try.

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ronw

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Reply # 1451271 16-Dec-2015 08:00

Thanks for advice. Did you just use the USA email address. I tried the website contact form and it demands I insert a country but it will not allow New Zealand to be inserted. It only recognizes New Caledonia and New Guinea. Should I just select USA so I can send message

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iistudio

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Reply # 1451452 16-Dec-2015 11:40

hi:

my wife's fitbit charge did the same thing I contacted fitbit directly on NZ site (or maybe global site then NZ region) but was able to chat with their customers support
they sent me a new one within a week without asking for proof of purchase etc, only asked your registered acct email to verify.

so awesome customer service from fitbit :)

cheers

ronw

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Reply # 1451465 16-Dec-2015 11:49

I think that contact site is in USA. I have just emailed them and they asked for full details and where I lived. I will reply and see what happens.

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DTan

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Reply # 1462283 6-Jan-2016 13:13

That was so easy getting a replacement. I just did it through the Live Chat.

jtan

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Reply # 1462289 6-Jan-2016 13:22

One person supports this post

Although I love my Fitbit, I've come to the conclusion that the design is a bit poor. My partner's Charge had the same problem you mentioned about half a year ago, she contacted Fitbit support and promptly received a replacement. When I noticed hers having such a problem, I was especially careful to not stress the band too much, but by the beginning of last month (just over 11 months since I bought it) the band had come away to the point it also required replacement. I submitted an message via. Fitbit's website and although they said it would take 6 weeks for a new unit to be dispatched, it a replacement arrived in about a week.

I'm using the replacement at the moment but it appears that the unit itself uses screws (which when the plastic parts of the unit crack, they appear to crack the plastic part the screws go into) and is also glued into the band, and the glue appears to come loose eventually. My partner's replacement also had moisture ingress into the unit a month or two after she started using it and now has stopped using hers as a result. Both of us took off our Fitbits when showering etc, as they are only rated as shower resistant - I guess this contributes to the likelihood that the unit will fail eventually. I'm going to wait until my replacement fails and then see what else is on the market to decide what to replace it with.

Looking forward to see what their next generation of units will be like as I quite like the Fitbit app and the concept, and we have the Aria scales too...

ronw

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Reply # 1462315 6-Jan-2016 13:39

Like you I take fitbit off to shower but now wonder if washing dishes could cause the glue to soften. I now take it off to wash dishes. Maybe the heat and moisture can affect it

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jen1001

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Reply # 1462343 6-Jan-2016 14:16

ronw: I have had my Fitbit Charge HR for six months and the band is starting to bubble and peel away from the fitbit. A quick search of Internet it seems to be a common problem.
Have tried to contact Fitbit NZ via website email but it will only send email to USA or India??? Anyone else having this problem and is there a solution or do I just go back to supplier.

I agree, Fitbit's support is good, and hassle free.

The band on my Flex broke about 5 months after getting it (near the part where the tracker slides in), contacted support via the iOS app with a photo of the band. They arranged for their NZ appointed company to send me a new one. Came in just under 3 days which was great. Understand the wristband breaking/peeling is a common issue, I remember researching it at the time and fond quite a bit of disgruntled people. My new one is now starting to rip again, might have to contact them to see what they can do...will try my luck since I've had it for over a year

Definitely do agree with the design flaw, which is a shame because I love the device.

rscole86

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Reply # 1468305 12-Jan-2016 11:04

The wife is on her 2nd one now, the first had poor battery life and the rubber band was peeling away from the hard plastic.
Now the 2nd one has better battery life, but is also peeling away from the hard plastic.

edit: Purchased from Noel Leeming, who sent the unit away and got it replaced with a new one.