A FitBit Update

I have had my FitBit for a whole eight months, and guess what?  It’s headed to the trash this week.  That doesn’t mean I don’t like it any less.  In fact, it should have been trashed about three weeks ago, but I am having a hard time parting with it.  Let me give you all a little update on the best-est fitness tracker ever – or so says me anyway and I only have experience with this and a Nike Fuelband.

Just about a month ago, I woke up and checked my FitBit sleep stats, as I usually do.  (I probably got only 5 1/2 hours of sleep, as I usually do.)  It was a Sunday though, and the morning was off to a nice leisurely start.  As the family was sitting at the table eating breakfast, I noticed that part of the plastic band of my FitBit was lifting off at the center where it meets with the display face of the device.  That is weird, I thought, and I wondered what I could have done to it in my sleep to have that happen.  Actually there was nothing I did in my sleep to have had that happen cause as I wore it that day, more of the band started to raise up until it looked like you see in the picture below.

There was something else that had happened shortly after the separation of that top part occurred, a bubble formed on the bottom part of the band.  You can see it in the pic as well.  What you can’t see is how much bigger that bubble has gotten since I took the pic.  So, again, how did this happen?  I have taken very good care of this FitBit, I can assure you.  I don’t get it wet, I clean it often, I dry it off after I work out, I never leave it in the car or just thrown in my purse, in fact it’s almost always on my wrist.  Unless I am around water, or it is charging, or I feel like I don’t want to worry about my sleep stats, then it is safely lying on my bedside table.  I decided to ask google.

I found out what I already knew, these bands are not replaceable.  That makes for a pretty expensive disposable fitness tracker; just over seven months of life was not what I had expected from this when I got it.  After reading about many other problems with the bands and posting a pic on Instagram, I was advised to give the FitBit people a call.  I did, and there was nothing to worry about as they immediately sent me a replacement, only a few questions asked.  Mostly, the customer service rep wanted to know if I got it wet, wore it in water, or used it in places of high humidity.  My answers were no, no, and that I live where there is a good amount of humidity through the summer.

I think the glue was bad and that is what caused the defect in the band.  Just my thoughts.  I have a friend who has one and the same thing happened to hers.  I am hoping that the people at FitBit have addressed this issue and that the new one I have now won’t have the same thing happen.  If it does, I will call customer service, once again, and ask for another replacement.  I am hoping not to have to do that.  I really do like everything about the HR Charge, but I could be persuaded to jump brands if this one doesn’t hold up and customer service decides to not work with me.  So far, I’ve been very happy with all my dealings with the FitBit people and since I really like this device, I am going to give it another go.  I will let you know should anything change.

Anyone else with FitBit dealings?  Good or bad?  How do you like your device?  Any others that you would recommend?  Leave me a comment and let me know.  Thanks!